This Thursday 5 January (17:30), the rising star of French basketball Victor Wembanyama (Métropolitans 92) will hit the floor of the Calderone in the context of a friendly match against Le Portel. The Northern coaches who have crossed his path tell us about this extraordinary player, only 19 years old.
A game in the middle of the afternoon, on a weekday, and that counts for butter. Not very attractive at first glance and yet… ESSM Le Portel expects no less than 1,500 spectators in its Cauldron against Boulogne-Levallois, this Thursday 5 January (5.30pm). “It’s unheard of for a friendly meeting”, lower the head of ticket office. The reason for this enthusiasm? The presence of Victor Wembanyama on the floor.
The pivot of the Metropolitans 92 has become in a few months a real phenomenon of French basketball, even worldwide. At just 19 (he just celebrated his birthday on January 4), he’s already promised a prolific career. The native of Yvelines, trained in Nanterre and surpassed by Asvel, is announced number 1 in the next NBA draft, the American championship. By comparison, Tony Parker was drafted only 21st by the San Antonio Spurs.
Several coaches from the region have taken on the French prodigy. One of them, François Sence, even had the privilege of having him under his orders for the duration of a game. It was on the occasion of the All Star Game at the Accor Arena, on December 29, as assistant coach of the French selection, who won the match. “I was lucky enough to meet him, rejoices the coach of Denain, resident in Pro B. He’s a pretty impressive guy in many different ways.”
The physique, first of all. “He is extraordinary”, observes François Sence. Dimensions: 2m22. Wingspan: 2m43, shoe size: 55cm. The body of a giant that wields like no other. “Despite his size, he has incredible ease with the ball in his hand, observe. He is very dissuasive in defense, in attack he is formidable near the rim but he also knows how to shoot and pass. A versatility that is its strength. The Ile-de-France player became the top scorer in the history of the French league for an under-19 player.
Off the pitch, François Sence praises the attitude of this precocious talent. “It’s a quiet force, observes the denaisian. He exudes a lot of serenity around him and with his teammates.” If he even points “the poly look” of the character, he does not want to omit his temperament of “competitor”. Humility does not exclude ambition. “This expression suits him perfectly”, he said.
During the first game of the season, BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque (currently 14th in Pro A) had created the feat of beating Boulogne-Levallois (2nd in the league) in an exceptionally full room. As far as the coach was concerned, a game plan had been established to limit the impact of the slender pin. “We tried to dunk him a bit before he got the ball, because looking at his physique you say you can push him out of the key, indicates Sébastien Devos, assistant coach of JD Jackson (later sacked). But it’s not that simple.” Indeed, Wembanyama had scored 23 points. The standard of him this season.
Defending the one nicknamed “Wemby” seems like an impossible equation to solve. “If you stand too close to him he dribbles to go to the rim, if you stand too far from him he can shoot three points”, explains Sébastien Devos. This long-range ability in the league (24 successful shots on 81 attempts) even led the pivot to line up in the 3-point contest of the 2022 All Star Game. Something quite rare for an infielder.
During this competition, Wembanyama was also opposed by Arrageois Nando de Colo, the other attraction of this All Star Game. A duel of generations between two French basketball geniuses. From the bench of the French selection, François Sence was able to observe the complicity between the two players. “It was fun to see how they communicated with each other, he said. When Nando joined the group (one day after the others), Victor took a step back and naturally left the leadership to him”. A sign of respect for one of the best players of the French national team.
The No. 1 Metropolitans is an attraction. Wherever he goes, he fills the halls. “We are already at 900 seats sold for Thursday”, announces the head of the ticket office ESSM Le Portel. The Fos-sur-Mer club has even postponed the date of the match against the Mets to be able to play at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, a room three times larger than its own. “It is an extraordinary opportunity to give visibility to our championship”, assures Sébastien Devos.
Even the United States loves this “Wembamania”. The NBA bought the TV rights from LNB to broadcast Metropolitans 92 games. Victor Wembanyama’s draft could boost the franchise’s value by nearly $500 million, according to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, citing a NBA president club.
And if another proof of the enthusiasm around the French competition is needed, we can evoke the clamor of the photo taken by the gravelinois Antoine Touchard. Incumbent BCM Gravelines-Dunkirk videographer was on the sideline during the All Star Game to film Polish insider Dominik Olejniczak. “I took the opportunity to photograph Victor”, he said.
After posting her pictures on Instagram and other social networks, she notices that one of them attracts attention and quickly goes viral. We see the Mets giant in full extension, deploying his albatross wingspan, to try to counter the shot of the American-Puerto Rican Tremont Waters. “I didn’t think this photo would get around this muchhe said. That he talked a lot.’
This was reported by the Fiba Twitter account, that of the American media Ballislife with one and a half million subscribers too. “I gained many followers thanks to this”, rejoices. Wembanyama hasn’t finished pouring enthusiasm and money around him.
