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Having just won a 6th consecutive championship title, which it celebrated on Wednesday evening with its supporters, Friborg Olympic must think about its future. The core of Swiss players will always be there. Which foreigners will accompany him?
Eric Nottage and the Olympic players said goodbye – or farewell? – to their supporters on Wednesday at the Saint-Léonard hall. © Jean-Baptiste Morel
Published on 05/09/2024
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Friborg Olympic’s remarkable season officially ended on Wednesday evening. One day after snatching a 3e decisive success in the play-off final at Massagno, the Friborgs celebrated their 6e consecutive Swiss champion title – 22e of the club’s history – with their supporters during an aperitif organized Wednesday evening at the Saint-Léonard hall.
After this new hat-trick, president Pascal Joye and technical director Ambros Binz expressed their pride and spoke of the work ahead to form a team that is still as competitive next season.
1. A successful transition
Last summer, the end of the Petar Aleksic/Philippe de Gottrau era as well as the resizing and rejuvenation of the squad raised several questions. From the outside, many people even imagined a transfer of power. It has not happened. “It was a transition. In basketball, it’s the transition from defense to attack, it’s an opportunity to create something. It was used in a positive way to lead us to success,” applauds Pascal Joye. “This hat-trick is a very good surprise,” admits Ambros Binz, impressed by the energy that emanated from Olympic. “This group is just awesome. It’s made up of a lot of good players, but it’s really the team that made the difference,” he adds.
2. A winning formula
Building on its success, Olympic is not going to revolutionize everything. Coach Thibaut Petit and his assistant Patrick Pembele are still under contract. All the Swiss players too. Natan Jurkovitz, Arnaud Cotture and Killian Martin had signed for several seasons. Jonathan Kazadi and Roberto Kovac were extended before the start of the play-offs. “Keeping them was our priority,” reveals the technical director. “In our budget, Swiss players are more important than foreigners,” recalls the president.
“It is important that new players can blend into the team”
Pascal Joye
With Dylan Ducommun and Aloïs Leyrolles, who has not yet decided between Olympic and France, where he could validate his status as a “locally trained player” by going to play a season – “We are waiting for his answer. It’s 50-50,” says Binz – the Friborg club is already preparing for its future. A concern that will continue to monopolize his attention in the coming weeks. “The Academy has no players to provide us with at the moment. We will look elsewhere for two young talents to complete our squad,” announces Pascal Joye. Olympic is looking to Switzerland – a young person like Ugo Dassin in Geneva? – but also abroad. “There are not 200 players available. We have approached a few, but the work will really begin these days,” says Binz.
3. Foreigners: quality or quantity?
The big issue for Friborg leaders concerns the contingent of foreigners. The four mercenaries are all at the end of their contract. How many will come back? The answer is not known. Too often on alternating current, Xavier Green will not return to Friborg. For the rest? Olympic would like to keep Eric Nottage, voted best player in the play-offs. But not at any cost. An offer, with a salary increase, was made to the American leader, but the latter, courted by other clubs, expected more generosity and hesitated to continue the adventure. There is no shortage of quality leaders, but with Nottage, Olympic would have the advantage of continuity. It is also for this aspect that Ambros Binz is in favor of retaining Ross Williams and Cheikh Sanè. “They are going really well with this team,” argues the technical director.
Switzerland has become too small for Olympic; it’s time to think bigger
Decided to take part in the FIBA Europe Cup if he fails in the Champions League qualifiers – “We are going to open the SA capital to the public and try to organize a support meal for Europe”, specifies Pascal Joye – the Swiss champion needs quality to perform on the European scene. “We have to meet with Thibaut (Petit, the coach, editor’s note) to decide if we leave with three or four foreigners. If we keep a player like Sanè and look for a complement to him. Or if we reserve the envelope for a single player,” explains Ambros Binz, who is giving himself a good month to sort out the situation.
The only certainty: Olympic will not rush things. “We still have time,” proclaims the technical director. Managers will also be very attentive to the balance of the team. “It is important that new players can blend into the team,” insists the president, determined not to change Olympic’s winning formula.
