L‘Emotion has dropped a bit on the side of Audrey Lacroix. Finally, just, she admits, also conceding great fatigue on this Monday afternoon at work, but in relaxed outfit, Light Gros Sweat-Shirt to Hooded “Basket Landes”, obviously. The president of the Blue and White club lived an exhausting Sunday, more or less sitting on the chair attributed to her, at the level of the central round. Exhausting, confusing, then euphoric. A shades of emotions as experienced by the approximately 2,600 spectators a priori non -cardiac of the Mitterrand enclosure. The medical certificate will end up being requested at the entrance to the Montois cauldron.
This is how, this season, nothing will ever be simple with the Landes. If they miss them, they find themselves whipping to cut the line first, ideally in the last minute, as in Lyon during the first leg (68-69). If they treat it, like this Sunday, with a + 8 good quality at the end of the first quarter, they find themselves this time to tremble until the end, to win, against Charnay, of 2 unhappy small points on all two sleeves (67-63 in Saône-et-Loire, 56-50 in the Landes). And between the two, invariably; Chronic instability which leads them to never manage to take shelter when they have the possibility, and pushes them to play with the nerves of everyone.
Pride
Including those of their president, inevitably. Who inevitably sees certain things differently, distinct issues, more or less positive consequences. On Sunday, there were surely many ideas that had to jostle in his brain. But Audrey Lacroix must have done like everyone else: to wait, little by little, that windows close and doors open, to finally see more clearly. A possible displacement in Tarbes rather than Charleville-Mézières, acted before kick-off. A possible title, and with him a new qualification for the Euroligue, envisaged at the final whistle. And, in the middle, certainties that comfort the manager.
Audrey Lacroix during the semi-final return against Charnay on Sunday.
Matthieu Sartre
“What I still feel hot, because I haven’t slept a lot about the last two nights is pride. Because for the players, this qualification rewards the daily requirement which is that of high -level athletes. It is the pride of the recognition of their work but also of the happiness that we provide in people. »The way? She easily accommodates it. “We are not playing our best basketball right now, but we defend very hard and it makes us win. And it has to continue because a final is won. The season is already more than successful. The title was not one of the initial objectives, a qualification was requested for a European Cup. But the season is not over and you have to get this award! ”
Not trivial
Because if the ticket for Eurocoupe next season is insured, Basket Landes would exchange it well for access to the Euroligue. And only the French champion will be entitled to it. “There is nothing left … It would be so beautiful to offer a title to Mitterrand!” It would be the conclusion of a collective requirement: this success would belong to everyone. It is the stability of an entire club that would be rewarded. A final is a precious moment, rare. We tend to trivialize things, but it’s not that trivial, to play a final! »»
By “offering a title to Mitterrand”, Audrey Lacroix also intends to be able to celebrate it fully. Because Basket Landes did not win tons of it: he even won only one, in 2021. That of a surreal season, marked by the COVID-19, empty rooms and people, when there were, masked. “This title, we could not share it fully. And then, there was the final last year, this defeat against Villeneuve-d’Ascq and girls who were marked and who are animated by a real spirit of revenge. Girls who have never hidden it: the podium, they want to climb, jump, dance on it, and not look at others let their joy burst. “They have character and they want to correct all of this,” says Audrey Lacroix. First opportunity on Saturday, from 3 p.m., in Tarbes.
