Contract completed, and well fulfilled. Basket Landes has recovered after a complicated start to the year and has just qualified for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. Ideal for morale before playing another busy and challenging week, between the reception of Brno in the Euroleague this Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) and that of Charnay in the Women's League on Saturday (8 p.m.).
Audrey Lacroix, president of the club since June – but more than fifteen years behind the scenes -, was on the trip to Lyon and fully appreciates the group's timely rebound. But if the one who juggles between her job as a lawyer and, already, the preparation for next season, with a certain number of contracts coming to an end, does not shy away from her pleasure of seeing the club engaged on several tables, each more exciting than the others, she would like to point out, like her coach Julie Barennes, that the most important match of the week is certainly not the first… Interview.
What is your feeling after qualifying for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France?
This victory did everyone good. I felt a mix of several emotions, while we shook a little and we weren't so calm on the bench. It was a great satisfaction to be one match away from a final, but also a huge relief to stop this spiral (of four consecutive defeats, Editor's note) and to see the coin finally fall on the right side to allow the girls to finally be able to breathe. There is still work to be done in terms of the game, everything was not perfect, but the team found itself in the state of mind and its values with self-sacrifice and solidarity.
Were you worried at this delicate start to the year?
I'm used to taking a step back because of my profession. I manage to put distance on certain things and on defeats so I don't necessarily see this start of the year as a failure. A few days before the Charleville match (lost 63-64 at home, Editor's note), we went to see the players with Marie-Laure Lafargue (general director, Editor's note) to congratulate them for meeting the objectives since there were still 4 of us then.e in the championship and still in contention in the Euroleague.
So it's true that this January 5, we made the task very difficult by losing this match, also at home, and by finding ourselves, given the density of this championship, tied for sixth. Then, there was this defeat against Mersin, who are stronger and it is normal, and these two defeats against Bourges away, the first of which poses a problem for the institution because there was not the right mindset. But I remain optimistic in the face of difficulty, it is not 100% a failure. This series of defeats also allowed us to work, and allowed these young girls to grow, to understand certain things, such as the fact that we must always put our individual performance at the service of the collective, and that we must above all not look back because otherwise we will get bogged down and we won't get out of it. We must look to tomorrow, the future, Wednesday. But especially Saturday evening against Charnay.
How do you explain this gap, beyond the oppositions which were consistent?
It's a good question, but I don't have the ideal answer. Given the exceptional results in recent years, do we have a status that we cannot assume? Are we apprehensive? Maybe we weren't 100% focused on things? There are also small ailments, the sequence of matches was quite intense. And then above all emotions: we must remember that these are very young women. Do they have the maturity necessary to combine all of this? I think yes, they want to perform, but the season is long and they are not robots. There are always ups and downs and here we were in a bit of a down period.
We attracted their attention, we discussed, we communicated on these subjects, myself included: the institution came to meet them on Monday (January 13, Editor's note) before their second departure to Bourges to support them, encourage them, to say that they still had our full confidence, of course, and to tell them above all that we knew they were capable of great things and they had already demonstrated it to us. That you simply had to believe it. I think it's important to remember these things because, as I said, these are young women. Today they honor their status. Because despite this defeat against Charleville, the results are very positive.
-Can the fact of collapsing against Bourges (93-53 defeat) explain this rebound by unwinding the group?
Certainly, yes. They have given up, they know it and we can only get back on track afterwards, even if it is not always that simple. It could have been a trigger. Afterwards, do we have to go through that every time, I don't hope so (laughing)! This defeat in any case allowed them to verbalize certain things together and that created something positive.
Was the reframing carried out by Julie Barennes concerning the club's objectives, and the priority given to the championship, necessary?
Certainly, it must always be remembered even if they have it in mind. I have no problem with the European Cup, we showed that we were a more than credible candidate and what the players did was extraordinary. Except that next year, these results will not take us to a new European Cup. The daily bread is the championship and it's compulsory top 6, it's non-negotiable. We have clearly seen that we are one match away from doing something incredible for the club in the European Cup, the Coupe de France is the icing on the cake with a special history with this competition for Basket Landes ( victories in 2022 and 2023, final in 2024, Editor's note) and we asked them to do honor to it. But yes, the priority is the championship and we especially have to think about this match at Charnay at home.
The fact remains that your European future is far from over: what does the fact of still being in the running on three fronts inspire you this January?
This is not unexpected: when you build a team, you look for balance and Julie (Barennes) knew that this team has gold in its hands. We know that we are a credible candidate for this Euroleague. On the other hand, maybe we hadn't considered going this far… It's incredible, it's crazy, it's a great adventure for the girls and for the club: it allows us to grow. And the consequences are not just sporting: they are also financial. The quarter-finals involve a two-legged match and this is additional ticketing, and therefore revenue. We are currently playing 13 games at home, 12 sold out. The management committee confirmed that we are the club with the largest ticket office in the Women's League with more than a million euros in turnover, or a third of the turnover.
I don't know what word we'll put at the end, but if we qualify for the quarter-finals, it will be one step further, and it will be completely crazy. I want to say like Julie: “Inshallah”, we play and we see. I just want them to have fun and see this adventure through to the end. But I want us to keep a cool head and remember that the big match is Saturday.
How to approach the match in Brno, decisive for qualification but which will perhaps not be enough?
If I had to give a speech, but I leave it to the technicians, I would give the one we have had for several weeks: putting your individual talent to the benefit of collective performance. I know that that's not everything, but I would remind you of the values of this club, its identity: state of mind, self-sacrifice, solidarity, demanding and collective. The girls must also not lose sight of the fact that we don't lose in Mitterrand, we care about it. And that they have fun in a nice match which will serve as support for Saturday.
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