France head coach Vincent Collet at NAIA1. Photo by Bong Lozada/INQUIRER.net
France head coach Vincent Collet knows the stakes are at its highest in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
A missed swing could lead to imminent exit as only one team in the six-country tournament can enter the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“We have great hopes, we want to get to Rio,” said Collet Friday at Ninoy Aquino International Airport after the team’s arrival in Manila. “We are very determined, our preparation has been short but the guys are concentrated.”
France is grouped together with the Philippines and New Zealand in Group B while Canada, Senegal, and Turkey are clustered in Group A.
Les Bleus will enjoy the services of San Antonio teammates Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, and also the versatility of Charlotte forward Nicolas Batum.
Batum, however, was not with the team in their arrival to the Philippines.
Parker said he’s “happy to be here” in the Philippines and he also shared the sentiment of his national team coach.
“Hopefully we have fun, enjoy our time here in the Philippines, very happy to be here,” said Parker. “And we’ll try our best to qualify for the Olympics.”
Collet is not stranger to the home court advantage of the underdog Filipinos, and he’s also wary of the teams in the other group.
“We know the Filipinos will play with emotion, Turkey and Canada especially are very difficult teams,” said Collet. “We know it’s a tough competition.”