VALENCIA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Count Antoine Diot as one of the players that was happy when the French Basketball Federation announced Vincent Collet was to continue as national team coach.

Collet has made no secret of the high regard he has for the point guard who made his first mark with the team seven years ago at the EuroBasket in Poland.

Diot was crucial for Les Bleus as they bounced back from a Quarter-Final mauling at the hands of Spain and clinched a spot in the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Though injuries kept him out of the side the next three years, he returned to the fold for EuroBasket 2013 and helped France win their first title in the competition.

The 1.93m guard hit one of the shots of the tournament right before half-time in the Final against Lithuania.

Diot proved to be a good luck charm for Collet, also making the squad the following year at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Even though France were not at full strength, Diot was among the players who made a difference and helped the national team reach the podium.

After last year's EuroBasket disappointment, when the French were upset by Spain in the Semi-Finals on home soil in Lille and had to settle for third place, Diot played an important role as France won the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.

Collet has always called on Diot, especially in the tough times of games, and more times than not, the playmaker has delivered. So yes, the player is happy that the coach who has a lot of faith in his abilities is still in charge.

"He's really nice and I know his mentality," said Diot, who doesn't take his spot in the team for granted.

"We will see this summer," he said. "I don't think about it, I'm focused on Valencia Basket. But for sure Tony (Parker) left the team and there is maybe more responsibility for me but I must be good for Valencia Basket to play for the national team."

So far, Diot has played well for Valencia. In a 99-91 win over a talent-laden Baskonia side on 13 November, the Frenchman poured in a game-high 28 points and dished out 6 assists.

He looked like a superhero on the court, running around and making one great play after another.

It was not the first time that Diot had taken over game this season. It also happened against Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro on 24 October. Playing away from home, Diot slammed the door shut on a possible comeback by the hosts.

With a super-talented France, Diot does not play as many minutes as he does with Valencia, yet he is nevertheless important. This past summer, he says, was full of highs and lows.

The OQT win got France to Rio, and they also had an eye-opening performance in Brazil against the USA when the Americans scraped a 100-97 win.

But they followed that up a Quarter-Final meltdown against their nemesis, Spain. After the setback to their foes, there was talk of a rift within the team, that France's veterans and youngsters were not on the same page. Diot says that wasn't true.

"No way," he said to FIBA.com. "We played maybe five years together. This for me was not the reason. We played a really good team. Spain was good at this point so, for me this was not the reason. We don't have trouble within the team."

More than anything else, he says, France were a bit weary by the time they reached the knockout round at the Olympics because of their exertions before and during the OQT in the Philippines.

Diot and France played at the OQT in Manila

"It made it a really, really long summer," he said. "For me, this is one of the reasons we played bad at the Olympic Games, the summer was so long.

"I took four days off after the season to go to the national team but we qualified and this was a good experience, too."

Diot prefers to think about the good things in Rio, like the Opening Ceremony and living in the Olympic Village.

"This is incredible, this atmosphere," he said. "Everybody eats at the same place and you can see (Serbia tennis player Novak) Djokovic and all of the great, great athletes, so for me it was an incredible experience."

Looking ahead, France have been drawn in Group A with Poland, Finland, Iceland, Greece and Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. Those games will be played in Helsinki.

It will be a chance to once and for all get the bad taste out of the mouth from France's 92-67 defeat to Spain at the Olympics.

"We were really, really disappointed," he said. "Against Spain, we didn't play at our level and we have to learn from it."

FIBA