Evan Fournier takes responsibility for Team France's premature elimination in FIBA World Cup 2023: "Whether in victory or defeat, the individuals with the most responsibility are the biggest culprits, including team leaders and decision-makers. So, it's primarily our fault."
One year before the Olympic Games on home soil, the French national team finds itself in a state of uncertainty. They suffered a surprising early exit in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Indonesia, a fiasco that caught everyone off guard.
Evan Fournier
| Position: | SG, SF |
| Age: | 30 |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 93 kg |
| Birth place: | Saint-Maurice, France |
New York Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier opened up about this disappointment in an interview with Isabelle Lange of RTL.fr, saying, "I'm very disappointed, just like everyone else. I'm also quite surprised, and I'm trying my best not to think about it, but it's impossible. We'll have to pick ourselves up, but at the moment, it's tough to digest."
Les Blues faced defeats against Canada and Latvia in the First Round, which cost them a quest for the World Cup title.
"The truth is that there were things that weren't going well, things that we could have done better," Fournier said. "However, it's never perfect in the French national team. I'm thinking of the last EuroBasket, for example. We weren't as strong as that in certain aspects, but we hung on and won a silver medal. This group has always had the resources to obtain results. That's the nature of basketball."
In Fournier's view, premature elimination is a collective responsibility, stating, "It's everyone's fault. I've always said that, whether in victory or defeat, the individuals with the most responsibility are the biggest culprits, including team leaders and decision-makers. So, it's primarily our fault."
The future of head coach Vincent Collet is now under scrutiny. Jean-Pierre Siutat, the president of the French Basketball Federation, and Boris Diaw, the general manager of the Blues, have not definitively confirmed Collet's continued role in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When asked about Collet's position, Fournier stated, "I think we should not question everything, especially just one year before the Olympic Games -- it wouldn't make sense. Vincent Collet and his staff have done a good job, especially since 2019. However, there are adjustments to be made regarding how we integrate young players into the French national team at an earlier stage."
FIBA World Cup 2023 recap:
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