He first said a few words in English, to thank the public, to express his joy at having won… Then TJ Shorts took the microphone and, in the middle of the floor of the Accor Arena, began to sing, in VF, “olélé olala but what happened, we messed with them”. The spectators, who were not asking for much to continue the party, and his partners then took up this well-known anthem of the sports fields in chorus. After playing the executioners of Panathinaikos, the Paris Basketball playmaker turned into a public entertainer. As an ambiance for big evenings.
Because it was one. A great, a very great evening to mark the spirits and history. And the one who celebrated his 27th birthday this Tuesday, October 15, received a hell of a birthday present. A victory against the Greeks of Panathinaikos of Athens (84-80) during the 3rd day of the Euroleague regular season. A first for Paris Basketball. This young club was created in 2018, on the ashes of that of Hyères-Toulon, which has discovered, for just a few weeks, the big leagues, the games of the most prestigious basketball competition on the old continent. Forever the first!
“We worked hard all week to match our opponent,” confides midfielder Enzo Shahrvin, 21, who played a huge defensive game against Mathias Lessort. We showed our true colors. We took a hit to morale after these first two defeats, frustrating defeats where we narrowly lost, but here we gave everything. It’s a real pleasure to play like that. A real treat! This is our reference match which should allow us to look for others. »
An authentic feat that no one – or very few – saw coming. Beaten by the Red Star of Belgrade (80-77) and Milan (79-74) during the first two days of the flagship competition of basketball clubs in Europe, the Parisians had displayed shortcomings, youthful mistakes during these two matches and did not leave with the favor of the bookmakers against one of the big names of the competition.
Facing them were the Greeks, reigning champions (7 crowns in total) and undefeated in all competitions until Tuesday, led by Frenchman Mathias Lessort (19 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday), Olympic vice-champion. with the Blues two months earlier in this same Bercy enclosure. They were therefore promised hell against one of the favorites of the event.
But it’s a bad idea to know these Parisian titis who take great pleasure in beating the odds, shaking up the codes, overturning institutions and progressing at lightning speed. It’s in the club’s DNA. Older players will remember with nostalgia or amusement that the first official PBB match was played in front of 7 people at the Rueil Stadium… Another era. So far so close.
“There was no need to motivate the players for this type of match,” smiled Thiago Splitter, the young Parisian coach. Winning against Panathinaikos is huge! They are 105 years old and the six of us are babies. After these two frustrating defeats, it’s good to win, even more so against the European champions. » “It’s the club’s first victory in the Euroleague, it’s a historic day,” Bandja Sy relishes. And the icing on the cake is that we win against the reigning European champion and at Bercy. We don’t do things by halves (he laughs). It’s a very beautiful evening. »
A beautiful evening which should inspire others. “We were told that we lacked experience but I don’t think that was it, it was just a question of adjustments, of small details to be sorted out,” explains Nadir Hifi, top scorer of the match with 20 points, including some magical long distance shots. We earned our place in the Euroleague (by winning the Eurocup last season), now that we are here we have to do the job. We don’t have any pressure or specific objectives, it’s a year of discovery for most of the players on the team. I’m proud to be part of this adventure and I hope we win as many matches as possible. We deserve to be there, our opponents must know that it will never be easy against us. With this victory we send a message. »
The hardest part perhaps begins for the Parisians. From now on they will no longer be taken lightly, like the rookies that they are, by their adversaries. The first of them will be Bayern Munich, which Paris Basketball will visit on Thursday. That’s also the Euroleague, an incessant series of matches at the top which prevents you from settling down or taking a breath. “If we can beat Pana we can beat anyone,” warns Enzo Shahrvin who was absent during the club’s first two outings in the Euroleague. We will approach all matches with the same state of mind. » “It’s the club’s first victory in this competition, I hope it’s the start of a long series,” smiles Bandja Sy.
