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The Dominican Republic is perhaps putting together its best international roster for the world cup. They added three veteran NBA players to the preliminary extended roster, which was announced last week. The Dominicans are making their third straight World Cup appearance and fourth overall. They have yet to finish higher than 12th in any World Cup.
The Dominican Republic qualified for the 2023 World Cup as the second-place finisher in one of the pods of the Americas Qualifiers. They posted a 9-3 record, with two losses against Canada and one to Venezuela.
Dominican Republic's group stage opponents and fixtures
In the 2019 World Cup, the Caribbean country advanced to the second round, losing both second-group games to finish 16th. They are ranked 23rd in FIBA rankings, down five spots from the last World Cup. They are drawn in Group A with Angola, the Philippines, and Italy for this year's tournament.
The Dominican Republic will start group play against the host Philippines in Manila on August 25th. They defeated the Philippines 94-67 in their only meeting during Olympic Qualifications in 2021. The Dominicans then face Italy in game two. The Italians won the only meeting by 20 during the 2021 Olympic qualifying. They close group play with their first-ever meeting against Angola.
Before the 2023 World Cup, the Dominican Republic will play four exhibition games, facing Puerto Rico on August 4 and Lativa on August 12. They then hit the court against Spain and the Philippines on August 18 and 19.
Players to watch out for in the World Cup
Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns is a three-time all-star coming off an injury-plagued 2022-23 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 27-year-old big man put up 20.8 points, 8.1, and 4.8 rebounds in 29 games last year. He also compiled a shooting slash line of .495/.366/.874. Towns has not played for the Dominicans since the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.
Al Horford
Horford has had a fabulous NBA career. However, the 37-year-old is on the downside of it. He still started 63 games for the Boston Celtics last year, averaging 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He last played for the Dominican Republic during the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying in Caracas.
Chris Duarte
Duarte is a 2021 first-rounder of the Indiana Pacers coming off a down year. The 26-year-old wing is not a good defender and struggled shooting the ball along with turnovers last year. He averaged 7.9 points on 36.9% shooting from the field and 31.6% from the 3-point line this past season.
Duarte played in two games at the end of the Americas Qualifiers for the Dominicans. He totaled 31 points on 9 of 29 (31%) shooting, 1 of 15 (6.7%) from the 3-point line, and 12 turnovers. Duarte scored 11 points against Panama and 20 versus Venezuela.
Andres Feliz
Feliz is a former Illinois Fighting Illini guard who plays for Spanish club Joventut Badalona. The 26-year-old veteran point guard produced 10.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 49.5% from the field and 41.3% from deep. He is a Dominican Republic national team veteran.
Elroy Vargas
One of the Dominican all-timers, Vargas, played collegiately at Kentucky and Florida. The 34-year-old center averaged 11.3 points and 7.3 boards during the Americas qualifiers. He currently plays professionally in the Uraguay.
Victor Liz
Liz is an elite scorer and a veteran national team member for the Dominicans. The 37-year-old guard led the team in scoring during qualification at 15.4 points on 42.2% shooting from the field. Liz currently plays for Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico.
Angel Delgado
Delgado went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 2018 but was able to hook on with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-way contract. The 2019 G-League Rookie of the Year also played for the Sioux Force Skyforcein 2020 but has since been a mainstay in Europe. He led the Americas Qualification in rebounding. Delgado has switched Turkish League clubs as he will play for Besiktas this year after spending last year with Pinar Karsiyaka.
Lester Quinones
Quinones is a scorer who was named the 2022 G-League Most Improved Player. The 22-year-old wing went undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, but he signed his second two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors this summer.
He did appear in four games for the Warriors this past campaign. Quinones will debut for the Dominican Republic national team if he makes the squad, though he previously played for the U18 side.
L.J. Figueroa
Figueroa has played in the G-League since going undrafted out of Oregon in 2021. He spent the 2021-22 campaign with the Santa Cruz Warriors and the 2022-23 season with the South Bay Lakers. He also played with the Lakers summer league squad this past season but then signed with German club Ratiopharm Ulm for the 2022-23 season. Figueroa suited up for the Dominican Republic during the 2019 Pan American games.
Jean Montero
Montero is just 20 years old, and there are questions about whether he will make the squad. If Montero does, he likely won't see much court time. But he could be an NBA target down the row despite going undrafted in 2022 after playing in Overtime Elite. Montero played for the New York Knicks during the 2022 summer league. After moving from Gran Canaria, he will suit up for Spanish club Real Betis Baloncesto for the upcoming season.
