Defeated in Challans on January 8 (85-78), Stade Rochelais suffered their eighth defeat of the season. An already high total. During the last seasons of NM1, the last qualifying place for the high pool was played between eight and eleven losses. If the top 5 is not yet off target, the port club will have to make an almost full card in its last nine games …
Defeated in Challans on January 8 (85-78), Stade Rochelais suffered their eighth defeat of the season. An already high total. During the last seasons of NM1, the last qualifying place for the high pool was played between eight and eleven losses. If the top 5 is not yet out of target, the port club will have to make an almost full card in its last nine games. Starting on Friday January 14 (8 p.m.) with the reception of Rueil, second in the ranking. To do this, the Yellow and Black will be able to count on the reinforcement of Keith Wright, who arrived on January 13 in the city of the two towers.
Expected rebound
Not helped by a fortnight of retracted training, François Sence’s men tripped over the floor in Vendée. A defeat against the penultimate who had all the bad resolution. If Sence enjoyed a match “offensively consistent”, the latter has little tasted the defensive content of his troop. “We weren’t where we wanted to be at all. We knew that if Challans exceeded the 80 point mark… In the conquest, the duels, we were late. “
“If we can work in continuity as in December, then the quality of the group will ensure that the results will be there”
In this season with bursts of brilliance and big hiccups, Arnauld Thinon’s partners find themselves once again without a net before welcoming the runner-up from Pool A. Adept at fast play and made up of excellent shooters, the team Ile-de-France lives primarily by the pace it imposes. Sence who congratulated himself on having been able to “play (this Thursday) a first five against five in training in 2022” no longer wants to make plans on the comet. “There have been headwinds since the start of the championship. It generated frustration. I’m not really looking at the rankings because I’m looking for stability. If we can work in continuity as in December, then the quality of the group will ensure that the results will be there. This is how we will launch a winning streak. “
A new pivot
The coach can count on the arrival of Keith Wright (2.03 m). This long-awaited reinforcement after Kayembe’s disqualification (Achilles tendon rupture) will have to bring points, rebounds and defensive deterrence very quickly. The maritime recovery requires a flawless contribution from the American. The latter, who has traveled quite a bit (Poland, Sweden, Greece, Argentina, Canada and more recently in Germany) was waiting, this Thursday at the end of the afternoon, for his qualification.
Presented on specialized sites as a strong winger, Wright is able to evolve on the two positions of the interior sector. At 32, the native of the state of Virginia, in search of playing time, ended his contract in Germany, where he played in the first division in Heidelberg. Sence deciphered: “He’s a boy who is physically ready and has experience. On his characteristics, he is combative, strong on his ground support. His arrival will do us good. “
