Marième, what memories immediately popped into your mind when you packed your bags in Caen?
Lots of good memories. I spent two seasons in Mondeville (from 2015 to 2017) and it was here that I took my first steps in the Women's League. I have always played in good groups, I really liked my coach… There is only positive that emerges from Mondeville.
The coach you mention is Romain L'Hermitte. What did he bring you?
Confidence, a lot of confidence. We both worked a lot, on the fundamentals, on the technical aspect. I evolved a lot through contact with him. He's someone I really like on a human level. I owe a lot to Romain and the USO Mondeville. I had a lot of fun playing for this club.
Was it during your second season at Mondeville (14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds) that you became fully aware of your potential?
Yes. It was during this season that I received my first call-up to the French team. It was clearly there that I started to make an impression and that it all began for me.
Since leaving Mondeville, you have played in two Euros, two Worlds and the Olympic Games. How do you judge your trajectory?
She's crazy. I still remember my reaction when I received my first summons to Mondeville. I was in shock, I didn't really believe it. I didn't dare aspire to that so quickly. Behind, everything happened step by step. When I look back, I am proud of how far we have come. If someone had told me all this at the time, I wouldn't have particularly believed it.
More than three months after the final of the Games lost by one point to the United States (66-67), would you speak of a huge performance or a great disappointment?
Above all, it is a huge performance. The term disillusionment is not the one I would have chosen. It’s obvious that it’s a big disappointment because when we’re so close, we believe in it. I, sincerely, believed in it until the end. When you see in the eyes of your opponents that they are not serene, it gives you strength. Unfortunately, we missed some details. It's sport, but it's still a great performance.
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Did it take you time to digest these Games?
Things happen so quickly at this level. I quickly switched to the next season but still, I sometimes think about it again. In those moments, I tell myself that it's great to have won the silver medal but that we came within one point of the gold medal and that it would have been an incredible achievement.
Since leaving Mondeville, you have also become the mother of little Jaya (born in December 2020). How did she experience these Games?
By being in the front row (laughs). Even though she is young and doesn't yet understand the magnitude of the Olympics, it was important to me that she was there. His presence brings me a lot of pride and strength.
“We should normalize the fact that an athlete can become a mother,” you said in 2022.
When I see the number of athletes who become mothers during their careers and hear their feedback, there are no more questions to ask. It should open minds. You can get pregnant and come back in full possession of your means and even stronger. My pregnancy wasn't planned but that's fine. I don't regret anything at all.
How has being a mom made you stronger as a basketball player?
On the psychological aspect. Now, I am a basketball player but also a mother and that allows me to put a lot of things into perspective. Just because I have a bad match doesn't mean it's the end of the world. My daughter has become my priority, she gives me a lot of strength and helps me switch. When I walk onto a floor, I need to know where my daughter is. Once I spot it, I'm good to go.
You have been playing for Fenerbahçe, the two-time Euroleague title holder, since February. What did you discover there?
This is the very high level, the best that can be done. When I found myself in the room surrounded by Emma Meesseman, Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, I said to myself “wow, ok, welcome to Fener!” » Here again, I felt a lot of pride. We are evolving in incredible conditions. Logistics has nothing to do with what exists in France. I am not to be pitied (laughs).
READ ALSO. Marième Badiane, Euroleague winner: “Everything went very quickly”
How does it feel to be reunited with your “silver” friends, three months after the Games?
It's special, it's nice. What we experienced is unique and strong, it is something that will bond us forever. We had a special group, within which something had happened.
