PARIS (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - A familiar face will be calling the shots for France at next year's FIBA EuroBasket with Vincent Collet continuing to lead the side as head coach.

Collet's long tenure at the helm looked as if it might come to an end following France's Quarter-Final demolition by Spain at the Rio de Janeiro Games, but the French Basketball Federation has decided that a coach that has steered the team to many more good times than bad is to remain in charge.

Collet has an impressive curriculum vitae as France coach. He took the reins at a difficult time, when the team had to win an additional qualifying tournament to reach EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.

Les Bleus not only made it to the Final Round in Poland but won all of their games, save for a Quarter-Final against a Spanish team that would become their nemesis and great rival.

Collet got the team to the Round of 16 at the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Turkey, though the team might have fared better had it not suffered an 82-70 defeat to New Zealand in the Group Phase.

The setback to the Tall Blacks dropped France into fourth place and left them facing a red-hot Turkey in their first knockout game, and the tournament hosts blew them out,  95-77.

France then enjoyed a very positive stretch under Collet, reaching the EuroBasket 2011 Final to qualify for the London Olympics. They reached the top of the EuroBasket 2013 podium in Slovenia after a come-from-behind victory over Spain in the Semi-Finals and finished third at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. That tournament run included a famous win over Spain in the Quarter-Finals in Madrid.

France got to the podium the following year, though it was deemed a disappointment. On home soil, the French fell to Spain in the Semi-Finals in Lille.

Les Bleus looked as if they might be on course for a run to the podium at the Games in Brazil when they won the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.

But after falling to eventual champions, the United States, by just three points in their last Group A game, France crashed to a 92-67 defeat to Spain in a game that many had expected them to win.

At least one of the players in the French side, Joffrey Lauvergne, voiced his support for Collet after the Olympics. The Oklahoma City Thunder big man said in interview with L'Equipe: "I tend to think that players at times give themselves too much importance. They would need to concentrate on their individual performances rather than think it's the coach's fault."

There will be no shortage of talent for France as Collet looks ahead to the challenges ahead.

He will know, however, that three permanent fixtures in his teams will be so no more. Tony Parker, Mickael Gelabale and Florent Pietrus retired from international basketball after the Olympics.

FIBA