Thomas Heurtel accuses Jasikevicius and Laso of making him a team problem / News - Basketnews.com

Thomas Heurtel says Saras and Laso used him as a scapegoat in Barcelona and Madrid, respectively.

Credit: AFP, ImagoImages - Scanpix, FIBA Credit AFP, ImagoImages - Scanpix, FIBA

Thomas Heurtel had an extensive interview with the French media outlet Ouest France, where he touched on many topics, including his time in the top Spanish clubs -- FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Thomas Heurtel

Position:PG, SGAge:33Height:188 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:FranceProfileNewsStatistics

He arrived in Spain, Catalunya, in 2017 and stayed there until early 2021. An incident with club leaders and head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius made him leave the Blaugranas.

After the 2020-21 EuroLeague season's away game vs. Anadolu Efes, Heurtel, who could not find a fit in the team under Saras, was forced to remain in Istanbul, and the squad did not let him board the plane and return to Spain.

Barcelona felt cheated by Heurtel and his agency, Beobasket, as the French guard was in talks with Real, even though the Catalans were preparing an exchange with Fenerbahce that would have sent Heurtel to the yellow Istanbul side, while Barca received Leo Westermann.

The 33-year-old player expressed his position in a recent conversation.

"I spent four years in Barcelona and the first two seasons went very well, we didn't necessarily have the expected results but it wasn't my fault. I had good seasons. In my third year, I got injured and then the club signed Sarunas Jasikevicius. He is a coach who did not want me from the beginning," Heurtel pointed out.

"He started making stuff up, like I was the team's problem. From the beginning, he screwed up because he didn't want me on the team and then the club changed completely," Heurtel continued sharing his experience. "Before Saras arrived, everyone loved me, including the coaches, and the fans. The fans even sang 'La Marseillaise' several times. Unfortunately, everything changed without any explanation."

His 2021-22 stint in Madrid went in a kind of similar direction. Everything seemed perfect at the beginning, but things went south after the incident in Athens.

2-pointers this season

57%21,1Points made:21,1Accuracy:57,2%Place in standings:4Record max:31Record min:14Most made 2FGs:Walter TavaresTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Heurtel, together with Trey Thompkins and Guerschon Yabusele, was caught partying in the Greek capital, the day before facing Panathinaikos Athens.

Heurtel admitted his mistake, but he could not understand the club's sanction and the treatment by the coach. The Frenchman still expected to return to the court and help the team win, but it did not happen.

"Until I went to a disco in Athens, it [stint in Madrid] was going very well. There was no problem. But once that event occurred, Pablo Laso began to invent things. From then on, he quickly found the culprit and used me as a scapegoat," Heurtel told Ouest France.

"We accumulated defeats and Pablo Laso did not know how to get out of it. So instead of talking about himself and the losses, he took it out on me," the player emphasized.

"I assume: I was wrong, I made a mistake. But at first, there was no problem, it was going very well. It was even planned that I would stay in Madrid the following season. If I hadn't gone to the disco, I would still be in Madrid today."

The Royal club then penalized all three players. However, only Heurtel and Thompkins were separated from the team. Yabusele returned to Real's rotation, unlike the aforementioned duo.

"In Barcelona, it was an injustice, the coach didn't want me from the beginning. Every day he made me feel bad until I left the club. In Madrid, I was wrong and I made a mistake, but I don't think I should have received that treatment. Especially, since I was not the only one who went out partying, there were quite a few involved. But I was the only player alongside Trey Thompkins who was penalized," Heurtel underlined.

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.