DIt is well known that Victor Wembanyama is not a basketball promise because he is a reality. The young Frenchman of 18 years and 221 centimeters is taking giant steps, never better said, to become a world basketball star. Yesterday was somewhat special for the Metropolitans 92 player, because he made his debut with the French national team in a qualifying match for the 2023 World Cup against Lithuania.
The French team won their rival easily by 90-65, but the highlight was the numbers that the French pvot had done. And the truth is that to be his first game they are not bad at all: 20 points (5/11 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 7/7 TL), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 23 PIR in 23 minutes of play. After the game he attended the media, and he was very proud after having played.
“The debut, without hesitation“, was his answer when asked about what moment of the match he was staying with. “I am very proud of what we did tonight. We were consistent throughout the game and our biggest accomplishment tonight was not letting them back into the game.Wembanyama continued.
excited before the game
“I wasn’t nervous at all before the match. Just excited. I really want to win tonight“, he said when asked about how he was before the duel. In addition, he talked about how he prepares for the dispute of a match: “I like to prepare myself mentally a couple of hours before the match. I try to do other things like draw, read and take a nap. This is how I can give 100% in matches“.
His trainer, Vincent Collet, praised Wembanyama for keeping his composure and making an impact on both boards of the floor. “I think Victor entered the match very well because he didn’t try to show anything specialCollet said. “He was just himself. Our defense was very good and it was very important. In the situations where we were in trouble, Victor made the Lithuanian players doubt“.
“In the second half he dominated in attack. He had 3-4 plays in a row where he was outstanding. But the important thing is that I wanted to win, I thought about it first, and that’s the most important thing,” concluded the France coach.
