By Antonis Stroggylakis & Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
The late, great Kobe Bryant summarized his famous “Mamba Mentality” as “constantly try to be the best version of yourself.” That “hard work outweighs talent.” It’s not just a philosophy but a way of living, followed by thousands of athletes – and not only basketball players – across the globe.
This attitude is also what’s driving Zalgiris Kaunas guard and certified Kobe mega-fan Sylvain Francisco. Tireless grind against all odds.
“I’m really happy for Sylvain. He’s not coming from a rich family. So what he got, he worked hard to get it,” said Jean-Denys Choulet, Francisco’s former coach at Roanne in 2020-21, to Eurohoops.
Francisco’s hard work has been paying off with a gradual upward curve over the last couple of years. After debuting in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season with FC Bayern Munich, the 27-year-old player is now emerging as the main man for Zalgiris, leading his team in points (15.0) and assists (5.8).
What also makes Francisco stand out is his ever-growing capacity to deliver in tight, late-game situations – the moments when the ball weighs a ton.
Look no further than Zalgiris’ latest game. In one of the most memorable nights in the Lithuanian club’s long and glorious history, Andrea Trinchieri’s team pulled off a miracle comeback win (85-82) from down 27 points, the second-biggest turnaround in the EuroLeague annals.
Francisco was an immense factor in the final minutes, scoring seven of his 17 points in crunch time and making some big-time plays on defense. He had a similar display in the 74–67 victory over Barcelona on opening night, with 15 points in the last 4:31 and some jaw-dropping shots that were everywhere on social media.
It’s no wonder Francisco looks so natural taking over down the stretch. After all, he was taught the tricks of the clutch trade by the best: EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis.
Francisco first began making headlines with his feats in continental-level basketball as a player of Peristeri BC under Spanoulis during the 2022-23 season. From the very first moment he started working with the former MVP and three-time champion, he quickly realized that they both embrace the same “Mamba Mentality”.
“He [Spanoulis] has the Mamba Mentality, too,” Francisco said in an interview with Novsasports last year while he was still with Bayern. “That’s what I realized about him. He’s a legend because he worked a lot. He’s a legend for a reason.”
Spanoulis helped Francisco hone his skills even further and develop into the EuroLeague standout player he is now. The French guard is always eager to express his gratitude.
“I’ll be in touch with Spanoulis forever,” Francisco also mentioned.
Francisco is always glad to talk about his former mentor and even happier to put his lessons into action on the floor. Like he did in that game against Barcelona in Round 1.
While videos of him putting Alex Abrines on skates were going viral, Francisco shoved the dagger into Barcelona’s heart with a sidestep three-point bucket that instantly brought back some pretty strong “Kill Bill” memories.
It was Spanoulis’ trademark move, the kind of shot he used time and again in huge moments throughout his EuroLeague career. Afterward, Francisco felt it was only necessary to pay tribute to his former head coach.
“Shout out to Spanoulis because that’s his move at the end of the day,” Francisco told EuroLeague TV. That triple capped a tremendous fourth-period effort by the French guard, a similar kind of decisive intervention that the Greek great did plenty of times over the years.
That win over Barcelona was a prelude for what followed over the next couple of weeks. Zalgiris fell to Olympiacos Piraeus on the road but not before putting up a big fight and then completing a perfect road trip to Italy, first at Virtus Bologna and then at Olimpia Milano.
“Yesterday Bolognese, today Milanese” read a sign held by Zalgiris fans in Milano’s arena.
Led by Francisco, the Kaunas side is one of five EuroLeague teams that began the season 3-1, and that’s including a win over a contender and two tough missions away from home. Quite impressive.
Signs of things to come
Even before most European basketball fans began learning his name, Francisco was showing that he’s an unusual kind of player with a knack for the remarkable.
“Once, he was injured and played all the game on one leg. He scored 24 that night and gave us a win,” recalls Choulet. “We were not even sure if he was able to play. Once, he dunked on a guy who was close to seven foot. All the gym went crazy.”
In a way, Choulet was probably the ideal type of coach Francisco could hope to find at that moment in his basketball journey. Someone who knew exactly how to use him, help him unveil his talents and boost his confidence by relying on him. Make him feel important with the team.
“He was my only point guard,” Choulet added.
“All my career, 29 years in France, I have been played with small sized point guards,” said Choulet. “I was close to recruiting TJ Shorts before he went to Germany…. I’ve had great small point guards in my coaching career, such as Terrell McIntyre. He knew I was giving some freedom to the players. He knew that most of my players had a big career afterwards. I had Clint Capela, Mathias Lessort, Brandon Davies, Axel Bouteille, David Michineau.”
Choulet saw something in Francisco that others had overlooked. “Everybody was saying he was too crazy and he could play just 1-on-1. I know everybody [later] shut their mouths about Sylvain.”
Perhaps some doubters were silenced, indeed. What’s certain now is that Francisco is making people open their mouths and talk about his game, his shots, and how high his EuroLeague ceiling is.
“He can be even better,” Choulet affirmed. “I think he can play terrific defense and sometimes he’s not playing hardly enough. But if he wants to play hard defense, he can be a hell of a player in the EuroLeague.”