French point guard Theo Maledon suited up to play for his national team against Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina for the final FIBA Eurobasket Qualifiers window, and he talked about numerous topics.
Theo Maledon is having a stellar season with LDLC ASVEL-Villerbaunne in the Euroleague, playing more than enough to deserve a call-up for French NT in the last FIBA Eurobasket Qualifiers window.
Maledon talked to Bruno Feliks of Basketball Sphere about numerous basketball topics, starting with France national team:
"I have no pressure at all. I think we have a lot of talent in this team, and it won’t all come down to just one person," Maledon started.
"We want to focus on collective success. We are all in this together. As I said, we have too much talent to rely on just one player, we have to use that to our advantage."
New era started in France basketball as Frederic Fauthoux replaced Vincent Collet after 16 years at the helm:
"A new chapter for French basketball is always a challenge. It’s unpredictable how things will unfold," Maledon stated.
"The important thing is that we, the players, trust the coaching staff and believe in their system of play. We have to be aware that we are playing for something big, and that is EuroBasket. We have to stay focused and committed to our mission."
Maledon expressed his gratitude towards Nando De Colo and mentorship he receives from him in ASVEL:
“Nando is a great influence. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from him. Watching how professional he is, how he works, how focused he is on every detail in the game..."
"It’s inspiring. Sharing the court with him and seeing how he recognizes situations, I absorb all of that, and I try to add it to my own game,” Maledon reflected.
