By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Despite the modest – to put it politely – popularity of any kind of basketball not related to the NBA in France, the domestic scene of the sport is enjoying a renaissance.
This is evident also in the Basketball Champions League, where French teams, namely Strasbourg and Dijon, have already left their mark.
This season, however, is different and finally, 2024 may end up being the year in which a French team can get the trophy.
There’s of course huge and diverse competition with Unicaja Malaga being so far the best team in the league. However, don’t sleep on the progress of the French.
French tops
With the play-in phase starting this week, SIG Strasbourg and JDA Bourgogne Dijon have already secured a spot in the Round of 16, finishing on top of their regular season groups.
On the other hand, however, Le Mans Sarthe Basket and Cholet Basket are entering the play-ins having the home court advantage after getting the second spot in their regular season groups and a good chance to also qualify.
The closest comparison is the Spaniards who have three teams already qualified in Unicaja, Lenovo Tenerife, and UCAM Murcia, plus Rio Breogan finishing third and facing Karsiyaka which has the advantage in the play-in phase.
While for Spanish teams this is not news, it certainly is for the French, especially if you consider the standings of their domestic league in which Cholet is just ninth with a 9-9 record and the trio of Strasbourg, Djon, and Le Mans are tied at 8-10 between the 11th and the 13th position.
Athleticism plus know-how
So what has changed and French clubs are becoming more and more competitive in the Basketball Champions League, aiming even for the trophy? The answer is not an easy one and in some cases, not every scenario is the same.
What can’t be denied is that the French players have a solid advantage in athleticism against other teams in Europe and that was almost a given for many years. And in today’s game, this is a huge factor, arguably bigger than in the recent past, while French clubs are also making strides tactically.
That used to be their Achilles heel and was also a product of their minimal experience at the European level.
This has changed, thanks also to the opportunities given by the Basketball Champions League, and the sky seems to be the limit.
So far, out of the teams competing in the French League, Monaco has played in the Final against AEK in Athens back in 2018 and Strasbourg ended up being fourth in 2021.
Judging from the way 2023 has ended, things can change and get even better in 2024.