By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Lille, France – Storming back from a 12-point deficit behind Victor Wembanyama’s unique abilities, France took down Brazil, 78-66, in Gameday 1 of Group B of the preliminary round of the Olympic Games on Saturday.
From the San Antonio Spurs to Les Bleus, Wembanyama was a commanding figure to overcome a slow start and avoid a stunning upset in the opening game. Stuffing the stat sheet in his Olympics debut, he registered 19 points with 7/13 field goals, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks, and two assists.
Experienced forward Nicolas Batum shared a game-high 19 points, including three triples, to go with five rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Wemby scored 11 points in the second quarter, fueling the comeback charge. Improved defense and the 20-year-old wunderkind heavily involved in the offense changed the momentum heading to the break.
“I think for the first time in his career he was a little bit stressed this week”, admitted while speaking about his young star coach Vincent Collet. “I would say three days before the game I felt he was a little bit stressed so we talked together and everybody around, teammates, the rest of the staff, we tried to help him and I think he is so mature, day by day he got better with that and he just wanted to start”.
As he said: “People who know basketball understand that Victor Wembanyama is 20 years old, but others who just like sports think he is already Michael Jordan. He is not”.
But when asked how far Wemby is from his Airness, Collet added with a sly smile: “Not that far”.
Leading in the second half
The shift carrying into the second half pushed the lead over ten points in the third quarter. Peaking at a 13-point advantage, the hosts allowed the lead to shrink to four points midway through the fourth period before a much safer distance down the stretch.
Coach Collet explained that his team felt the pressure: “The last couple of days before the game were tough because everybody wanted to start but you had to wait and think about it and it depends a lot on expectations. For us, they are quite high and you have a lot of risk in this first game. I think we didn’t do it well the first 10 minutes but I am happy because our reaction and the way we adjusted was good”.
Leo Meindl and Cristiano Felicio scored 14 points each for the team coached by Aco Petrovic. At 41, Marcelo Huertas followed with 11 points and five assists for a team-high efficiency rating of 14. Out of the rotation, Didi Louzada and Raul Neto stayed on the bench.
Moving to Gameday 2 on Tuesday, France hosts Japan and Brazil meets Germany.
Photo Credit: FIBA