He anchored for a few days at Insep. After having spent the confinement in his house in Utah and started "the world after" on his boat in the French Antilles, Boris Diaw made a stopover this week at the school of French sports champions located in the woods of Vincennes. There, a budding basketball player, he spent two years, from 1998 to 2000. Where a golden friendship was born with Tony Parker, with whom he won, much later, the title of European champion in 2013 and NBA champion with the Spurs in 2014. Where, until Thursday, the various teams of France are gathered in 3 against 3 and 5 against 5 for "intergenerational exchanges", according to Jacky Commères, the performance director at the federation.
“Spain has had its“ red ”day for men's teams for years, we were inspired by it, explains Jean-Pierre Siutat, president of the French Basketball Federation. We want to give a general culture common to all our generations. We have lots of ideas. We want to give the keys to former players. "
#LabFranceBasket Day 2 📍
What a joy to see the players of the French teams To exchange with our young people 🗣️ 🤝 pic.twitter.com/y3gypjXsa1
Among these illustrious alumni present this week for the first edition of the "Lab" were the internationals Olivia Epoupa, Sandrine Gruda, the internationals Isaïa Cordinier, Lahaou Konaté, Nicolas Batum and the retirees of the Blues Florent Piétrus and therefore Boris Diaw. The European Junior 2000 champion in Zadar (Croatia) knows how important the early years are and can mark the success of a career. “Our youth selections started everything here,” says the current deputy general manager of the France team. Playing together from the age of 15 creates bonds. "
"In my studies, I had a lot of respect for the older generations"
In his time, relations between the different teams in France were not so numerous, fluid. “Personally, in my studies, I had a lot of respect for the older generations, but we did not necessarily know this sharing because there is no event like this one,” he explains. It is a time created for sharing and exchange. There is a lot of potential among the young people, the selections have been performing well for years. The succession is therefore assured. But since nothing is a given, you always have to work to make sure you improve. You have to be one step ahead of the future and see how the game evolves, that's why the coaching seminars are very important. This allows these young people to be better supervised and this potential to be transformed into victories. "
#LabFranceBasket Family photo 📸
All the players (players of the young and 3x3 French teams, coaches of the France A teams, members of the various staffs, internationals, federal leaders and members of the DTN) on the same photo, it is is not beautiful? 🥰 pic.twitter.com/p3gHPXQI2r
The young Nantes native Victor Wembanyama who, from his height of 2.18 m at only 16 years old, impressed the "old" during the sessions on Tuesday morning, represents this golden future. "He has a lot of potential and great qualities in addition to his size," Diaw analyzes. He has good game reading and good dexterity, which is not easy for players of his size. "
If he loves the blue house and invests in the federation, the international with 247 capes - like his mother Elisabeth Diaw-Riffiod - is above all a free man. His sudden withdrawal from the presidency of Boulogne-Levallois (Jeep Elite) last April - which precipitated the departure of coach Fred Fauthoux (Asvel) - is proof of this. “It was not the project in which I was committed to the base, we did not agree on various points, explains Diaw. There is no regrets, but I have no plans to become president again somewhere (smile) . "
