France’s bitter World Cup
The embarrassing failure of a basketball superpower
By Seb Dumitru, Jakarta
8/30/2023, 8:35 am
The Olympic second and World Cup third France was eliminated in the World Cup preliminary round. One of the greatest embarrassments of recent history has raised many questions. The “Grande Nation” is at a crossroads, twelve months before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The French men’s basketball team has already said goodbye to the preliminary round of the FIBA World Cup after two embarrassing performances. The Olympic silver medalist in 2020 and third at the World Championships in 2019 and 2014 is thus the biggest loser of this world championship in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines before the start of the intermediate round.
The “Grande Nation” of basketball started the tournament with hopes of gold. Led by NBA stars Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks) and Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), reinforced by numerous Euroleague veterans, the only question beforehand was which precious metal would emerge at the end would.
An embarrassing 30-point smack at the start against Canada (95:65) and a shocking crunchtime implosion of this kind against World Cup debutant Latvia (88:86) later, Vincent Collet’s team has to pack their bags – albeit the placement games 17-32 pending. Against Lebanon, ranked 43rd in the world, it was only enough for a narrow 85:79 victory in the last group game on Tuesday.
Head coach Collet called the situation a nightmare moments after the devastating 2-point loss to Latvia. The experienced French, used to success, had lost a 12-point lead in the final quarter. With a nine-point lead seven minutes to go, Nando DeColo lost his nerve for a moment. The referees decided hard and threw DeColo off the floor. The momentum turned completely. In crunch time, France then missed several chances of victory – or at least extra time.
While the loud Latvian fans rocked the “Indonesia Arena” in Jakarta minutes after the final whistle and celebrated the small country’s greatest intercontinental success with their self-sacrificing fighting players, the protagonists of “Les Bleus” had long since disappeared into the catacombs. Shocked, humiliated, lost in thought and struggling for answers.
For three-time Olympian Nicolas Batum, it was the biggest disappointment of his national team career. “I’m ashamed. For the first time ever, I’m ashamed to wear this shirt,” said the 34-year-old, for whom it was the last World Cup of his career. “I’m afraid to go home because we let a lot of people down. A lot of people in the country believed that we would really do something special. They believed and we didn’t.”
problems on all fronts
Batum held himself and his NBA colleagues Gobert and Fournier particularly responsible, citing his team’s weak defensive performance and lack of leadership skills. Always one of the two or three best defensive teams in international tournaments in the past, France failed across the board at the back. Rows of switches were missed, shooters were left free, work on the board was neglected. In six out of eight quarters of the first two games, the opponents scored at least 23 points.
The co-favorites also lacked any penetration in attack. No one but Fournier knew how to constantly apply pressure with the ball. Players missed open throws, sometimes even hesitant to take them at all. Not enough came from the backcourt, the frontcourt was a disappointment despite Gobert. Coach Collet was also heavily criticized at home for his staff rotations and tactical decisions.
Batum finally made a big sweep when he approached the French Basketball Federation for not nominating guard Thomas Heurtel. Heurtel had previously been suspended for signing with Zenit St Petersburg following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Everyone has to question themselves after what happened this summer: coaches, players, association, everyone,” said Batum.
Next chance: Paris 2024
A day after the gossip, no French player was available for the media. Meanwhile, team manager Boris Diaw asked for time. You want to process and analyze what happened first. However, you have to “focus on the players on site, after all you lost with them.”
It is clear that not only is the house blessing a little lopsided, but that there is still a lot of work to be done before the Summer Olympics in Paris next summer. The top performers are all older than 30 years, the style of play is also getting old. There is a lack of ideas, vigor, esprit.
As the host, France automatically qualifies for the 2024 Olympics. Superstars like Victor Wembanyama, who chose to focus on his upcoming rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs this summer, and Joel Embiid, who recently acquired French citizenship and is still considering whether to play for France or Team USA , would completely change the face of this team. They would breathe new life into her. The way the Blues presented themselves in 2023 is also necessary for survival.