In order to encourage the development of more young local talent, the Basketball Champions League requires its teams to register at least 5 local players on the team sheet (if 11 or more players are registered, otherwise 4 if the roster has 10 players or less). One of those is 21-year-old Dijon full-back Romain Ducote.
In BCL, Romain Ducoté is worth 3.6 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 19 minutes, and he has the honors of BCL website.
“For a first experience in the European Cup, I’m lucky to have playing time,” he said. “I learn a lot when I have to defend against Norris Cole from Unicaja or against other talented players. When you have to go on the field, you have pressure. But it was good pressure. »
He indicates that playing for JD Dijon is not neutral for him because he was a fan of the team before being in the pro group. In fact, Romain Ducoté is from Varois, he played for Dadolle, practicing tennis at the same time, and he always stayed in Côte d’Or.
“I watched a lot of JDA games when I was young. Axel Julien and Mykal Riley were among my favorite players. I had the chance to watch Axel from the stands and play with him on the pitch. Two years ago I was cheering on the team, and now I’m on the pitch in front of my family, it’s amazing.”
Romain Ducoté has rewarded the club’s commitment to him since he signed his first professional contract with Dijon last off-season.
“I’m from Dijon, I’ve been playing here since I was 15. You can’t refuse to play for the club that trained you. »
About his two coaches, Laurent Legname and then Nenad Markovic, and his teammates, he confides:
“Laurent taught me a lot of things. He taught me to focus on defense and not be afraid to shoot. He (Nenad Markovic) expects me to play with intensity in defense, cut passing lines and take shots. I learn a lot by watching and playing with David (Holston), Chase (Simon) and Khadeen (Carrington). I defend on Khadeen in training and I learn a lot just by watching him. Jacques Alingue also has a lot of experience, and he gives me a lot of advice on basketball in general. »
Photo : FIBA
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