« Do you have a gun so I can shoot myself? That’s how I feel »; Dario Gjergja, devastated after Limoges – Strasbourg

Limoges CSP failed to stop their negative spiral this Friday evening against SIG Strasbourg. On their home court at Beaublanc, the Limoges team lost (82-86) against a solid Alsatian team, particularly strong inside, and carried by their individual talents. In a context of a severely depleted roster once again, Mamadou Guisse and Dario Gjergja spoke at the post-game press conference, without holding back.

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23 Jan. 2026

Tom Compayrot

The small details that tipped the game according to Mamadou Guisse

For Mamadou Guisse (1.97m, 24 years old), the defeat came down to an accumulation of errors in key moments, after a start to the game that followed the game plan.

« At the end, we made a lot of defensive mistakes, we didn’t really respect the game plan, even though we had done so at the start of the game. There were also layups that we missed, and me first, there are two layups that I missed that I usually make, and Leon (Stergar) too. A bunch of little mistakes that allowed them to get ahead of us. But nobody gave up and everyone kept giving their all. These are just small details that need to be fixed. »

Asked about the loss of collective control when Strasbourg took the lead, the Limoges forward acknowledged a moment of uncertainty that’s hard to explain.

« When they went ahead, I think everyone got a bit stressed… I don’t really have an answer, but that’s what happened. So we need to work on that in practice. »

A struggling interior game

Against SIG’s physical impact, Limoges naturally struggled in the paint. Mamadou Guisse doesn’t hide it, also recalling the context of absences.

« It’s true that inside they hurt us. We lost Gavin Ware, who was injured, who still tried and he has all my respect for that. Justin wasn’t there, there was only Nikola Jovanovic and he had a very good game. He gave what he could but it’s true that inside, they are very strong and we were perhaps lacking a bit in height and energy. »

Dario Gjergja, between extreme frustration and tribute to his players

For his part, Dario Gjergja delivered a particularly striking reaction, expressing the state of tension surrounding his team.

« Do you have a gun so I can shoot myself? That’s how I feel. I want to shoot myself. »

The Limoges CSP coach then detailed the many points of frustration, particularly the management of the end of the game and fouls.

« As you know, we’re encountering difficulties right now. We were almost there. But if you look at how many things we still missed… The last 5 or 6 minutes… If you look at how we didn’t know how to manage the 14 fouls we had. I told them: ‘Guys, you have 14 fouls. You’re just committing fouls and not playing one-on-one basketball.’ We also missed free throws… »

According to him, Strasbourg showed more awareness in decisive moments.

« As for them, they were a bit smarter in their decision-making. When we were down two points, we had a situation where we shot a 3-pointer after only 10 seconds. We could have been smarter. »

A decimated roster, an unprecedented situation

Beyond the game content, Dario Gjergja spoke at length about the physical situation of his group, which he describes as unprecedented in his career.

« I have to tip my hat to Gavin Ware. He tried to do what he could in the first half and he hadn’t practiced all week. He brought something to the team. That’s the kind of player and character you want to have on your team. »

Before concluding with a heavy but honest assessment.

« But somewhere, I hope that all this, this struggle, will stop because it’s very difficult to organize practice and everything else. I’ve never experienced this in my career, whether as an assistant coach or head coach. One game ends and another player is injured. It’s not an excuse, but it has to be said, it’s the fourth dimension! »

In an increasingly difficult context for Limoges CSP, this new defeat against SIG Strasbourg confirms that the margin for error is almost non-existent with such a depleted roster, despite the commitment and team spirit displayed.

At Beaublanc,