Collet compares Wembanyama to Sabonis, recalls key conversations with Tony Parker / News - Basketnews.com

Victor Wembanyama's coach Vincent Collet enjoys working with the greatest NBA prospect since LeBron James and is surprised by how fast the 18-year-old kid is improving toward his goals.

Credit: AFP - Scanpix Credit AFP - Scanpix

When you stop for a second, it's incredible to realize what Vincent Collet went through in the last 13 years as the head coach of the French national team.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Victor Wembanyama Points 20 Accuracy 6-13 Rebounds 9 Assists 1

He coached the best basketball talents France ever had, starting with Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gobert, and Evan Fournier.

France won medals in 7 of 10 last FIBA competitions, including EuroBasket 2013 gold and silver in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and EuroBasket 2022.

Collet managed to guide two different French generations onto the podium.

But a funny moment during an interview in Panevezys perfectly illustrated a big new task that Collet is facing now.

"Coach, since 2009, you have had an opportunity to work with probably the best players France has ever had..." I started the question.

Collet interrupted politely.

"I think so. But it's not finished. You will see," he smiled and sipped a cup of coffee.

The future of French and probably the entire basketball world passed by once or twice in the lobby of the biggest hotel in Panevezys.

Collet brought the most anticipated future NBA prospect to Lithuania to make his senior national debut.

That was an 18-year-old Victor Wembanyama that shook up the world with his size, skill, and potential.

2.21 m French unicorn is set to step on the court with Les Bleus on Friday to face hosts in the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Collet is coaching Wembanyama in Metropolitans 92 Boulogne-Levallois. The 59-year-old specialist was the main reason why the projected No. 1 NBA draft pick decided to choose Metropolitans 92 as his last stop before the NBA dream.

"For me, this is a responsibility, but I like it. I never met such a player before, and I will never meet such one after. So it's an opportunity," Collet said in an exclusive interview with BasketNews.

Credit AFP - Scanpix

France / Schedule

Lithuania France65-90 France Bosnia and HerzegovinaMon19:30

Wembanyama starts a new chapter for French basketball in a country where Collet changed the course of the national team. Lithuania hosted the EuroBasket 2011, where France reached the final and won silver.

BasketNews' conversation with Collet starts with a crucial discussion with Tony Parker and continues with coaching the best project Europe has ever come up with.

Coach, what do you remember about fresh French champion Vincent Collet, who was 46 and was about to start coaching the national team in 2009?Honestly, I couldn't expect to coach the national team for so long.

We were in a bad situation. We didn't even qualify for the EuroBasket 2009, so we had to go through the qualifiers and beat Italy and Belgium to come to Poland.

When I started, I just wanted to reach the EuroBasket 2009. When we came to Poland, I saw the group, and I thought we could make it to the quarterfinals and then would see. But unfortunately, we won six first games and got Spain in the quarterfinals.

Perhaps we should have lost to Greece on purpose. But they were better than us at doing that (laughs). They lost by one, and we played Spain.

Did you ever see that video of the Nando De Colo game-winner? Was it the unhappiest game-winner you ever witnessed?I think he was the only one who wanted to make that shot.

Because it's just in Nando De Colo's nature to make all shots and win all games?Yes, yes. We didn't have this experience. For me, it was impossible to lose on purpose.

I didn't say anything, but I think the players wanted to lose to avoid Spain.

Even to this day, I think that if we didn't meet Spain in the quarterfinals, we could go all the way. I'm not sure, but I think we could have made at least the semifinal. We had potential.

In EuroBasket 2022, there was also speculation that France might lose on purpose to get a more favorable bracket in the playoffs. And you won that game, showing the character in a decisive moment.

Probably that also tells something you achieved in changing the mentality of French basketball.This is a new generation. When they took over the leadership, even the way they talk, sometimes it was too much... Because they say, they want to win the Olympics, although they know there is Team USA. But they want maximum. They start every competition to win.

Before, we were a little bit shy. We were aware of what we were doing well, but we were not sure. Now we think we have to be good.

We finished 5th in the EuroBasket 2009, and it was a good experience for me to get to know them better. It was a different level from where I was coming from. It helped me to understand what you have to do day by day and championship by championship.

I could easily see what we and our basketball were missing. I had an idea before coming to the national team. I had a vision already in France, which was different from many coaches in our country.

I watched a lot of European basketball for a long time, even when I was a player. I had a great passion for the game. But this national team experience helped me to get some real experience.

When I returned to the national team for the second tournament, I insisted much more on our weaknesses and how we could use our strengths. What do we have to do to look a little bit more like other European teams.

I was convinced that we had a very bad movement without the ball. Since then, I think all our preparation have been grounded on this problem. We are not as good as the best European teams, but we're better than before. Probably fans of the other teams don't see it, but we know we can do it better.

