Walker, Collet help SIG find their way

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - They say basketball is a big man's game. Don't tell that to Erving Walker, the Brooklyn-born point guard that's been lighting it up for SIG Strasbourg in the Basketball Champions League.

Walker left American college basketball's Florida Gators four years ago as the university's all-time leader in assists with 547. It's the 1.73m floor general's scoring, though, that's been making a difference for SIG.

After pouring in 17 points in a gritty 74-64 home triumph over Telenet Oostende, Walker turned on the style at Iberostar Tenerife this past week, torching the previously-unbeaten Canary Islanders with 23 points in a 70-66 victory after overtime.

Walker had opened the season with 20 points in a 91-84 defeat at Juventus Utena, so in three of the four Basketball Champions League games he has played, he's been MVP-like for SIG.

Even in that loss, he hit some memorable shots that showed SIG had a huge talent in the backcourt.

Walker had played well for coach Henrik Dettman in the first month of the season but game after game ended in narrow and at times heartbreaking defeats for the French club. Sensing the team's season was about to go off the rails, SIG management bid Dettman adieu and sent out an SOS to France's national team boss and former Strasbourg play-caller, Vincent Collet. He returned to the helm on 27 October.

If someone new had to take over, Collet was the perfect choice. He not only had a good track record with the team, leading it to the LNB Finals the past three years, but Collet also brought a different approach. He has challenged the players in a way that has brought good results.

They are now 2-2 in Basketball Champions League Group D while in the French LNB, Collet's team is 3-5 and in 13th place after Saturday's (12 November) 90-86 victory at Cholet. The victory over Tenerife, the leading club in Spain's Liga Endesa at 6-1, has shown to Strasbourg that anything is possible.

"We knew it would be a great challenge for us," Walker said. "The coach had warned us that it would be a real fight and that the way to victory was with (good) defense. Now we still have to work to be even better."

Collet is a straight shooter. He talks openly about a team's strengths and weaknesses, whether it's his club or an opponent. The players, when he implores them to do something better, know he's right. It's that awareness of their shortcomings and willingness to address them that is helping SIG with a mini-revival.

After the win over Tenerife, Collet said the emphasis had been on slowing down Tenerife's high-octane attack. If that sounds familiar, it should because Collet got his France players to slow the game down when they upset Spain at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

He also talked to SIG players about bringing A+ effort, and they did.

"We would have had no chance without intensity," he said. "It was very important to be very aggressive..."

Collet told his players they'd done a good job after the win over Tenerife, but also advised them to keep their feet on the ground.

"There is still work to do," he said.

Plenty of work to do, but plenty of reason to do so because Strasbourg, especially if Walker keeps firing on all cylinders, look like they have a chance to do something special this season.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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