After an experience in Germany, Constant Tchouassi, the coach who almost led Mende to League A, is looking for a new project. Always with a desire to train and share.
You left Mende 18 months ago, what has been your journey since then?
My last season at Mende was practically a culmination, we came close to the promotion after being champion of the regular season. I decided to leave the club to sign for Friedrichshaffen, one of the best German and European clubs as assistant to Mark Lebedew, to allow me to continue my progress.
Yet could you have signed as No. 1 in a League A club?
I had already had offers. But I was very attached to the club and to the town of Mende where I felt good. But I had to get out of my comfort zone and this last season in Mende seemed to me to be the right time to go abroad to have this international experience, or also another aspect to continue to improve.
Mende was more than a sporting adventure, it was a human adventure. I felt like I was contributing to something much bigger than Volleyball. I had good opportunities. Friedrichshaffen is the biggest German club after Berlin, which was looking for a coach with my profile, because they wanted to take on young internationals with great potential that they wanted to develop.
Did this correspond to your desire to progress in your career?
Yes, it was a big step because I found myself at one point a head coach there, when Mark Lebedew was ill. The fact of being able to know that his philosophy and his method work, of being able to work with players who have been European champions, players who have been the best in the world in their position and to imprint a certain vision on a club like this one makes you grow.
I am someone who functions on affect
You only stayed for one season before leaving for Austria, for what reason?
I had offers to continue in the Bundesliga. I also discussed for the head coach position at Frierichshaffen, but they opted for Adam Swaczyna, who was also an assistant but had just won silver at the Olympics with Poland. The Amstetten project in Austria interested me because it matched what I was looking for. Sportingly, a team capable of playing for the title and going to the European Cup. Finally, once there, the project no longer really corresponded to the one that was initially proposed to me. And even if, humanly and sportingly, things were going well, the trust had been broken and I am someone who functions on affect.
-Did you continue to follow Mende's results?
Yes, but from afar, I wanted to break away from it to let the club evolve on its own. There was a very strong sentimental aspect.
So you are looking for a new project…
Yes, I was appointed instructor by the international federation, it is a great honor for me because I have always been into sharing, training, helping players progress, not just young people.
Is training really an important aspect of your coaching?
For me, a good coach is a coach who trains, that is to say that all players, at whatever level, need to progress. They always have things they need to learn. When you take a group or draw out the quintessence of a group, the players help your project. From the moment you see that all the players in this group have the opportunity to progress, that you bring them something on a daily basis, it's fantastic.
Is this one of the things you are looking for?
The role of trainer sticks to me. Helping players progress and sharing is my DNA. For me to completely adopt a project, there would need to be a club that emphasizes training. A club that wants to develop young players, give them a chance, because that's what I like to do. And being able to support them and then, that’s one of the things that is part of my philosophy in any case. You also need a desire to perform. If there is no desire to win in the medium term, that doesn't interest me. At Mende I learned to develop networks, because I couldn't work with agents, so I'm used to looking for players, watching dozens of matches. We had to work differently to attract good players, to find players with potential to develop.
We are talking about you at Arago de Sète for next season, is this a project that would tempt you?
It's always flattering to be mentioned as a potential coach for such a prestigious club. Whom I know well because previous coaches have often held friendly matches or pre-season training at Mende and I have always followed the club's results with interest. Arago has a rich history and a very good training of players. If this opportunity materializes, it would be a huge honor to participate in such an ambitious project. For the moment, nothing has been decided yet, and I remain focused on my current goals. This is an inspiring team, and I would be enthusiastic about taking on such a challenge.
