July 4, 2016
Countdown to Manila OQT: 1 day
French national basketball team head coach Vincent Collet is wary that Gilas Pilipinas may draw strength from their home crowd when the two sides meet on July 5 for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Collet admitted that France have to prepare for such factor.
“I think there is much enthusiasm (from the crowd), and they will try to elevate the tempo of the game to deny us to play with our own physical strengths in many positions,” Collet said.
“This game is something special. This is good competition for both teams. I think the atmosphere is going to be something amazing. It will be one part of the game.”
“The Philippines is a good team, they have good players,” he added.
Collet said since France are tagged as the favorites in the Manila OQT, a lot is expected from the team and they have to deliver.
“For sure, our expectation for this game, we know it is the first game of the competition, we know the expectation from France and what it means,” he said.
Collet’s players are also wary of Gilas’ main strengths like speed and three-point shooting.
Team captain Boris Diaw said France should “be careful” because almost everyone from Gilas can connect from long range.
“We are looking at everybody. We know they play a lot with Andray Blatche. He creates a lot of opportunities and open shots for a lot of other players,” Diaw said.
“Everybody else in the team can shoot and make shots from the outside. We have to be careful for that.”
“They have Blatche, they have good shooters, they will play fast. But the first thing you think about is how to play together and have good defense. This will be the keys of the game,” guard Nando De Colo added.
Collet will get an additional reinforcement in Nicolas Batum, who is expected to suit up against New Zealand on July 7.
“He is one of the leaders of the team. He can give the team athleticism. He can play without the ball very well. He is very important when you are one of his team’s guards because he needs to have the ball in his hands (too),” Collet said.
