Fournier excited about France future with 'special' Wembanyama

NEW YORK (USA) - France star Evan Fournier isn't surprised at all by the sudden emergence of Victor Wembanyama and his performances with Les Bleus last month in the European Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The  Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 teenager jumped into the spotlight at the beginning of October in the United State when he dazzled in a couple of games in Las Vegas and then provided a dynamic display for France in November blowout wins over Lithuania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wembanyama, a 2.19m (7ft 2in) talent who has drawn comparisons to Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, is only 18 yet he had 20 points and nine rebounds in a 90-65 beatdown of Lithuania in Panevezys and then 19 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in a 92-56 romp over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Pau.

"I wasn’t really surprised by him as I knew that he was ready for this kind of game," Fournier said. "I'm happy that he showed what he's capable of, and that he felt very comfortable with the guys and with our style of playing.

"Wembanyama's not afraid of the moment and he's not afraid of the attention, that's for sure. He's going to get better and better, and that's a very good thing to see that he can help us and that we will count on him for many years to come. He's a very special player, and he learns fast, which is a big strength."

"WEMBANYAMA'S NOT AFRAID OF THE MOMENT AND HE'S NOT AFRAID OF THE ATTENTION"

Fournier, watching from the United States where he's competing in the NBA with the New York Knicks, was encouraged by France's overall performances in the last window. Most important for the national team was that it secured a spot in World Cup.

"I was able to watch the game against Lithuania," he said. "They played very well, and I found it very interesting because there were a lot of new guys on the roster and everyone got the job done, guys like Damien Inglis, Sylvain Francisco, and also Victor Wembanyama who didn’t feel the pressure of his first games with the senior national team.

"The team played very well and showed that we have a huge pool of players that can compete with the senior national team. I didn't watch their games by analyzing the opponents but mostly from the perspective of how the guys assimilated and learned our plays and systems. That's a very good sign for the future and I really want to congratulate them all."

Fournier has had time to digest France's summer, which was positive because of their ability to reach the EuroBasket 2022 Final in Berlin despite playing without important members of the team like Nando de Colo and Nicolas Batum, as well as Frank Ntilikina.

They needed overtime to beat both Turkey and Italy but won both games.

"We didn't have Nando, Nicolas and Frank, and we had to make a lot of adjustments because the balance of the team was different," he said. "We had to find some different ways of playing and it worked because the guys gave everything for the team.

"Our biggest strength was that we are very resilient. We had that fighting spirit that helped us. Getting out of those tense situations against Turkey and Italy weren't by coincidence, it's because we did everything to win those games and it's because we kept believing in ourselves."

Fournier was hugely disappointed to fall in the title game but champions Spain are always among the best teams. Spain coach Sergio Scariolo has now steered the country to four EuroBasket crowns and 2019 World Cup glory.

Fournier absorbed a painful defeat to Spain in the EuroBasket 2022 Final

"It's tough to lose in the final game, but we have to give credit to coach Scariolo and its players for their great final," he said.

"A lot of people got surprised by them because they had a younger roster and had to deal with a lot of injured guys before the tournament but man, they know what they are doing, and they know how to play and set their plays perfectly.

"This team is very dangerous; they know how to play basketball and every guy knows what he is doing on the court. They are very well coached. Sergio Scariolo knows everything about FIBA basketball, and he has his players remaining very patient on the offensive end, but also very aggressive and smart on defense.

"They really know how to make you uncomfortable in your plays, to be aggressive and make you have to find alternatives to score and be productive on the offensive end. They have very good chemistry."

Fournier says that while France did not achieve the aim of winning the title, the team deserved a lot of credit for making it as far as it did. It was among the toughest, most competitive EuroBaskets ever played.

France had to survive the group of death (Group B) in Cologne, where they faced Germany, Slovenia, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary, before taking on Turkey, Italy, Poland and Spain in knockout games.

Fournier had another solid tournament with France, averaging 15.3 points per game

"I think that some media were very harsh with us because I think that we were able to go through some very tough games where others lost and got eliminated," he said.

"We kept our unity and showed some very good strength and resilience. We didn’t dominate some games like we do sometimes, but at the end of the day, the most important thing was to win, and we just lost in the final game."

Fournier says he is very excited about the next two summers with France, who will not only play at the World Cup next year but also host the Olympics in 2024.

"We are ambitious and we want to win, and count me in."

FIBA