By John Rammas/ info@eurohoops.net
Evan Fournier is certainly excited 24 hours away from his first Final as captain of the French national team and the latest installment of a long rivalry between his squad and Spain.
“Feels good to be in this position. I’m looking forward to it. Now, we’re going to have fun,” Fournier told Eurohoops.
“Every game is a different matchup,” he mentioned regarding the difference in experience between the rosters of France and Spain. “You can have a lack of experience that’s going to bring youth, excitement and toughness that’s gonna sometimes overwhelm experience. You have to play to your strength. The team that plays the best wins. It’s that simple.”
Fournier admitted that before the EuroBasket he didn’t expect Spain to be in the championship game. But he’s not completely surprised by their run.
“Going to EuroBasket, I didn’t think they were going to make it that far,” Fournier admitted. “For sure not. But you can never write down Spain. They have a way to play. They have a program that has been successful for years and years. It’s their first year rebuilding – sort of – and we weren’t expecting them at that level.
It just shows how well they play,” Fournier added. “How good they are at understanding the game of basketball. It’s a testament to what they do.”
Is Fournier going to sleep easily ahead of such a match? “To be quite honest, the night before a big game like this – even a semifinal – your mind is working a lot. So it’s harder to fall asleep. You have to really relax and do what works for you. Even on gameday, usually, the nap is harder to take. Even the food, your appetite isn’t that big. It’s like a stress thing. A normal reaction. Hopefully tonight I’ll be able to sleep in”