Three weeks ago, ESPN announced that Frenchman Maxime Raynaud had decided to leave Stanford University where he has spent the last three seasons. Except that, in a twist, the famous Californian university announces that Victor Wembanyama's former teammate has decided to move back in!
“After the season I had, I needed to test the other teams and see my situation in the NCAA. But ultimately, I think that deep down, I never really wanted to leave” he explains about his unsubscription from the “transfer portal”.
On the shelves of North Carolina, Kansas…
Raynaud is coming off a very good season with the Cardinals, establishing himself as the best French player in the NCAA, to the point of winning the title of best progression in the Pac-12 conference. The U20 European champion with the French team last summer averaged 15.6 points (56.7% shooting, including 36.1% from 3-point range, and 78.4% from free throws), 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. on average.
At the San Francisco Chronicle, the Frenchman reports that universities like North Carolina, Texas, Kansas and Alabama were interested in him, but that he is enthusiastic about playing for a new coach, Kyle Smith, to whom he announced that he was staying in… French.
“I will continue to work on what works because that will be my base”explained Raynaud, “but I also think that I will try to work on new areas of my game like the mid-range shot, the counter, and the leadership role. The new staff is going to do great things and I really want to be here to guide the next young generation who will be the future of Stanford.”
