Are Christmas matches always a special moment in a season?
Yes, we are going to play a big match against a great team, in good shape, in a beautiful venue, at Futuroscope. This is not the usual venue in Poitiers, the match is sold out, so the event side can weigh. It’s up to us to get over it. There are two games left before the break. Clearly, the objective is to take both to best position ourselves to attack 2025.
What are the strengths of this Poitiers team?
They have a very strong 1-5 axis with Rupnik and Jeanne. The leader is truly the master of the game, the conductor of the team. It will be my role to stop him, to annoy him, to break their chemistry. Afterwards, it will be a fight, like every match in Pro B. If we win the fight, we will have a good chance of winning the match.
Without Chris Ledlum, Without Seydou Ndiaye, will responsibilities still have to be shared?
Yes, when a great player is absent, everyone raises their level of play and the score is better distributed. We are keen to show that we can win without him, we have already shown that and that way, when he comes back, the team will be at the top.
I think we are typically the type of team capable of having a strong second half of the season
How have you divided up the tasks at point guard since the arrival of Micah Speight?
We really develop a very good relationship, whether on or off the field. Micah is a very nice person. He wants to learn. He played in Spain, so he knows the European game. Both with me and with the rest of the team, things are going very well.
Are you complementary?
Yes, on quite a few things. We have identified the strong and weak points of each person, we discuss a lot to find out what our preferential situations are. It should bear fruit. Daily work will allow you to find the best possible alchemy.
Will his arrival improve the team?
Yes, compared to Keshun (Sherrill, the point guard he replaced) he has more explosiveness, tenacity, very good hands in defense, even if he is small he annoys a lot of people on the dribble. He already brought quite a bit to the first match in terms of dynamism and he will continue to do so throughout the season.
Mickaël Hay, your coach, has often highlighted how much better the team played away from home. How do you explain it?
Outside, we are in a position of outsiders, where we want to prove. It’s us against the rest of the world. There is more humility, more struggle. It’s a state of mind that suits us well and which we miss a little when we play at the Palais. I hope we put our best face forward in Poitiers. As I said, there are two matches left to end the year and if we manage to climb into the Top 8, with all the adventures we have experienced, it will be a good omen.
With the arrival of Micah Speight, do you feel a possible increase in power in the second part of the season?
Totally. When I arrived, the team was in a negative dynamic. So, the goal is to build a large squad where everyone must take their place. The squad changed a lot this summer, so it will take more time, but I think we are typically the type of team capable of having a strong second half of the season.
