He certainly didn’t have Hannibal Smith’s cigar in his mouth on the conference room podium after the victory against Lithuania, the fourth in four games, but Vincent Collet looked like a good day: his plan is going off without a hitch so far!
Facing an opponent ranked sixth in the FIBA ranking, the Blues unfolded their basketball, making the break at the end of the second quarter, on a 16-0 which put the Balts on the ropes. The coach of the French team is thus rubbing his hands to have a return match on hostile ground in Vilnius, with a scalded and vengeful opponent…
“We did not weaken defensively”
Vincent, you were impatiently awaiting this opposition against Lithuania, a possible medal candidate at the World Cup, what first lessons do you draw from this victory, quite wide in the end (90-72)?
“I think it was one of our best games in a while. Rather, we did a good reading of the different defenses encountered on the pick & roll. We were only hesitant once or twice when they passed over the screen. But two quick passes from Terry Tarpey twice led to very easy situations. Except perhaps at the start of the match when we were impatient in attack, we played these situations rather well. What is also interesting is our defensive consistency throughout the match, we did not weaken. In the first half, it was marred by poor rebound control. Again ! Nine [rebonds offensifs], it’s too much for a half. But overall, it’s a positive game. Which will provoke a reaction from our opponent and give us the very difficult match we were hoping for in Vilnius, where we could even experience our first storm. »
We saw several actions where the ball was passed from hand to hand and it ended with a ready-made basket for a player left alone (Nando De Colo with the fault or Guerschon Yabusele with the layup), we imagine that you must be satisfied to see these long systems worked in training pay off in a match situation…
“I’m always satisfied when my players have open shots. These systems were not necessarily long, but there is continuity. There were ball transfers. Every time we gave the ball to Mous [Fall] in the second half, they often came to overtake and we overturned the ball very well and we found shots in an opposite chair. It’s very positive. There were situations of extra passes, also volleyed, on the pick & roll. Both on the post up, or after the screen, or on markdown, we managed to find discrepancies. We made good use of what we know about Lithuania, and its difficulties in covering the closeouts, with exteriors that can suffer against our speed. We had to move them and we did it with regularity. »
Were you surprised by the final difference, a +18?
” Yes a bit. Because I have a lot of respect for Lithuania and they can play better. Of course we defended well, we gave them problems, but we know they are better than that. Friday’s game will be different from that point of view. If we are able to impose our game on them again, and get them out of the game as we were able to do tonight, that would really be a very positive lesson. »
“The happiness of seeing the teammate succeed”
The two returning veterans, Nicolas Batum and Nando De Colo, had a great game, how would you describe their performance?
“If I can put it this way, I would say that tonight was the match for the captains. There was Johnny Halliday in the warm-up, I think that inspired them [rires] ! [Pour Batum], I found a player that I knew well. I asked him at halftime how old he was because his showdown was huge. For a moment he was everywhere. I even think that there were small errors in the stats. For me, he has at least one more counter. There were three minutes where you had the impression that it was Inspector Gadget, he put his arms out when necessary, it was impressive. As for Nando, he was remarkable at the end of the second quarter. His second pass allowed us to take a twelve-point lead, he played with accuracy, he took out two clutch actions. And then, the same thing to restart the second half, always with accuracy. We want to improve our coordination and that is done through communication and implementation. We try to compensate for the lack of matches through communication and he has a role of big brother, of the one who replaces so and so by explaining how it will go. »
It was your last match on French territory before taking off for Lithuania, then for Asia, can we say that you filled up with confidence and good vibes with this burning public in Orléans ( in a sold-out CO’Met Arena)?
“We were treated to an exceptional atmosphere. We even said it before the match, to see all this public in fusion, it is very pleasant for us. This has been the case since the beginning of the preparation. We feel the support, we feel that the public is behind us. It is good to store this energy before leaving. »
We are coming to the end of what you called “the first block” of this preparation, do you think you are in the nails?
“I told them in the locker room. On Wednesday evening, we made progress on several of the sites we opened. But the most beautiful thing was the state of mind. The happiness of seeing the teammate succeed. It’s a small detail but if we manage to keep it, it can help us in the competition. »
Interview in Orléans
