With two players less (Isaiah Washington and Zacharie Perrin), we could imagine Sluc Nancy weakened and already on the ropes. But the defeatists, the fearful, the sticky and the grumpy (often the same ones in fact), have seen their gloomy predictions go out the window. In an incandescent Gentilly which turned the head of the Bressan leader Xavier Castaneda taken in by the public after a disagreement with Devin Oliver, the Sluc at the end of a high-flying match ended up dynamiting the opponent.
Two facts explain this deserved reward. The first, Sylvain Lautié never coaches better than when he has a reduced workforce. It's as if the solutions become more obvious. The second: the immense Shevon Thompson, a little behind for two meetings, woke up. And in what way, good god. The kingpin who had donned his gladiator mail was in an evening of fire. In scoring (28 points), in rebounding (12 shots), in deterrence: he was everywhere. To support him, there were the trimmers (Anthony Labanca, Devin Oliver in particular), the pyrotechnician Chris Clemons who became a conductor (to his 17 points he added 8 assists), the astonishing Clément Frisch more and more complete and decisive, the always precious Caleb Walker, the fiery and promising Mohammad Amini and finally, the unexpected Mathieu Gauzin who made good use of his playing time. Badaboum, the Sluc had the chest and the desire for prowess. In summary, everyone was important.
Savor and return to battle
At the end of an XXL fight, where there was fear, sparks and happiness, Gentilly could roar with pleasure, savor this collective delight without which nothing is possible. This is what elevates a building. For this it was necessary to enrich the attack options with the objective of twisting the defensive schemes put in place by Frédéric Fauthoux, the coach of the French team and coach of Bourg-en-Bresse, to demonstrate discipline, of rigor, put all your heart into the adventure and put everything together to come out of the court with a victory. A success that would be good to build on at the Portel at the end of the week.
Positioned in ninth place in the ranking, a few millimeters from qualifying for the Leaders Cup, Sluc has a card to play. But for the moment there is no point in veiling the atmosphere with questions. Sylvain Lautié and his team have shown that they have the build to fight at this level. That they savor the better to return to battle with the same ardor as Sunday. The possibility of a junction between ambitions and reality is real. It’s up to SLUC not to waste it. After what he has just produced, that would be regrettable. It's up to him to show that the truth of one day is still that of the next.
