The main lesson of the day is gratifying: Elan will not spend the break in a relegation position. Better, a week after the precious success against Fos, point-average as a bonus, here he is back up to a nice package of teams, Nanterre, Nancy, Le Portel and therefore Paris, with eight victories. Fear did not change sides in a Sunday – “We know that it’s not over, that it will be hard until the end”, warns Giovan Oniangue -, but at least the Elan has complete control of its destiny with Fos and Blois now in the rearview mirror…
The main lesson of the day is gratifying: Elan will not spend the break in a relegation position. Better, a week after the precious success against Fos, point-average as a bonus, here he is back up to a nice package of teams, Nanterre, Nancy, Le Portel and therefore Paris, with eight victories. Fear did not change sides in a Sunday – “We know that it’s not over, that it will be hard until the end”, warns Giovan Oniangue -, but at least the Elan has complete control of its destiny with Fos and Blois now in the rearview mirror.
“It’s the second outside but first the eighth”, quickly calculates Eric Bartecheky. “We will still have to capitalize to save us. But winning like that in Paris is a great operation for us. We’re struggling so much, we’re so on the edge all the time, that it’s great for us to continue after this very difficult month of January,” admits the coach. “We take this oxygen with pleasure. »
►THE FACT OF THE MATCH
This fourth historic confrontation between Elan and Paris Basket was marked by an extraordinary three-point address, on both sides: 16 out of 38 for Paris, 18 out of 32 for Elan!
This Sunday afternoon, facing one of the most illegible teams in the championship whose only constant is to collect a lot of points (91.4; 18th), the Palois lived a day of grace at 6.75m, with incredible split times, we think of this 12 out of 16 from the 18th. If Garrett Sim, splashed the first period (4 out of 7), well supported by Oniangue then (4 out of 8), the prize goes to Landing Sané, totally in the zone with this 6 out of 7 exclusively delivered at hot moments of the match .
“I know this room so well, I used to play there every summer when I was young. And when I put one, then two, three, it’s gone! smiled the sniper afterwards. “No matter how I shot, I was on fire. I no longer had this state of consciousness to apply myself, I was just sure of myself, it was coming back on its own. He would indeed have been wrong to deprive himself of it.
►THE RETURN
In the absence of Markeith Cummings, victim of a muscle injury behind the left thigh at the end of the match against Fos and stopped for three to five weeks, the first appearance of CJ Williams was necessarily scrutinized very closely. Two years after his first spell in Béarn, the winger, physically fit, did not particularly shine (5 pts at 2 out of 8 in 19 minutes), but his basket to regain the advantage at 90-91 was mega precious .
“For CJ, it was not easy after only two days of training”, pleads his coach. “He takes two fouls quickly but he stabilized things with his presence. His arrival can only be positive. “It was beneficial especially as Garrett Sim preferred not to play in the second half after feeling discomfort in the hamstrings.
Absences that also hit the Parisian camp. Besides Axel Toupane (elbow) and Kyle Allman (ankle), another important player, Jeremy Evans (family reasons), was missing.
►L’AMBIANCE
Paris Basketball likes to give its matches their own identity. This served as a setting to celebrate the Chinese New Year, whose eponymous district is located one street corner from the Halle Carpentier which hosts the matches while waiting for the future Porte de la Chapelle Arena after the Paris Games.
A celebration of the Lunar New Year which materialized in a colorful and friendly half-time show. But that barely relaxed the gaze of the 3,000 spectators present, including a motivated delegation of “Béarnais from Paris” present under the sheet metal of this room in a kit form resembling the Pau fair.
It’s hard to turn this hall into a demonic cauldron, but the Elan supporters, installed behind their team’s bench, gave their voices to the height of a breathless end to the match. “We heard them, it helps. And then with Giovan we are from here, we knew that lots of people, friends, family, would come to see us. It’s more motivating than anything else, ”gloats Sané.
►LA SUITE
The championship is dormant for a month. The return to very serious things is scheduled for Tuesday March 7 at the Palais des sports against the Metros of Boulogne-Levallois. A match that promises to be played in front of more than 8,000 spectators as the enthusiasm to attend for real the arabesques of Victor Wembanyama, still decisive with his 29 points on Friday against Dijon, is unique.
For Elan, which will be able to benefit from unprecedented popular support for more than ten years, it will be a question of resuming work with the same state of mind, certainly with a full squad, to give itself chances of succeed against the Mets what had slipped through their fingers in Monaco during the recovery after the holiday season.
But before, a last effort is required from the men of Eric Bartecheky. Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., at home, they will enter the French Cup, directly in the round of 16, the benefit of the defending champion. They will play their place in the quarter-finals against Portel, one of their rivals in the fight to maintain, who came to weigh down the atmosphere of the Palace during the All Saints holidays by winning 84-89 in the league. A first revenge would be ideal before the long break.
