Coach of the French team for 14 years, European champion, Olympic vice-champion, and twice bronze medalist at the World Cup, Vincent Collet admitted to having been “surprised and honored” to have been invited to a clinic, the “Ivan Ivkovic Basketball Clinic”, organized by the Association of Serbian Basketball Coaches (SABC).
A way to show his respect for a great nation of European basketball, in which Zeljko Obradovic is seen as a reference, in the rest of Europe and even across the Atlantic.
“Serbian coaches have dominated Europe for more than thirty years. This clinic shows that they can continue to learn and progress. There is everything you need to be a good coach”, he said before speaking about Zeljko Obradovic. “I’ve been here before. Last year I lost with my Metropolitans against Partizan and Zeljko Obradovic. He is the best of the best. He is someone I have followed for a long time, even before becoming a coach. Because I started my career after him. I know a lot about him, but it’s always interesting to listen to him.
The dominance of Serbian basketball on the world stage took on a new dimension with the advent of Nikola Jokicdouble MVP of the regular season in the NBA then champion and MVP of the Finals, disgusting his opponents one after the other with a unique style, between his pure talent, his game vision and his quality of passing, to end his playoff campaign 2022/23 a hair’s breadth from a triple-double.
Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic’s successor?
More generally, it highlights the continued rise of European basketball, while the phenomenon Victor Wembanyama has just arrived on American soil. This is also why Vincent Collet was asked, he who allowed “Wemby” to burst the screen throughout the season.
“I hope Victor Wembanyama will be like Nikola Jokic. He has potential, but the hardest part is realizing it all. He is only 19. I know him very well because I trained him. I imagine it will be very successful. It is possible that, in a few years, all the best basketball players will be European.continued the tricolor coach.
The question that Serbian basketball is asking is if Victor Wembanyama can become stronger than a Nikola Jokic?
” It’s different “replied Vincent Collet. “Nikola Jokic is very special. He sees everything before others and is among those who make the best decisions. On the other hand, Victor has to be better in these situations. Where he is now already better than Jokic is in his defensive aspect. I think he will be even better in a few years when he strengthens his body”.
The most important thing for Vincent Collet remains the strength of the numbers of the European formation. At the start of last season, the NBA had 120 international players in its roster, including 58 Europeans. A record.
“We teach young people in Europe to play basketball. I’m not sure the NCAA is doing the same job as before. Now, she mainly prepares players for the NBA, but not in the same way of learning. I mean, in Europe we manage to develop players in the right way and that makes our players special”concluded Vincent Collet.
