By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
France is among the countries that punched a direct ticket for the 2020 Olympic Games. Vincent Poirier helped out in the 2019 FIBA World Cup with 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per appearance en route for the bronze medal. The Boston Celtics center looks back at China’s tournament and forward to Tokyo, FIBA relays.
“We’ll go to Tokyo with a lot of ambition and eager to have a great run there,” he pointed out to FIBA.basketball, “Winning something, a medal for example, would be a dream come true. And I am working hard every day to reach the most dreams I can.”
“The goal would be to have a great tournament and stay in the same dynamic that we’ve had in the last couple of months,” adds Poirier, “Competing in a tournament like the Olympics is a privilege, and a goal for every athlete no matter which discipline they compete in.”
“I have so many good memories of watching the Olympics on TV, from the Dream Team to the silver medal reached by France in 2000 in Sydney. If I get the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, I would be so happy” he mentioned as well.
From China to Japan
France got to the podium in 2000 at Sydney, but afterwards lost to Spain in the quarterfinals both in London and Rio. Capturing the bronze medal at the recent FIBA World Cup can work in big waves for further success this summer.
“I’m very proud of having won the medal, but mostly for being part of a great group of guys that was able to regroup and react after the Semi-Final loss to Argentina,” Poirier remembered, “When you miss the opportunity of making it to the final of a World Cup, you can go down and kind of lose some motivation. We did not, and we did show that we’re competitors and that our fighting spirit, our winning spirit, our competitiveness is unbreakable. It’s tough to bounce back after losing one step away from the Final game, but we showed that we are warriors no matter what happens.”
“Oh man, that was such an amazing moment to be part of,” he said referring to the quarterfinals victory opposite to USA at Dongguan, “Team USA is always a tough opponent and we had such a great game against them. We executed the game plan and had a very solid and intense defense, which was one of the keys of the game. When you win against a team like the USA, it gives you a boost of confidence and you realize that you can do amazing things.”
“We knew it was just a game, but it was historical for French basketball to win against USA. We said to each other after the game that it was just one game, and we did lose after against Argentina, but it was an historical moment for France’s basketball, that’s for sure” Poirier took out on the importance of that contest although Vincent Collet did not use him versus Team USA.
Photo Credit: FIBA.basketball