NBA Niederhauser: Relentless Drive & No Excuses

We are not going to lie. Swiss basketball has almost no chance of seeing its new nugget, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, in August for the suite of qualifications for the next World Cup (2027). The flights to the kid’s circle are so aerial and spectacular that they would undoubtedly have filled with young people the Saint-Léonard room in Friborg and brought together a pack of journalists. But after the summer league in July with the Los Angeles Clippers, the 22 -year -old Friborg should prepare for his entry into the NBA world.

“I am very happy for him and proud. The way it started and where it is today, it is incredible, told us the coach of the Swiss team Ilias Papatheodorou. The Greek technician is the one who launched him in the deep end, with the seniors, in the summer of 2023. “He had shown all his adaptability and achieved impressive performance after only four training sessions with the group. Until now, its story looks like a real fairy tale. His future promises to be shiny if he remains humble and continues to work. ”

While Papatheodorou answered us on Thursday, Sevag Keucheyan was preparing to spread out in his bed in Brooklyn. The ex-Geneva-Batter who has become a players’ agent represents Niederhauser’s interests. And he didn’t really know how he was going to be able to sleep. “I am emptied so I do not imagine what state is Yanic,” he admitted. The wait was long. The forecasts sent him at the beginning of the 2nd round but we knew that it was possible at the end of the 1st. We had several plans but the more the choices fall, the more you wonder if it will pass. You have the parents, everyone looking at you. It was stress. “

On the web, a video was all the rage. We see the child of Fräschels running in the passageways of the Barclays Center before climbing on the platform. “This moment is for history. I was behind him in the lodge when we received the message, two minutes before the announcement of the next choice. And there a guy from the NBA arrives by running and said to Yanic “hurry, you have 1 minute 30 to shake the hand of Adam Silver.” I thought he was going to slam, ”laughs Keucheyan. Very fast for a man of 2m13, the Friborg giant typed a sprint before splitting the crowd, radiating with happiness.

Here he is a member of the Clippers, the Lakers fan. It is no coincidence that Niederhauser landed in the other Los Angeles basketball team, where the leaders had a real crush on him. “It was the first franchise that called us and it was long before this hype Around Yanic, specifies Keucheyan. Above all, they did not send a person in charge of recruitment to supervise it. It is the general manager who moved to Minnesota to see him play in live in the spring. And last week, they ate with Steve Ballmer (Editor’s note: the owner). Even if we can never be sure, we knew that we had all our chances and that they were good. ”

Lawrence Frank, the director of operations, and Trent Redden, the famous general manager, after the Draft, had to be listened to after the Draft. The two men were proud of their blow. Frank notably recalled that his franchise had already Niederhauser to the eye when he arrived in Northern Illinois, three years ago. “He has a beautiful build, he is a great athlete,” said Frank. And then he is thirsty to learn. He is a very easy to coach and his best level is in front of him. ” Proof of his perfect knowledge of his new player, Redden chained. “As a Swiss national team U16, he was 1m85 and there was also Kyshawn George in the team. It was not until that time that they started their physical development. Two later, Yanic had taken 20 centimeters and we see that he is still learning to play with this body. It is a force of nature. “

Being in the small papers of strong men of the Californian franchise for long months does not mean that Niederhauser will immediately have minutes of play and success. Behind the Croatian pivot Ivica Zubac, which comes out of the best career season (17 points 12 rebounds on average), the Friborg seems to have the perfect profile to replace it. But it is also very possible that the clippers recover one more great player from the free agents market or via a trade this summer to ensure the blow. “They must also protect it a little, the NBA is not the NCAA. They will let him discover, recalls Keucheyan. But you know, Yanic progresses so quickly. His coach in Penn State told me during the draft. In training, when he returned to him for the challenger, Yanic never said “yes but”. He accepted everything. ” A fine example to follow for young athletes today.