Westermann talks French gold medal hopes, Doncic from Mars, and move to Monaco / News - Basketnews.com

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Last week Leo Westermann was running his basketball camp for kids in Mulhouse, France, close to his hometown. And he lost the track of kids wearing Luka Doncic jerseys. That's the guy who in few days could be standing in the way of his fellow Frenchmen and their Olympic dreams.

Leo Westermann

Position:PG, SGAge:29Height:198 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Haguenau, FranceProfileNewsStatistics

But Westermann is anticipating this potential semifinal game between France and Slovenia. An experienced point guard is sure that France will need to beat the best teams in the world to reach their biggest goal.

TV is always on in Westermann's living room. The 29-year-old playmaker is a big fan of the Olympic Games and loves watching all kinds of different sports.

During the season, he's a die-hard tennis fan, which he's played since childhood. But Westermann prefers other sports like judo or fencing, where French athletes won 13 medals combined, the most from all the sports so far in Tokyo.

Westermann also follows his basketball National Team, which finished the group stage with a perfect 3-0. Despite a challenging preparation for Tokyo's Olympics, France managed to regroup from day one by beating defending gold medalists Team USA.

"We're playing well. That's something we didn't expect because the preparation was a little bit difficult for us," Westermann told BasketNews. "We lost all three preparation games. We scored only 75 points in a loss to Japan... But we came into a tournament with a good mindset. To have a chance to beat Team USA you have to play your best basketball. And that's what we did. Also, we played really well in the next game against a tough team like the Czech Republic. I think all the French people enjoy watching this France team play. It was big in France to beat the US."

In an interview with BasketNews, Westermann shared his thoughts about careful France gold medal hopes, Tokyo's standout from Mars, and what was the key behind his move to Monaco.

France / Schedule

Czech Republic France77-97 Iran France62-79 France Italy Tue08:20

What does that victory against Team USA in the opening game of the Olympics say about French potential?We have great names on the paper. We always had. The thing is that it's not enough to play well now. In quarterfinals and semifinals, that's when you see who's going to make it or not. It's nice to get into the quarterfinals, but it doesn't mean anything at the end of the day. You have to beat the quarterfinals against Italy, which will be very difficult. They won one big battle against Serbia, and they had more games to prepare with the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. That's going to be very difficult, and that's when big teams have to show up. And I hope France will be one of these big teams.

Talking about the upside of France, what can your team do even better in the knockout stage?All the details. Lately, they played very well with Fournier and De Colo. We also have options inside playing big with Poirier as a four. We are a very physical team, and we shoot the ball well so far. Let's say I'm not sure we can play better than what we did against the USA. But we have to maintain this level.

We can beat everybody, but at the same time, we can be beaten by anybody. That was always our problem to maintain a certain level. People and I believe that France is better than Italy, but we have to show it on the court. If we play 100%, there is no reason why we're not going to the semifinals.

What helped you guys to regroup for the Olympics after struggling in the preparation stage? Was it the chemistry from 2019, the leadership of Gobert, Fournier, Batum, and others?Definitely, those guys you named were on the National Team for almost forever. They were playing for the same coach. They know their role. They know what to expect. It's like they never left.

It's not the same for the USA, with three players coming the morning of the first game. After maybe having a party for three days with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton (smiles). And it's more difficult for them to adapt to the FIBA game than for us. Gobert or Batum were raised in this kind of game, and they played for the National team forever.

They're in good shape physically. They know their role perfectly. They could have come the day before the tournament, and it would be the same. This leadership is essential to the team. I think everybody knows their role on the National team. That's also a significant advantage for us.

When it takes France, everyone is talking about Gobert, Fournier, or De Colo. But who's the guy who maybe didn't have the most outstanding stats, but who makes the enormous impact on the game?As you said, we talked a lot about these three guys. They're the main guys on the team. But in the last two games, I think Vincent Poirier played very, very well. Especially against the USA. He made a difference as a four when the USA played a small ball. He came in and destroyed them physically with rebounds and so on. And he played an amazing game against the Czech Republic. So far, he's doing good.

Heurtel is also playing pretty well lately as a backup. And Batum! We didn't talk about Batum enough. He's doing dirty things, playing defense, going for rebounds, running in the fast break, and being the glue guy in the team.

I think we have a complete team. We can do a lot of things from everyone behind these main guys we named in the beginning. And I think it's our strength to have 12 great guys.

