By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Coaching them in the LNB with Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in the 2022-23 season, Vincent Collet revealed he wanted to have both Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where the French national team was eliminated in the first round Jakarta, Indonesia.
Talking on the French basketball federation’s website about the 2005-born Zaccharie Risacher, called up by the national team ahead of the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers, France’s head coach commented on integrating the young talents step by step. “He is very young. But I remind you that last year we didn’t wait with Victor Wembanyama even though he was the same age. It’s a similar situation. These latest performances in the league and in the EuroCup are really convincing”, he first said about the current player of JL Bourg-en-Bresse.
Going more into the former ASVEL player, he mentioned the two NBA rookies, who are playing respectively for the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Wizards. “It’s never too early to integrate talented young people who should settle with the team. It’s a process. And I remind you that last summer we intended to take Victor Wembanyama, or even Bilal Coulibaly, to the World Cup”, Vincent Collet added.
The French national team’s head coach decided to also call up Nadir Hifi and Matthew Strazel, two upcoming talents for the basketball landscape in the country. “Nadir Hifi, after the last two seasons at Le Portel where he had already really shown interesting things, has continued to do so this season with Paris Basketball”, he first said about the playmaker.
Moving on to AS Monaco’s own, he had good words about him. “It’s the same with Matthew Strazel. Since the start of the year, he has demonstrated consistently good performances, especially in the French championship, and real progress. His few appearances in the EuroLeague are also interesting”, he said.
Generally speaking, “integrating one or two new young people, players with profiles who could be part of the next competition is what we have always tried to do, even if there is a big focus on results since there is the qualification for the next EuroBasket at stake”, Vincent Collet finally commented.
13 Bleus convoqués 👊
Vincent Collet a dévoilé la liste des joueurs appelés pour préparer les deux premières rencontres de qualification à l’@EuroBasket 2025 🫡#TeamFranceBasket | #PassionnémentBleu | #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/kNP4s08sUZ
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) January 19, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers