Per a team announcement (h/t FIBA Basketball), Cameroon’s men’s national basketball team has added Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam to their preliminary roster. Baylor center Yves Missi and NBA Academy Africa big man Ulrich Chomche have also been selected.
The Indomitable Lions will head to Riga, Latvia to face host Latvia, Brazil, Montenegro, Georgia, and Phillipines in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament that begins on Jul. 2. If they win out, they’ll earn a berth to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Cameroon Pre-Olympic Team Gets Big NBA Boost
A frontcourt of Siakam, Missi, and Chomche could thrive in the Olympic Qualifiers and beyond.
There are few teams with a frontcourt piece who can score as well as Siakam. Team USA will have a dominant frontcourt that features NBA luminaries like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Cameroonian center Joel Embiid. Team Canada’s RJ Barrett has momentum, averaging 21.8 points per game after his trade to the Toronto Raptors. The Greek men’s national basketball team will have Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP. Nonetheless, averaging 22.6 points per game over the past five seasons, Siakam’s a potent offensive weapon.
The Up-And-Comers
With Missi and Chomche beside him, their interior defense has a lot of upside. Missi is a fluid and bouncy center at 7-foot-0 and 229 pounds. An elite shot-blocker, he may be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Chomche, represented by distinguished Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul, is a spellbinding draft prospect.
At 6-foot-11 and 232 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he can play either power forward or center. With his effort, length, shot-blocking instincts, he’s also a great rim-protector. Yet, possessing great short area speed, he’s capable of guarding out in space. At the offensive end, he’s comfortable stretching the floor, 63.6 percent of his shots coming from 3-point range.
Jeremiah Hill
The key to unlocking their potential may be point guard Jeremiah Hill.
A standout at Valdosta State, Hill appeared in 44 games for the Osceola Magic (the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate) in 2018-19. Since then, he’s traveled to several different countries to live his hoops dream. This journey has taken him all through the Eurasian continent, most recently to Runa in Moscow.
In 37 games with Runa, Hill averaged 13.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
With Hill’s craftiness and passing precision, he could make life easy for the frontcourt. Furthermore, he’s already played with Cameroon’s senior national team. Not only has this familiarized him with teammates like Chomche, but he’s already shown how well he can produce if featured in the offense. In the 2023 Olympic Qualifiers, Hill averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game while leading Cameroon to a 4-0 record.
