Looking forward to a special 1-3-5 punch at Villeneuve
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – When Rio Olympians and the future of French basketball in Olivia Epoupa and Valeriane Ayayi signed for Villeneuve D’Ascq this summer, it represented quite a coup by the EuroLeague Women side.
I have followed both closely since they burst onto the youth scene with aplomb and it is exciting to see them come together again. Not just from a youth and also now senior Les Bleues perspective, but because they also competed together at Basket Landes – prior to Epoupa heading to Toulouse to spread her wings and Ayayi delivering domestic silverware with Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration.
But it was thanks to @pierrepiotr_ that I was alerted to the fact that there is an even wider and more exciting reunion. That’s because the point guard and wing will also be re-acquainted with center ,Aby Gaye and that makes this very much a 1-3-5 punch from a talented French generation who if all goes well, could make Villeneuve quite something next season.
They have played together in many big games and attained success. Notable lines of the resume include, taking the FIBA U18 European Championship Women 2012 title and making the Final of the FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship in 2013. The 1994-born Epoupa and Ayayi may have made the more significant breakthrough at senior level, but Gaye is a year younger and did play a part in the FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 qualifying windows.
All three players celebrated making the Final of the FIBA U19 Women's World Championship three years ago
Last year, Gaye was one of the top young players in EuroLeague Women, shooting a very nice 48% from the field and grabbing just shy of five rebounds per game. Her 22 minutes of court time during each outing also spoke volumes and even if the senior frontcourt is stacked with Isabelle Yacoubou, Helena Ciak, Sandrine Gruda and Endene Miyem, the challenge for this young gun is to get herself back ahead of Marielle Amant for example [ironically a team-mate at Villeneuve] – and then eventually take over in the medium term from those older players who will gradually melt away from the international scene.
For Epoupa, this will be a big season and possibly the most pivotal of her career. She will make her EuroLeague Women debut and that is exciting for her – as well as neutrals like me. I can’t wait to see her testing herself across four or five months against the best on a regular basis. That quickness, freakish rebounding ability and defensive prowess should all shine brightly. Or that is the theory.
Ayayi meanwhile already knows this competition after previous exploits with Lattes Montpellier, although she has not featured since 2014-15 after the French side didn’t participate last season. So, it will be nice to have her back on the wings and hopefully showing she is improving and an more mature performer.
Alina Iagupova restarts #EuroLeagueWomen career with @ESBVALM.
— EuroLeague Women (@EuroLeagueWomen) July 11, 2016
➡ https://t.co/eB2OMpVhjQ pic.twitter.com/FFRwzwPCWs
Villeneuve have of course rolled the dice in a major way by gambling on Ukraine sensation Alina Iagupova. They are hoping they can harness her spectacular ability and get her settled quickly so she doesn’t quit the club; as she did just weeks into her Euroleague Women debut last year with Mithra Castors Braine.
I mention this because to have Epoupa playing the point, Iagupova at the two , Ayayi at the three and Gaye at the five [with the four spot open for someone else] this is an all-European and massively exciting and talented line-up which will have me scrambling to watch on youtube or livebasketballtv with extra vigour.
More widely though, this 1-3-5 French punch playing together at the highest level for a club team should be another big positive for Les Bleues. When you consider what these three could achieve and how they could [with hard work] take their game to new levels alongside each other, it’s enough to put a big smile on the faces of French fans.
Also, throw in the emergence of the excellent Marine Johannes as well as her new Tango Bourges Basket rising star Alexia Chartereau and I am suddenly very optimistic that French basketball can actually remain a big player on the world stage in the longer term.
But for now though, can Epoupa, Ayayi and Gaye prove their worth in EuroLeague Women? I really can’t wait to find out.
Paul Nilsen
FIBA
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