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What people truly appreciated is not only the results and the silver medal
It is also the attitude of the team and the enthusiasm it sparked
He's a true perfectionist. Everything has to be done precisely, to perfection. Otherwise it's not OK with him.
His role is very important cause he's the one who sets the tone. Since 2008 we had our shares of losses and failures
That's when we needed to know what to do to get back on track and reach our ultimate goal.
In 2008, we hit rock bottom. With the players we chose to work together on a project : London 2012.
They signed a document to confirm their commitment. The goal was trying to make it to the Olympics, no matter what could happen between 2008 and 2012.
It is a great way to build on something strong. The issue with the national teams is that everything happens so quickly
The training camp and competition usually don't last more than a couple of months, more often six weeks
And six weeks is not enough to create true team chemistry. Working during several years gives you the possibility to get better.
Even tough some players changed from one year to the next, the core of the squad remained intact.
In 2007 France failed to qualify for the Olympics and had to go through a qualifying round for EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.
That was a tough way to start on the job. And to make things worse, 8 days into training camp, Tony Parker sprained an ankle and missed the first game in Italy.
Yet, that is when this team was born. In a tough environment we won the game in overtime in Cagliari and later qualified for EuroBasket against Belgium.
I know that our players truly wanted to play as many preparation games as possible in France.
"How many players will you take to Boulazac and Pau for the first games ?"
"We'll be 16 or 17 and I'll change the playing roster every other day."
The relationship between a point guard and a coach is very special. I'm his right hand on the court.
So it is important that we share the same philosophy, the same vision about basketball. And I get along very well with Vincent.
He wants the best for his player and he wants to make you better. He's not just a coach, he's a teacher.
He found the right balance between calling his own plays and giving some freedom to myself and the players
If I am where I am today it is because I had the chance to meet Vincent Collet during my career.
The goal was to make it to London and the Olympics. We reached that goal. And we were all extremely happy about it and the way we handled it.
Beyond the result, what people truly appreciated is not only the silver medal
It is also the attitude of the team and the enthusiasm it sparked
This was a true team and it was important to showcase such a positive image of our sport
We showed such values as fighting spirit, will, cohesiveness and solidarity
Next week :
Valencia is a great city to live in and to play basketball, enjoying every aspects of it