FRA - Bergeaud backs captain Diaw to shine

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STRASBOURG (FIBA World Championship) - France coach Claude Bergeaud is convinced that being given the captaincy will allow Boris Diaw to develop as a player.

The 24-year-old Phoenix Suns forward was officially named skipper on Thursday ahead of the Strasbourg tournament where Les Bleus will face Senegal, Lithuania and China as part of their preparation for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Diaw, who has 56 caps with France, succeeds Antoine Rigaudeau who retired from basketball after helping his country win bronze at last year's Eurobasket in Serbia & Montenegro.

"I have chosen Boris because of his sporting and human qualities," explained Bergeaud during a press conference in Strasbourg's Rhenus arena.

"He is a real leader and knows how to gather people around one sole goal. He is also a good link between the experienced players and the younger ones.

"For me, a captain secures the team's spirit. He is there when they win big trophies but also fulfils his role in case of a failure and helps the team recover and accept it."

Bergeaud's first target was to appoint NBA superstar Tony Parker.

But the San Antonio Spurs point guard refused to take that responsibility again after enduring a difficult experience at the 2003 Eurobasket where the team
finished a disappointing fourth place and failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Laurent Foirest and Cyril Julian were also on the list of candidates to wear the armband but the French mastermind eventually opted for Diaw, although it was far from easy to convince him he was made for that role.

"When I met with him in the United States he did not wish to be given such a role," added Bergeaud, who is also expected to name a vice-captain within the next 10 days.

"But we talked a lot and I explained to him that he did not need to change who he was, and that such a responsibility would make him grow up and develop as a player.

"It's like when you become a father, you get that huge responsibility. And it's going to be a fantastic experience for him."

Bergeaud has also placed an emphasis on the importance of the Strasbourg tournament where, he claims, the team will have to be at its best already.

After the event in Alsace, France will play another seven international matches to brush up on their tactics ahead of the FIBA World Championship which start in Japan on August 19.

"Last year ahead of the European championships our preparation was disturbed as Tony (Parker) was not there because of knee problems," Bergeaud added.

"This year one of our aims was to be ready far faster. The teams we will face here in Strasbourg are teams we asked to play against.

"We are going to face Nigeria at the World Championship so we wanted to face an African side and it will be Senegal.

"Lithuania are one of the top European sides so it's also a good preparation match for us. We have a lot of ambitions for that tournament, and we hope we will win it.

"After that we will have another few matches to polish our game."

France will go back to Divonne-les-Bains next week before travelling to Athens, Berlin and China for three other preparation tournaments in August.

Isabelle Rondeau
PA Sport