2023-10-10 19:01:10
It was time to take stock. An “uncompromising assessment” and “without tongue in cheek” as Jean-Pierre Siutat, the president of the French Basketball Federation, has repeatedly said. A little more than a month after the “failure”, according to coach Vincent Collet, of the World Cup ending in the group stage, the staff of the Blues and those in charge of the FFBB were gathered this Tuesday afternoon , to “debrief” the summer and look forward to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. From the maintenance of Vincent Collet to the decision of Joel Embiid to decline the Blues to play with the United States, several files were addressed.
Coach Vincent Collet confirmed
The question of the coach was quickly swept away. Pointed out by some after the World Cup fiasco, Vincent Collet was quickly confirmed – and reinforced – in his position by the president of the Federation. “He has a track record, recognition among players and an ability to bounce back that he has already shown in the past,” explains Jean-Pierre Siutat.
In office since 2009, Vincent Collet – who has won 7 international medals with the Blues – will end his contract in the summer of 2024. Freed from any contract with a club, the former coach of the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois – where he polished the nugget Victor Wembanyama last season – will be able to devote the coming months to preparing for the Games. He will visit players in Europe and the United States. Its objective will be to form a group where the collective is more important than the individual. The lack of cohesion between the players during the last world championship was particularly singled out to explain the final result.
If Collet has been confirmed in his position, his assistant Laurent Foirest will not continue the adventure with the Blues. A member of the staff since 2017, the former international was not at the World Cup in September and cannot be considered responsible for the failure. “Laurent did the job in other years, so it is not the quality of the person, human and technical, that is called into question but the complementarity with the staff,” indicates Boris Diaw, the general manager of the Blues. We have very similar profiles in the staff with former Pro A coaches who have the same vision. We want a different profile, a different approach to provide added value, a different vision. It’s a question of profile. This profile can be a French or foreign coach or one with experience abroad. We don’t have a deadline. »
The “disappointment” Joel Embiid
The “Embiid” soap opera ended last week, not the controversy. Nor the questions. While France had ensured that Joel Embiid, the MVP of the last NBA season, obtained his French passport in record time, the person announced last week that he would compete in the Paris Olympic Games with the jersey of Team USA on the back. An about-face on the part of the man with three passports (Cameroon, France and United States) who had, eye to eye, assured that he wanted to play the Games with the Blues.
“Yes we would have liked him to come, I met him in March 2022,” recalls Siutat. But we never went looking for him. He was the one who requested to play with our national team. We took the steps at his request, we helped him but, I repeat, we were never a requester. I was not present at the interviews with the Ministry for his passport but I think he was committed to wearing the jersey… His passport is linked to the jersey, it is a truism to say that. It’s a disappointment because we spent time and energy on this issue. But now the subject is behind. Let’s move on to something else. »
Thomas Heurtel selectable again?
The president of the Federation left the door ajar to a return with the Blues of leader Thomas Heurtel. The 34-year-old playmaker was excluded from the French team since his decision to join the Russian club Saint Petersburg last year despite the agreement signed with the Basketball Federation. “He was my starting leader at the European Championship (silver medal in 2022) and we will monitor the situation and hope that it gets better,” indicates Vincent Collet who does not hide that the absence of the player has was detrimental during the last World Cup.
To achieve this, the Federation hopes that the IOC gives Russian athletes the opportunity to participate in the Paris Games. “We have the desire to succeed in the Games,” confides Siutat. There is already the case of the volleyball player (Jenia Grebennikov who plays in Saint Petersburg and continues to compete with the French team). I communicated our request to the CNOSF and to the Minister of Sports. The reflection remains open. It’s not a backpedal, he (Heurtel) was deprived of the World Cup this year but the situation is evolving. »
The Blues will not go to the Olympic village
This is one of the pieces of information from the press briefing on Tuesday, October 10. If the Bleues du basketball will benefit from the Olympic villages – in Lille during the first round then in Paris in the event of qualification for the final phases – their male counterparts have decided, after an internal vote, to experience the Games outside of this space, this living space, reserved for athletes from all delegations.
“We all thought about the best solution to be as efficient as possible,” explains Boris Diaw. We have a staff with many people, important members, staying in the village would have prevented us from working with these people, they would not have been able to be accredited to enter the village. We would not have been able to work with freedom, in the village we do not decide on training times or their duration. It’s more comfortable to work for performance. » Despite the additional financial cost and security constraints, the Blues therefore prioritized performance. They will stay in a hotel in Lille during the first week then, if qualified, at Insep – located in the Bois de Vincennes – during the final stages.
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