PARIS (France) - France entered a new era in international basketball on Wednesday by putting the national team reins into the hands of Bourg-en-Bresse coach Frederic Fauthoux.
The former national team point guard takes over from Vincent Collet, who coached the team for a decade and a half before stepping down after this summer's Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament in Paris. Collet led the team to a second straight Olympic silver medal.
Fauthoux, who remains in charge of JL Bourg, takes over one of the best programs in international basketball, one that was almost always among the contenders for podium finishes at FIBA Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games under Collet. France are No. 4 in the FIBA World Ranking, presented by Nike, behind No. 1 USA, No. 2 Serbia and No. 3 Germany.
Fauthoux, the father of standout France women's national team guard Marine Fauthoux, initially expressed interest in coaching France's men in March 2020, before the Tokyo Olympics, but the federation kept faith in Collet and he got the team to the Gold Medal Game.
What helped Fauthoux get the nod to succeed Collet has been his impressive performance as coach of JL Bourg, a team he steered to a French Leaders Cup Final and two Betclic Elite Semi-Finals since 2022.
He has already coached national team star Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher at Boulogne-Levallois, ASVEL, and Bourg. Wembanyama and Risacher are the last two No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft, and Wembanyama, last season's NBA Rookie of the Year, was in the All-Star Five at the Olympics.
As a player, Fauthoux was a backup guard in the France team that finished third at FIBA EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade. He played 47 times for France in his career. He was a good shooter well known for his mental toughness and fighting spirit.
His first games will be in November, when Fauthoux coaches France in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers Group E at Cyprus on November 21 and then three days later at home against the same national team. The French are at the top of the group with two wins in as many games, while Bosnia and Herzegovina (1-1) are second, Croatia (1-1) are third and Cyprus (0-2) are fourth.
As one of the four host nations for the EuroBasket, Cyprus have already clinched a place in the 24-team tournament so France will require a top-two finish to qualify for the Final Round.
FIBA