We're improving, and that helped us to achieve those results. Before, we were more predictable. Perhaps we're still predictable, but less than before.

I think that helped us to use our qualities. Because most of our players are the most athletic, this is what everybody says in Europe. But that's not enough to win. You must be ready to adjust to problems that opponents will put on the table. I think we made a big step in that direction. But we're still working on it.

How did you fix ball movement by coaching one of the best ball handlers in the NBA, Tony Parker?The main thing is communication. When I first came, his former coach said Tony was too good for other players. I told him that it didn't exist to me. You still must try to improve others. And having a very good player on your team is not a problem. You must find a way to follow the orders, see their role, and be useful.

And when the game is very close and difficult, at these times, the best players have to take leadership and responsibility.

We worked on this little aspect. Afterward, I tried to work a lot on how we moved without the ball. To help the ball handler to get easier solutions. This was something that we started from the bottom. Believe me, we started from the bottom (smiles).

After years, we were a little better. But you can't change everything in one month of national team basketball. So we worked with the federation thinking about how we teach young players because we have to get better.

You can see that with our youth teams. They always perform. But they rely too much on their athleticism and not their basketball skills.

Credit Fotodiena.lt/R.Dačkus

Since 2009, you have had an opportunity to work with probably the best players France has ever had...(interrupts) I think so. But it's not finished. You will see. (smiles and sips a cup of coffee).

What did you learn about basketball from the greats like Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, and others?I coached Batum in Le Mans when he was young, and I was his first teacher, so it was a little different.

But with the others, when you're the coach, you learn a lot from the best players. They do things that sometimes you don't even think to teach. They give you some information and ideas you can use for others but couldn't find by yourself.

I think it also comes with experience. I've been working with a mental coach, who also changed my coaching.

When you start a campaign with the national team, it's not about the coach. I think you have to do everything together. The coach is the one who influences the stuff, but you must do it with the players. Leaders help you to do it. These players don't want to do too much in the first years. But when they become leaders, sharing things with them is very easy.

They can give you good ideas. They have such experience coming from the past, which makes me think: what would you consider that your experience is better than theirs? I think it's much better to use both. The main thing after that is to be on the same page.

I think it's also a big interest to create motivation. When players feel that you really care what they think and how they want to do things, they prepare themselves for the competition when they're a part of the discussion.

When Tony was there, we had two plays from the Spurs. They were the ones that they felt the most comfortable with. You can use 50 plays, but why not use those two which were really good in the Spurs? It wouldn't be smart.

When he proposed it to me, I said it was a good idea. The main thing was efficiency. Players come with a double motivation when you involve them in this process. I think this is very important in the national team.

In a short time of preparation, players' commitment is very important. And this is the one way to get it. It helps to reach the level you want to achieve together.

Credit Fotodiena.lt/R.Dačkus

When you started working towards finding the championship formula, you had to build your team around Tony Parker, an individually super-skilled perimeter player. There was Nicolas Batum, another perimeter threat.

Even Boris Diaw was more like a point forward than a real big man. Now the main power shifts to the frontline, where Rudy Gobert takes the lead, where Victor Wembanyama is coming, and where Joel Embiid might potentially come...(shakes his head) I don't know. Victor... He is also a point forward (smiles). He is a two, hidden in 7-footer's body.

Victor is like Arvydas Sabonis. Not as strong as Sabonis, but with the same skills.

For sure, Sabonis was a mountain, and Victor is really skinny. But they're both 2.21 m and the same size. And Victor is not only a tall guy. He's superb in skills...

What about passing? Sabonis was passing the ball as well, as Jokic does it now.He'll be there. He wasn't, but I taught him this year, and he started making 4-5 assists each game.

How this kid (Victor Wembanyama was just passing by us in the hotel lobby during this question) changed your life?When you meet a special player like him, you discover something new almost every week. Each week he's getting better. He's 18 years old, but he's already dominating. And he keeps improving.

What I will tell you today probably will be different in two months.

Will he be already ahead of that in two months?I think so. For me, sometimes it's difficult too because he's already so good. But he'll be much better in six months.

How has your environment changed since you became responsible for Wembanyama's preparation for the NBA? Did you notice more people trying to become friends with you? Did you start to be more careful what you say?Many NBA people, for sure. We have scouts in practice almost every day (smiles).

But I got used to it a little after Batum in Le Mans and Ntilikina in Strasbourg. Not at the same level, of course. Now there are even more scouts. But it didn't change much.

For me, it just gives me enthusiasm. This is something I feel responsible for because I must help him. He's good, but the question is not how good he is but how good he will be and how I can help him to be as good as he can.

We have ten months before the draft. Later he will play 100 games per season, so he won't have much time to work. We're lucky because we don't play in international competitions. We play once a week, so we can practice and work.

