EuroLeague Women curtain falls for the legendary Dumerc

BOURGES (France) - After a distinguished 15 seasons competing in EuroLeague Women, Celine Dumerc has played her last game in the competition.

Fittingly, the legendary playmaker signed off for Basket Landes playing in Bourges, the location most synonymous with Dumerc, who has also represented UMMC Ekaterinburg and Tarbes in the tournament.

Dumerc helped Basket Landes to make history this past season with a first ever win during their maiden campaign, having also played at the Final Four and Final Eight with UMMC and Bourges respectively in years past.

Speaking after she left a EuroLeague Women court for the final time, she stated: "I am sad of course, but on the other side, I am glad I had the opportunity to compete and have been able to collect so many memories. They were all so intense and that is why you play basketball - to experience these kind of emotions."

"I don't care about my personal statistics. Of course it is nice to have some numbers that you can remember and I will maybe look at them and reflect in another 10 years. I am just thankful to have been able to play for these 15 years and to have competed at the Final Four, which for me is the highest level in women's basketball."

She added: "If I have something that I regret, it is that I never won the title. It was the reason I signed for Ekaterinburg, to reach this goal. Unfortunately we couldn't do it, so that is the only negative thing in my career. Otherwise I had so many games and victories and it gives me a strong emotion to think about them. It has all been worth it."

She finished her impressive EuroLeague Women with some striking numbers. Not least, having played 216 games, which places her 10th in the all-time list.

The guard is also in the all-time top three for steals with 420 and also third for assists with 858. Meanwhile despite being mainly revered for her defensive and creative skills, she still managed to climb to 23rd in all-time scoring charts with 1886 points.

Dumerc will finish the LFB season with Basket Landes, then focus on her role as General Manager with the French national team as they prepare for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021, when they will be co-hosts, followed by the Tokyo Olympics. And, she is excited by the next generation of French rising stars.

She said: "For the future in France it will be really good because we have some really nice and talented young players already competing at a high level - including in EuroLeague Women. This is a real positive for the national team.

"I am confident about what lies ahead with these kind of players. It has always been like this in France, our formation and infrastructure has always brought through talented players. The level of competition in the French league is also high and that is helping to develop our players," concluded Dumerc.

FIBA