With four victories in four matches since the start of qualifying for EuroBasket 2025, and even if it hasn't always been brilliant, the Blues should quietly secure their ticket to the competition.
The next, and final, qualification window will take place in a month. Gathered in Nanterre on February 17, Frédéric Fauthoux's players will join Croatia (match on Friday February 21, time and place to be determined), before heading to Orléans to face Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Monday February 24, at 9:00 p.m.
Avoid the disaster scenario
With its perfect record, and a point average of +50, while Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia have two victories and two defeats, with respective point averages of +30 and +10, it would take two very large defeats, in particular in Croatia, for not reaching Euro 2025…
A disaster scenario that will be difficult to happen, especially since while the NBA players will obviously be unavailable for the next window, the Euroleague players were selectable!
We therefore had to make choices for Frédéric Fauthoux, who will be able to count on Evan Fournier (Olympiakos) and Theo Maledon (ASVEL), but also Elie Okobo (Monaco), Matthew Strazel (Monaco), Isaia Cordier (Bologna), Jaylen Hoard (Maccabi Tel-Aviv) or Vincent Poirier (Efes Istanbul).
No Sylvain Francisco (Kaunas) or Nadir Hifi (Paris) therefore, while Nolan Traore (Saint Quentin) is one of the three training partners, with Brice Dessert (Strasbourg) and Mohamed Diawara (Cholet).
Already the time for choices
“Sylvain and Nadir were at the heart of our discussions with the staff because they are very good with their club” explains the coach. “But Théo Malédon, Elie Okobo and Matthew Strazel are also very good. We therefore have to make choices around the specificities but also in relation to the knowledge that I can have of the players. In five days it's very hard to get to know the person, beyond the player. So this gives me time to speak with some by telephone between now and the summer. We will have time to discover ourselves. »
And the experience of Evan Fournier, Vincent Poirier and company will be valuable for the high-stakes matches that await the Blues, facing opponents who are gambling with their lives.
“If the Croats do not win against us, they are eliminated” thus recalls Frédéric Fauthoux. “So they will be waiting for us. We have a lot of players used to playing in particular atmospheres, at Partizan, at Red Star, at Olympiakos. It was important. »