Gobert and Fournier said publicly that their primary goal in Tokyo is a gold medal. Does the French basketball community share the exact expectations?I'm not sure. I know Evan and Rudy. They always had the same mindset. That's the same mindset of all French team. That's the mindset you have to get when you're going into the competition. By beating the USA, you have a right to think that way.

But in France, we're more careful about everything. We didn't do well since 2000, always being eliminated in the first round or the quarterfinals. So in France, we're more like, let's see. We play well, but now the real games start. We still have to beat some good teams like Spain, Argentina, the USA, Australia, whatever, who are still in the competition. To get the gold, we have to beat these teams.

Everyone remembers the last World Cup when we beat the USA in the quarterfinals, and we fell against Argentina. All people believed we are better, but we lost. In France, we're more careful. More like watching what's next. But as a player, I know Evan, Rudy, and Nando. They have big expectations, and they have the right to think that way.

Slovenia is also one of your potential rivals for the gold. If you advance to the semifinals, you might face them on your road to the final. Is it the team that makes you worried concerning medal hopes?As a basketball fan, I want to see this game. If we're talking about getting gold, we're also talking about beating the best teams in the world. So far, Slovenia is European Champion, and they didn't lose in the Olympics. They beat World Champions and World Cup finalists. So they're part of the best teams in the World.

Obviously, they have one Martian, Doncic (laughs). But they know how to play. They're playing very hard, and everybody knows their role. They're leaving everything on the court behind Doncic. So that would be a tough matchup. But as a basketball fan, I want to see how France will react against one of the best teams in the World.

I don't know if you'll agree with me, but it seems like it's a guard-driven tournament so far. Patty Mills leads Australia, Rubio orchestrating Spain, Jrue Holiday showing all-around leadership for Team USA, Doncic is the face of Slovenia... What do you like the most about these guys as a playmaker?You forgot Fournier and De Colo! (smiles) They were playing amazing so far.

I appreciate all of their game. I always loved Patty Mills. How huge a leader and competitor he is, at the same time a fantastic shooter.

Doncic is something amazing to watch. He's just from another level. Playing against guys we're playing all year long, you can easily see that he plays the way he wants against them. And this is something unique.

People watch Slovenia because Doncic is here. I don't want to discredit other players because they're great, and I know them very well. But Doncic is the guy who people want to watch.

And I agree with that. I had my basketball camp for kids last week. And I don't know how many jerseys of Doncic I saw during that week. That was huge. He's the guy who the kids want to look alike.

Leo, after watching the Olympic Games, you will start your new chapter with AS Monaco. How did you end up coming back to play in France?When coach Zvezdan Mitrovic called me and explained what he wanted from me and explained my role on the team, I was thrilled. The last two years were pretty difficult for me. But when the coach calls you, the club makes an effort, and you see how they want you, that's the most important feeling I want to have now. Playing for people who really want me was something I wanted before everything.

I'm very happy about that. I'm coming back to the French league. I didn't expect that to happen early, but Monaco did very well, and I'm happy to be there right now.

In summer, rumors were taking you to Zalgiris Kaunas or Partizan Belgrade. Was there anything more than just rumors?I don't know, but I think it was only rumors. I didn't play much last two years. I almost didn't play the last two months in Barcelona. So I understand coaches asking me if I'm in shape, why I not play, maybe I'm still injured. I think people were a little bit scared of it, and I respect it. I understand why people can be scared of taking Leo Westermann right now. But at the same time, I know my worth. I know how I feel right now, how healthy I'm. I'm just happy to have Monaco believe in me. Once again, I will show people who don't believe in me anymore that I'm good.

You've been in this situation a few times already, and every time you proved them wrong. That's the mentality you're coming to the next season?Exactly.

Monaco is a new team in the EuroLeague. They're still looking for know-how to compete on this level. What do you think about the team they're building for the EuroLeague?I know my role, I know what I will do there. I strongly believe that coach Mitrovic is made for this kind of thing. He already showed it with ASVEL. Two years ago, he didn't have the best team, but they started the year very well, beating Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Nobody expected ASVEL doing so great. That was the mentality of coach Mitrovic. You could see it on the players.

I believe we'll have a physical team. When you have less talent, you need never give up mentality, a very physical and strong team that can play hard, to play in this league. I believe we'll build this kind of team.

I'm happy with the signings. Of course, we won't be one of the teams people expect to do well in the EuroLeague. But it has to be one of the keys motivating us to do bigger.

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