Nzeulie looking for greatness with Elan Chalon and Cameroon

CHALON-SUR-SAONE (FIBA Europe Cup/FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - There is a lot that Jeremy Nzeulie hopes to achieve this season, and so far things are looking great for the Cameroon international.

On Tuesday, Nzeulie's Elan Chalon improved their FIBA Europe Cup record to 2-0 by beating SL Benfica of Portugal 90-76.

"Our goal is to win as many games as possible in the regular-season in order to be in a more comfortable position in the next round of the competition" - Nzeulie

That success followed last week's 92-77 French Pro A League win against Nanterre 92, a team that the 25-year-old guard played for in seven of the previous eight seasons he has spent in France's top flight.

Although it's still too early to judge, Nzeulie feels the way the team is currently playing could be the beginning of a much-needed successful season.

"It's been a pretty good week for us," Nzeulie told FIBA.com. "After losing to Nancy [69-59] in the French League, we regrouped and agreed that we had to come back stronger, and that’s the situation we are in now."

If Elan Chalon are to keep their FIBA Europe Cup Group A unbeaten run going, and if they can move further in the competition, it will be a huge achievement for Nzeulie, who won the Pro A title with Nanterre three years ago and helped the team win the EuroChallenge Cup in 2015.

"It might not have looked [like it], but these two games were really tough. We needed to work extremely hard as a team. Both Benfica and Brussels Basketball are really tough teams," he said.

"Our goal is to win as many games as possible in the Regular Season in order to be in a more comfortable position in the next round of the competition. As one of the key players on this team, I am still trying to adjust to my new role. I was a bit inconsistent over the past few games, but I will be good."

Nzeulie also highly values representing his country's colours. In his national team debut three years ago, Nzeulie helped Cameroon claim a 5th-place finish at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

What happened two years later was what he describes as a reflection time. Cameroon were denied a place in the Quarter-Finals following a 73-71 defeat to Algeria.

"These were two different experiences," Nzeulie recalled. "In Abidjan, we had lots of professionals on the team, with guys like Luc Mbah a Moute, Brice Vounang, Gaston Essengue and Gilles Pitard. [With the exception of Essengue] None of these guys played in Tunis and we felt the difference. Clearly we could have done a lot better and finish, at least, in the top 5 in Tunisia."

"Against Algeria, we were 11-for-47 from the three-point line, and that's how we screwed our chances. We missed far too many shots."

In order to qualify for FIBA AfroBasket 2017 to be held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Cameroon will need to succeed in the FIBA Africa Zone 4 Qualifier. Only when that is done, Nzeuie said, "can we talk about our chances again. We are better than people might think and we'll prove it. If our Federation is able to select our best players, I will make sure to join the team as well."

"Now that five African nations can qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, African NBA players will surely be more interested in playing at FIBA AfroBasket because everybody wants to play in big competitions like the World Cup and the Olympics." - Nzeulie

With FIBA's New Competition System coming into effect next year, Nzeulie believes African basketball will experience a new chapter in its history.

Over a four-year cycle from 2017 through 2021, national teams will play regular home and away games to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and the 2021 FIBA Continental Cups.

And five African teams will be allocated as many places in the FIBA World Cup.

"At first, [the New Competition System] will be challenging because no one really knows how the federations will handle the new system, but once things are on the right track, it will be great for basketball in the Africa.

"I have never played for my national team in Cameroon so I think this could be great for our fans as they will have a chance of watching our best players represent our country in our country.

"Now that five African nations can qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, African NBA players will surely be more interested in playing at FIBA AfroBasket because everybody wants to play in big competitions like the World Cup and the Olympics."

FIBA