FRA - Pietrus pledges to fight on with Les Bleus
PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Florent Pietrus has been a true warrior for France's national team over the years and he has no intention of pulling out of the battles with the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics on the horizon. A defensive-minded power forward, Pietrus was one of the top players for Les Bleus last year when ...
PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Florent Pietrus has been a true warrior for France's national team over the years and he has no intention of pulling out of the battles with the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics on the horizon.
A defensive-minded power forward, Pietrus was one of the top players for Les Bleus last year when they beat nemesis and two-time defending champions Spain in the Semi-Finals of the EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia and then overcame Lithuania in the title game.
It was France's first-ever EuroBasket crown.
When asked by Le Progres if reaching the top of the podium in Ljubljana was his finest moment as a basketball player, the 33-year-old answered: "One of the greatest. But I've had a lot of emotions and when I retire, I will be very happy with my career."
One of the other big successes for Pietrus was making it to the Olympics for the first time when France played at the London Games in 2012.
As for continuing to play for the national team at the World Cup, Pietrus said: "Yes, keeping in mind the 2016 Olympic Games.
"Like Tony (Parker), I want to play and dwell on this competition, which would allow young people who come to have a good foundation."
The World Cup will be staged in Spain, where Pietrus competed professionally for nine years before returning to France after the EuroBasket to play for SLUC Nancy.
On the subject of Edwin Jackson, meanwhile, Pietrus says it's only a matter of time before the sharpshooter returns to the national side.
Jackson, the MVP of the French LNB for the 2012-13 campaign, didn't make the final cut for EuroBasket 2013 and recently gave an interview to the fiba.com/spain2014 website on the subject.
"Edwin is an outstanding shooter and, sooner or later, the France team will need him," Pietrus said.
In Monday's Official Draw, France were drawn in Group A of the Preliminary Round. They will take on hosts Spain, Serbia, Brazil, Egypt and Iran in Granada for a chance to advance to the Final Round.
FIBA