Before thinking of the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, French basketball players, without their NBA and Euroleague stars, must get into qualification mode for Euro-2021, in Germany this Friday (8:00 p.m.) and then against Montenegro on Monday (6:45 p.m.) in La Roche-sur-Yon.
The Blues, without their executives, appear in a group with Germany, which is automatically qualified as a host country, Montenegro and Great Britain.
To compete in Euro-2021, they must finish in front of one of these two teams. Nothing insurmountable for the French, bronze medalists at the 2019 World Cup, after a historic victory in the quarterfinals against the United States.
“The risk is Germany: they should not beat us and then be beaten by our opponents. If it is a direct competition with our opponents, we must qualify, it doesn’t there is no other alternative “, underlined the coach Vincent Collet, before leaving for Vechta (North West of Germany).
Of the twelve players selected for this single international window before the Olympic Games-2020, three have still no selection under the blue jersey (Isaïa Cordinier, David Michineau, Guerschon Yabusele), and the most capped, Amath M’Baye (18) , only got its first selection at the end of November 2018.
“This is a group that has renewed itself quite a bit. We are a bit in the situation we were in before playing Belgium in November 2017. So with a lot of uncertainty,” said the coach.
At the time, for the first qualifying match for the World Cup-2019, in Antwerp, the French needed the first period to prowl (led 38-25) before taking place in the second period (victory 70-59) .
“What is a little scary is that for almost half of the team, this is the first time. Those who have already known windows will have a more important role than at the time”, warns Collet, thinking of Axel Julien at the helm, Axel Bouteille on the outdoor stations, or Yakuba Ouattara.
“Even if we have quality, an interior sector that can be efficient, there is still uncertainty, the unknown of a first with players who lack experience,” added the coach.
Qualifications for the 2019 World Cup had allowed several players to stand out, including Amath M’Baye, from the trip to China in the summer of 2019. “There are often players who reveal themselves. There are two or three who are finally quite close to the big summer selection, “slips the coach.
