Ledlum and Ndiaye, it will last
Chris Ledlum (right ankle) and Seydou Ndiaye (right wrist) will miss their second consecutive match. And Mickaël Hay has already given up on the interior and the winger for the arrival of Boulazac on December 27. “For Chris, 2024 is dead, it’s not a little sprain,” explains the Pau coach. He must have a scan on January 8 which will allow us to consider what happens next. As for Seydou, his unavailability is also set for a good month. We have to move forward without these two players. We are going to play two difficult opponents to complete 2024. So we are going to try different things.”
Un joker in 2025?
The signals are not really favorable for Ledlum, the Pau staff are considering the arrival of a medical joker. “We look at the market to make the best decision,” explains Mickaël Hay, “Numerically, these two absences pose a problem since we only have eight professionals left and, for the moment, young people cannot compensate for these absences in a way suitable. The difficulty is finding a player for a month, which is not easy at this end of year period. If Santa wants to go to Elan and take a name out of the hood, I’ll take it, but it might be complicated since he has to be French or Cotonou, and in good shape since we won’t have no time to rehabilitate someone. “.
Poitiers, festive evening
In the meantime, the Palois are traveling to Poitiers, to the Arena du Futuroscope, which is expected to be packed. A PB 86 carried by the back Javon Blair (19 pts on average) and the 2.18 m pivot, Jonathan Jeanne (14.7 pts, 8.7 rebounds): “2.20 m boys who run like Rabbits, we don’t often come across them in Pro B. Axis 1-5 is strong. It’s a team that can be very basketball-oriented, with leader Rupnik and position 4, Ramljak, who directs the game well, and who also has good physical density. We will have to be solid in defense, where we have been better for 3-4 games.”
Better outside?
If Pau has a negative record at the Palais (4v-5l), it is the opposite away (4v – 3d), where it remains on two successes, in Blois and in Gries. The pass of three, this evening in Poitiers? “On the road, we are more concerned, more focused on our basketball, whereas at home, we sometimes tend to see ourselves above the opponent and not prepare properly,” analyzes Hay. Outside, I find us more serene. But we will be missing two important elements. This is not an excuse, it is an observation. As we did in front of Évreux, due to the absence of Chris (Ledlum) and the arrival of Micah (Speight), we will need even more variety in the game.”
