He had put a toe in the French team last February during the qualifying windows for EuroBasket 2025. Four short minutes in Bosnia for his very first selection. Barely five months later, Nadir Hifi (1.84 m, 21 years old) changed status. Winner of the Eurocup, decisive in the playoffs with Paris Basketball, the guard convinced Vincent Collet to call him up for the preparation of the Olympic Games. And in training, the Parisian firecracker was quick to get to the level of a squad teeming with NBA and Euroleague players. A far cry from the AfroBasket U16 2017 when he represented Algeria and won a bronze medal.
Hifi’s astonishing trajectory, still in National 3 in 2019/20, has earned him all the attention this season. And seduced a devoted fan base. “It was a 10/10 this season”he smiled. “I have won titles, I am one of the last 16 players in the running for the Games. I hope to have a great career. And a great career without the French team does not exist.”
A voluntary speech in the image of a player who is afraid of nothing and whose speed and skill have made many defenders suffer since the beginning of the preparation. He barely concedes a hint of shyness at the time of integrating the big world: “I was very apprehensive about integrating with all the old players who have a very different status from me. But everything is going well. I am acclimatizing well to the group. There is nothing better at my age than being on this list. I ask a lot of questions to experienced players who have experienced a lot of things.”
And after the questions, Hifi took action, displaying the same qualities that allowed Paris to earn its place in the Euroleague for next season. A different profile that can seduce a few days before the reduction of the French group. “I feel the confidence of the coaches”he says. “Vincent Collet told me that I have to transfer what I did at the club. They expect a little more from me in terms of my know-how at position 1, where I played a lot at the end of the season. I think I can bring a lot but I know that I will obviously have a different role if I am on the final list. I am aware of that.” Between pragmatism and ambition, Hifi continues to surprise. To what extent?
2024-07-01 19:42:19
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