By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Frederic Fauthoux has confirmed that he will not serve as a head coach at the club level during the 2027/28 season, as he will transition to a full-time role with the French Basketball Federation to focus entirely on the senior national team.
This strategic move mirrors the path of his successful predecessor, Vincent Collet, who worked full-time with Les Bleus to ensure maximum preparation. The decision, which had been an open secret, follows a precedent established during the previous Olympic cycles, where the singular focus on the national team helped secure two consecutive silver medals for France. Alongside this commitment, it is widely anticipated that the coaching staff is likely to be adjusted to support this approach en route to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The plan was made official following a winning effort with his JL Bourg to start the BKT EuroCup Finals on Wednesday. While the 53-year-old tactician admitted his interest in coaching at a higher level in the future, he was clear about his immediate priorities. “Because of my commitment to the French national team, I wouldn’t be able to coach a club team during the Olympic period,” Fauthoux explained. “The FFBB has asked me to be with them full-time. So we’ll see after that.”
This transition marks a pinnacle in Fauthoux’s three-decade career, which evolved from a seventeen-year one-club playing legacy at Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez to elite coaching roles at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Levallois Metropolitans / Metroplitans 92, and currently Bourg. Having nurtured generational talents like Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher, Fauthoux is currently under contract with JL Bourg until the end of the 2027-28 campaign.