Sylvain Lautié (Nancy): “I feel bad for Roanne”

The positive? Despite the absence of its leader-passenger DJ Cooper, the Choir resisted Nancy until the end. And Sekou Doumbouya had another XXL match with 28 points including a 12/15 free throw. The former French basketball prodigy peaks at 22.4 points on average and would be number 1 in the championship if he had played enough matches (TJ Shorts, at the top of the ranking, is at 15.8 points).

“Okay we lose but we are paid to play hard and we did it and we will do it again for the last two games. We do what we can, we got Nancy hooked. There’s no point in me being frustrated, putting extra pressure on myself because we already have it. We will fight for the last two matches, until the end. I give my best to contribute to the team,” he insisted after the match, reports Le Progrès.

Mathematically, the Choir is not yet condemned to Pro B. But it would take a tangle of circumstances for it to get out of it, starting with two victories, in Paris, which no longer knows how to lose, and against the ‘ASVEL in Vacheresse! SLUC coach Sylvain Lautié had a word for his unfortunate opponent.

“We knew that Roanne wasn’t going to give anything. I’m sad for Roanne. It’s a shame to see French basketball strongholds like Roanne in difficulties. I am against this division of 16 clubs (…). Two fewer matches means 12,000 fewer people for Nancy, 10,000 in Roanne. I feel bad for Roanne.”

Let us point out that with the victory of Blois in Nanterre, Roanne is not yet sure of avoiding 17th place, which would have been fateful even with an elite which would have remained at 18 clubs.