French coach gets wish as France joins USA group in Olympics | Inquirer Sports

French coach gets wish as France joins USA group in Olympics

By: - Reporter / @MarkGiongcoINQ
/ 12:57 AM July 11, 2016

France coach Vincent Collet. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

France coach Vincent Collet. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

French coach Vincent Collet got what he wanted as France was picked to join the same group as team USA during the official draw for the men’s basketball competition in the Rio Olympics.

Collet guided the Les Bleus to an undefeated run and a ticket to Rio after an 83-74 win over Canada Sunday night in the Fiba Olympic qualifying tournament in Manila.

Article continues after this advertisement

“United States, even without its best players, will remain the United States,” Collet told reporters when asked how he sees team USA, which won’t be fielding its best team with the absence of several of its top superstars like LeBron James and reigning back-to-back MVP Steph Curry.

FEATURED STORIES

“First of all we wait for the draw. The draw will be very important. I would like to be with the group of the United States but we’ll see later,” said Collet minutes before the draw was held.

After getting his wish, Collet gave his reasons for wanting the star-studded US team.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I think it’s better to be with the United States. After that, we must finish second in the group to avoid them,” said Collet, whose team is also in the same group as Venezuela, China, Australia and Serbia while Group B consists of Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Lithuania, Croatia and Nigeria.

Article continues after this advertisement

“They’re all good. There is no weak team so it will be very difficult to qualify for the quarterfinals.”

The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals. Croatia and Serbia won their respective Olympic qualifiers.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: France, Gilas Pilipinas, Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Rio Olympics, USA, Vincent Collet

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.