Nadir Hifi “remains positive” despite Paris Basketball’s defeat in the Euroleague

2024-10-04 22:34:35

Scorer of 12 points, the young winger of the French national team of Paris Basketball looks back on the 77-80 defeat against Red Star on Friday at the Adidas Arena in the Euroleague.

Nadir Hifi (Paris Basketball back, after the 77-80 defeat against Red Star the club’s first match in the Euroleague) : «It was a special evening for the club, for us too. Obviously we would have liked the evening to end well and win… But this is part of sport. However, I think we showed a lot of positives tonight. This gives us a lot of hope for the future. We will work and come back stronger. The atmosphere? I hope every match is like this, but we have to win. We felt enormous support. We feel enthusiasm around our team. We are very proud of our fans, they are incredible. Like an away game? No, frankly, I was on my game. We heard the Belgrade crowd, we’re not going to lie, they booed us. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say we felt like we were out. Personally I was in my game, in my little bubble. (…) With the Euroleague and the enthusiasm around the club, it will be totally different compared to last year. We will have more fans, the hall will be full more often, I hope. In any case I live for these moments, we live for these moments and I hope we have more evenings like this.

The difference between Euroleague and championship or Eurocup? The physical challenge is different, everything goes faster. In the readings you have to go faster, it’s physical, you have to stay focused otherwise you can immediately get a 10-0… It’s another level, a completely different level. We will adapt and make adjustments to win. What if we already have the level? We showed it this evening. But it’s not just in one match, you have to prove it throughout the season. I think our team has the level to beat many others in the Euroleague. I’m sure of it, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. (…) It was a discovery for everyone. It was a special evening for everyone, the club, the players, the coach. We retain many positive aspects but in the end we lost, this is what we remember. We will return to training tomorrow (Saturday) and will come back stronger on Sunday (against La Rochelle).» (comments collected in a mixed area)