From the top of his double meter 17, the former international pivot Frédéric Weis delivers his expert look since 2016 on different sports channels and will be behind the sports microphone in France for the female league play-offs. The Dacquoise Marion Laborde, who evolved in Basket Landes from 2007 to 2015, is the Basketball consultant from France 3. As for George Eddy, no need to present the Franco-American journalist of Canal+ and his voice, recognizable between a thousand. All three agreed to mention the basketball route Landes and its chances for the last part of the season.
1 Frédéric Weis: “Lyon, it’s going to be a big challenge”
The BL season so far … “Finishing second in the championship behind Bourges, which has a huge season and is much above, it is a performance. I am, I admit, quite surprised because I thought that the departure of Fuehring, quite early in the season (mid-November, note), could destabilize them but no. And there, they finish the championship in five wins in a row, which is strong. But, in general, Basket Landes, it’s very serious. »»
The strengths of BL … “I am a big fan of Julie Barennes, I will only be able to say good this woman: tactically, she offers things and having been a player and being respected as a coach, to find the right positioning, it’s very strong. Each year, she loses players and each year, it works well and it starts again, everything is well structured. I’m not going to be very original, but I love Leïla Lacan, she is a very good player. And I’m going to be barely more original by saying that I also really like Luisa Geiselsöder: a real, solid interior, which brings a lot. She has progressed a lot in recent years, she has expanded her palette. I am also a very fan of Louise Bussière: it is a real X factor, capable of unlocking situations, with a lot of energy. Like all talented people, sometimes she misses, but when it misses, it’s great: she’s very ” funky ”. “
Lyon in quarters … “The major disadvantage in Basket Landes is the draw because they were not likely to inherit a seventh like Lyon. It will be a real test, this quarter! Lyon is very strong inside, very physical: it’s going to be a big challenge. I do not know who will be able to stop Malonga (their international pivot, editor’s note). For me, one of the keys will be Sistine Macquet and its ability to take over from Luisa Geiselsöder to block it. »»
A small prognosis … “Can Landes basketball go to the end?” Honestly, it’s going to be very hard to beat Bourges this year, but to see to what extent the final six of Euroligue can draw energy from them … And then, I repeat it: the real test for Basket Landes is Lyon. And if they qualify, it can really launch them…. ”
2 Marion Laborde: “They are ready for these play-offs”
France 3
The BL season so far … “The Basketball Landes balance sheet on the first part of the season is positive, especially by having managed to extend its route in Euroligue in addition to the championship. There was a moment, at the start of the year, when they grown groped, where they found themselves in the hollow of the wave, but they managed to raise their heads and garner the victories it was necessary to relaunch themselves in the league. They are professional and therefore used to chaining and projecting themselves on new goals, but it is not always so simple. They quickly digested elimination in the French Cup to get back to work. I imagine that Julie Barennes was able to find the words to start from the front. »»
-The strengths of BL … “Basket Landes does not have huge players who dominate in the game at each match, even if we wait for Luisa Geiselsöder Marques her 15, 20 points each time. At the lead, it is sometimes hesitant. The inner sector is less strong than it has been. And yet they get there anyway. I have often heard that the most important thing in a team is complementarity. Ideally, the five aligned together must be at their best level and Basket Landes often lacked consistency this season. It’s normal, you can’t be at the top for a whole season. But when one is below, there is always another to take over. »»
Lyon in quarters. “It’s strong, watch out for this team!” Casually, she has strong individuals that can hurt a match. They must remember that they won there (in the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France, editor’s note) and that they can therefore do it. Now, the play-offs are really another championship, everything can be played on a detail. And, even if it is necessary to do the maximum outside, it is a real advantage to receive in the return match. »»
A small prognosis … “Frankly, I see them going to the final. They are even able to target the title against Bourges, if Bourges arrives well in the final as planned. Rubbing up to Euroligue teams, competing, getting to the doors of the final six, it gave them a good experience, but also the conviction that they are able to fight in the face of these teams. They have garnered a lot of confidence. And level fatigue, they, I believe, managed to recover well. They are ready for these play-offs. »»
3 George Eddy: “Basket Landes always manages to make blows”
Canal+
The BL season so far … “I’m going to be honest: this season, I had a lot of work with the NBA and the African championship that I comment on and I have not followed the female league much … But I know Pierre Dartiguelongue very well (former vice-president and in charge of marketing now, editor’s note) and I will come from Basket Folies in April! I who followed the French team at the Olympic Games, I appreciate Leïla Lacan, a full game leader, who can mark and make marks, present in defense. It is the current locomotive of Basket Landes, and it is well surrounded for being. This is the strength of this club: he has always managed to choose good players who blend in in the collective and who are always able to blow. And that with the qualities specific to the southwest: the collective, the enthusiasm, the state of mind. »»
The strengths of BL … “Julie Barennes is one of the best coaches in France currently, without a doubt. It is a reference. I commented on it as a player. It was a needy, a shadow worker, to make screens, in the rebound … always for the benefit of the team. And she transmitted this state of mind to the whole club, despite the changes of players every season. And with a real training philosophy: Basket Landes cannot afford to buy WNBA stars, like many other French clubs. But if it is not the richest, their wealth, it is to benefit from a reservoir of young people. You need talent or nose to find out, and Julie has both. »»
A small prognosis … “Everything is possible with a good state of mind. Playing against the Tony Parker team (president and majority shareholder of the female club since 2017, editor’s note) in the quarters is always difficult. And in the final, it will surely be Bourges which seems above this year. But go to know, on this kind of cleaver match, anything can happen. »»
