Less than two months from the start of the competition, we now know the names of the 12 players who, barring an unfortunate setback, will defend the colors of the France to the World Cup 2023 (August 25 – September 10).
A list which was, on the whole, that expected by the observers of the Blues, even if Vincent Collet experienced some difficulties when putting together this selection…
” We have never had so many meetings with my assistants as this year », did he concede at a press conference. “ When we take 15-16 players, the arbitrations can be delayed, but selecting the 12 players is what we had already done in Tokyo in order to save time. It was a difficult list to compose, and it even had to be recomposed at the last moment because we learned late about Victor Wembanyama’s withdrawal. »
The French coach, who has ” tried to bring in the new Spurs phenomenon, despite the challenges imposed by his status as number one in the Draft, will in any case be able to count on the presence of his major duo, Evan Fournier – Rudy Gobertin addition to relying on feedback from its managers, Nicholas Batum And Nando de Colo.
” Usually we make a list of 7 outside players and 5 inside players “, first recalled Vincent Collet. “ This year, Nicolas Batum has slipped inside a bit, although he will mainly be used as a winger. […] His reinstatement, and that of [Nando] of Colo, will make it possible to exploit the interior game even better. »
Two surprises… to avoid a bad one?
Quite a classic therefore, even if there are also surprises. Starting with the point guard position, where we can highlight the return of Frank Ntilikinabut especially the presence of Sylvain Francisco. He was notably preferred to the experienced Andrew Albicy, whom many nevertheless considered to be unstoppable in the eyes of his coach…
” This is the position on which we hesitated the most “, in any case admitted Vincent Collet. ” The emergence of Sylvain, whom we have seen during the last windows, as well as his development and his age, made us want to integrate him. It was then considered that having two small point guards was a luxury that one could not afford. We have thought a lot about balances and complementarities in the association of players. They are four to be able to help lead. Sylvain is a pure leader and we can consider that Frank is too. »
The other surprise – if not outright the main one – is the appearance of Yakuba Ouattara in the list. Obviously, the Monaco player will be called upon to play the “energizers” off the bench, like his new teammate Terry Tarpey during the last Eurobasket…
” We saw this year, and in a magnificent way, that Yakuba often broke the face of the opposing leader for 6-7 minutes “, quipped Vincent Collet, who was able to realize it himself in the final of Betclic Elite, with Boulogne-Levallois.
Add to this base things like Elie Okobo, Guerschon Yabusele, Moustapha Fall or Mathias Lessort and you get a team that, on paper, seems equipped to seek a new international podium. It is still necessary that the logic be respected on the ground…
” It’s very French to make victories and medals the norm. However, we must reinvent the path each time, create the conditions to transform our ambition into a test. It’s a pride to be one of the favourites, but we know our sport and many teams can claim this status. In Eurobasket, the best team on paper did not pass the round of 16 repeated Vincent Collet, with reference to Serbia, ambitious but cautious.
