It almost felt like we were in a psychologist’s office. But, instead of the red sofa, a large oval table, at the headquarters of the French Basketball Federation, in Paris (13th), where Jean-Pierre Siutat, the president of the FFBB, Boris Diaw, the manager of the basketball team France, and Vincent Collet, the coach, spoke, for more than an hour, of the causes of their torments: the last World Cup, which ended with a poor elimination in the first round, while the ambition was d ‘go get a medal.
So, the French basketball triumvirate, since the elimination in mid-September, has held a series of meetings to debrief, “without making concessions”, or “sweeping dust under the carpet”, says the boss of the FFBB. If, for a time, the seat of Vincent Collet seemed ejectable, the one who is at the head of the Blues was confirmed in his position this Tuesday, and will lead the French team during the Paris Olympic Games. With one goal: a medal.
> From the global fiasco, you will learn
Even before leaving the Philippines with arms hanging at the end of the first round, the entire France team was entitled to a personalized interview with Boris Diaw, to try to put words to this rout. If the preparation, short and not worked enough, and the level of the players were mentioned, the biggest problem, according to the former Phoenix Suns player remains communication: “It was not optimal. Ahead of the campaign, Vincent Collet has a year-round communication job with the players, we did not anticipate enough what our opponents could offer and communicate it to the players. »
Boris Diaw took the opportunity to self-flagellate, highlighting problems in the France group: “During the campaign, I certainly did not get the messages across enough, humility above all, I did not place enough the context, I must also be more uncompromising, more firm in respecting the daily rules and group life. We are going to set up individual meetings with the players, with Vincent, to keep this communication channel open. »
> Team cohesion, you will work
The rout against Canada (95-65), after a second period without fighting, remained in the head of Vincent Collet, who took very badly the fact that his men did not fight as a team: “The heart of the analysis of this World Cup is the level of cohesion compared to other competitions. This is the most painful observation of failure. We must use a stricter, firmer framework, and rediscover these values of cohesion, of being a real team, and not an association of good players,”
So, how can we regain this state of mind which made it possible, in particular, to bring home a beautiful silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021? “This is work that will take all year. And we will have to work on it quickly. Everyone must understand that nothing will be possible if, first of all, we do not rebuild a team. Now it’s time for the Games. »
> staff, you will redial
If some may have thought Vincent Collet’s position was threatened, this was not the case. Confirmed, the former coach of Boulogne-Levallois will begin his fourteenth season at the head of the Blues. But, this time, it will be exclusively dedicated to the French team, as before the Tokyo Olympics, in 2021 (well, well): “That changes a lot of things, I have more time available for analysis . There will be trips [pour voir les joueurs], soon on the Italian side. It’s part of the work of cohesion, of coaching upstream. »
Finally, only Laurent Foirest, current coach of Boulogne-Levallois, was not retained on the staff. “It’s not a question of quality, but simply the complementarity of the profile,” explained Diaw. We are looking for a profile with a different approach, with different experience. » The choice has not been made, the research continues.
> From Heurtel, the return, you will wait
His name was on everyone’s lips when Nicolas Batum, speaking to beIN Sports, spoke about the Blues’ crash: “That we deprive ourselves of certain players, that we lose players because of certain conditions…” Off to play in St. Petersburg, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the French point guard became unselectable. Which could change in the coming weeks.
“If there is no progress in the matter, they [les joueurs évoluant en Russie] are not selectable, indicated Jean-Pierre Siutat. We are working on it on a political level. We will see what can be done. I had my meeting with the minister on this subject. The reflection remains open. We look at how things are evolving on the IOC, government, CNOSF side. » A return which would greatly satisfy Vincent Collet: “Thomas was my starting leader, we will monitor the situation in the hope that it gets better. »
> Embiid, quickly, you will forget
We all believed it: the Rudy Gobert-Joël Embiid association in the racket during the Paris Olympics was going to massacre everything in its path, including the American team that came with its best players. Alas, that won’t be the case. The Cameroonian interior finally chose to play with Team USA after going out of his way to sing The Marseillaise during the opening match of the Games.
“Joel, we never went looking for him,” says Jean-Pierre Siutat. At his request, we took steps to give him French nationality. We are disappointed to have spent so much time and energy on a file that we did not undertake. But the subject is behind us, we move on. » Not so quickly for Vincent Collet, who had already imagined an Embiid-Wembanyama tandem in the racket. It will stay in dreams.
> From Wembanyama, you will hope
The NBA season has not yet started and he is already guaranteed to have a central role in the French team during the Olympic Games. The subject Victor Wembanyama arrived late at the press conference, but we saw Vincent Collet’s eyes light up when talking about his former protégé at the Metropolitans 92:
“It will be a centerpiece of the building. He can play with all the interior players who are already in the France team. It’s really an obvious added value, an additional asset, on both sides of the pitch, and particularly in defense, because where we must first find our identity is defensively. Due to his size, his measurements, his intelligence, he is capable of bringing a lot. »
> From the Olympic village, you will flee
The French Basketball Federation has left the choice to the players for the Olympics, the next round of which will be played in Lille, before returning to Paris for the final phase (if the Blues participate, Mondial jurisprudence). Unlike the Blues, the French men’s team will be outside the Olympic village. “We have a large staff in many areas, being in the Olympic village prevents us from working with all these people, because access is very regulated,” explains Boris Diaw. Being in the village with half the staff, blocking. And we will have the freedom to work at times that suit us. It’s much more comfortable for us. »The Blues will therefore be accommodated in a hotel in Lille, before moving to Insep.