For me, this is a responsibility, but I like it. I never met such a player before, and I will never meet such one after. So it's an opportunity.

Plus, he was the one who decided to do it by saying he wanted to work with coach Collet. For me, it's an honor. I want to do my best.

Did you ever think of how to help a player you have never seen before?I think the main thing for me when you have that kind of talent is to help him to make decisions.

When you have so many skills, you can sometimes think each shot can be taken. We have worked on this since the beginning. Some of the shots are very good, and he has to take them. But some of the shots are not as good, so perhaps it's better to pass the ball then. And some of the shots are not good at all.

On this one, you can forgive the player. But when you have that kind of player, I think it's much better that he understands it by himself. So I must help him to understand it by himself. He has to experiment. He has this chance by playing a lot of minutes. He has to make some mistakes, but we always discuss them, and we talk about what he did and what he should do.

One of his qualities is that he is smart and learns quickly. When you explain why he made a wrong decision, you can be sure he'll take a different one next time. That's why he is so good.

Did he change a lot after his Las Vegas trip mentally? Including his shot selection? He didn't attempt so many threes before the US trip.I think he got better. We had three games before where he had some bad decision-making often. After Las Vegas, it was much less the case.

In the last three games, he was much better at the way he was reading the game. He didn't force the game. And he's more patient.

He already had a 30-point game, and it was around 20 before. It might be because his shooting percentage is increasing due to better shot selection. He's passing the ball more. He had only around 5 in the first three games, and now he averaged 4 in the last four games.

Many NBA stars already shared their amazement at what they saw from Wembanyama on the court. What did you like the most about him off the court, whether it was a practice, locker room, or a random road trip with the team?Firstly, his behavior with his teammates was good from the jump. He is a good teammate. It could have been a problem for us because all the attention was around him. But he is sharing things with his teammates and is very nice to them. I think it makes it easier.

And the second thing, he is a learner. When you talk to him, you can see he's not only listening, but he wants to understand and try to do it as he can. I see it as a quality.

But it's only for now! I'm not sure what I will see tomorrow (smiles).

What was your favorite Victor Wembanyama highlight so far?What he did in the last game with a one-foot three-pointer (smiles).

I smiled because you can't expect that from 7'4... And he has such an ability to move with the ball. It's not a typical move for a typical 7'4 player.

While Americans are used to such shot selection, if he misses that shot, in Europe, it's a terrible shot...Yes, yes.

Some EuroLeague coaches would have killed him for that kind of shot. Did you also need to make a mental adjustment?Yes, I think so. But I made this adjustment before Victor already. When I was a younger coach, I'm sure I would have done something like those EuroLeague coaches (laughs). I had this reputation, but compared to my start with the national team, I think I have changed.

Victor has to understand what he can do. Because in his mind, sometimes he could think he could do everything. But still, even if you're a great player, you have to make decisions.

For me, to keep improving, he has to make better and better decisions. That's why I try to teach him and help him. Even if he gets better, he'll surely make some bad decisions. But the main thing is to go in the right direction.

You had an opportunity to work with stars of the 80s, Tony and Diaw, stars from the 90s, headlined by Gobert, and now Victor is coming from the 2000s. What new things to basketball does he bring as a player from this latest generation?He is very special for his maturity. He handles all the outside noise well. For me, it's very surprising, because he's only 18 years old. But he still finds a way.

He was in Vegas, and he played two excellent games. When everybody was waiting for him, he answered. That shows great confidence.

I think this has changed with Tony and Boris, who were the first to have that in French basketball. After it was Evan Fournier or Rudy Gobert, but I think now it's even more. For me, it's phenomenal.

Now we talk about it years before, but I'm not sure in a few years we could compare it. If he does what he should do, it will be different.

What do you see him adding the most in the nearest future, even if he's already a unicorn?I think his body. You can see that already. I think he already did it in the last six weeks. He added strength. He's working on it daily, and you can see it.

He's better at dealing with the contact. Last year, I remember that he was going somewhere as soon as he got pushed. For sure, he's skinny, so he's moving a little bit, but he keeps his balance and sometimes keeps going to the basket.

I think he will be much stronger in a few months, and his shot will be more consistent. He has a good shot, but I think soon he'll make more.

You mentioned that when in Las Vegas, everybody was waiting for him to show up, and he did it. Do you think his debut game in the senior national team vs. Lithuania is also a game where everybody expects him to show up, and he is eager to do it again?I think so. We'll see. I think he's excited. But he's not scared.

Perhaps I'll need to help him because, probably, he will do too much at the beginning. But I think he's ready for a good night.

Victor Wembanyama highlights

Victor Wembanyama interview in Lithuania:

Why Victor Wembanyama left the EuroLeague:

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