Adam Atamna out for the rest of Euro U18, tough blow for Team France
EuroBasket U18 - After taking a hit to the face against Turkey, Adam Atamna is out for the rest of the men's EuroBasket U18. The future ASVEL guard, designated offensive leader of the French team, had shined in the first game against Sweden.
Photo Credit : FIBA
Adam Atamna (1.95m, 17 years old), expected to be one of the key players for the French U18 men’s team at EuroBasket, will not continue in the competition. According to our information, the future ASVEL player had to withdraw after taking a hit to the face at the very beginning of the game against Turkey on Sunday, July 27.
A promising start to the competition
With an impressive performance against Sweden on Saturday (18 points on 7/10 shooting, 3 rebounds, 5 steals in just 15 minutes), Adam Atamna had set the tone. Karim Atamna’s son is coming off a strong season in Nationale 1 with LyonSO, where he established himself. His mindset and commitment were praised by the French team staff, who were counting on him as one of the group’s offensive leaders.
But just 3 minutes into the game against Turkey on Sunday, the young guard had to leave his teammates after taking a nasty hit to the face on a defensive help. Medical examinations that followed confirmed he would be out for the rest of the Euro.
Necessary reorganization for the French team
Already without combo-guard Soren Bracq – rested after the U19 World Cup – and interior player Noa Kouakou-Heugue, who was also involved in that previous international campaign, the French team will need to reorganize their rotation. At point guard, Maxence Lemoine and Isaac Guedegbe will share responsibilities, while at shooting guard, Bastien Grasshoff (17 points against Turkey) and Tom Audry should see their roles expand.
Despite this setback, France retains serious assets to go far in the competition. However, the absence of such a complete player as Adam Atamna could weigh heavily in key moments.
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve est le fondateur et rédacteur en chef de BeBasket, qu’il anime depuis 2010 (sous le nom de Catch & Shoot). Passé par l’Ecole Publique de Journaliste de Tours, puis deux universités en Amérique du Nord, il a pu développer son expertise sur le basket français, de la Ligue Nationale aux divisions amateurs, durant ces 20 dernières années. En parallèle, il est aussi engagé dans le développement de clubs du côté de Montpellier.
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