Gerald Ayayi: « Sometimes getting a wake-up call is the best way to learn »
In their first Champions League (BCL) game of the season, Cholet Basket was dominated by Ricky Rubio’s Joventut Badalona this Tuesday, October 7th. Despite the defeat (91-73), Gerald Ayayi (6’3″, 24 years old) sees this as a necessary step in the young Cholet team’s development. The 24-year-old guard maintains a clear-headed and optimistic outlook.
A learning defeat for Cholet Basket
Against the experienced Spanish team, Cholet’s youth struggled. Having difficulties from the start, Coach Fabrice Lefrançois’ players were trailing throughout the game. For Gerald Ayayi, this kind of evening is part of the journey:
« There’s no better way to learn than playing a game at this level, a BCL game, » analyzes the Bordeaux native in Ouest-France. « We are young, many are still discovering. We now know what we need to work on to succeed. »
Joel Ayayi’s younger brother reminds that the team didn’t travel to Catalonia just to make up the numbers:
« We are competitors, we came to Badalona with the ambition to win, to continue developing our game. But this is far from being a setback, I think it will help us moving forward both in European competition and French championship. »
« We got tense, and it was contagious »
Cholet mainly paid for a poor start. Caught off guard by the Spanish intensity, the young team took too long to get into the game. The comeback came after halftime but too late to reverse the trend. Like his speech suggests, Gerald Ayayi wants to turn this wake-up call into motivation.
« It’s always good to get a wake-up call early on. We know what to expect now. We have two or three months ahead of us to welcome them properly at La Meilleraie and give them a taste of their own medicine. »
Next step: bounce back in Betclic ELITE
Before thinking about the return game, Cholet must quickly refocus on Betclic ELITE. The European learning experience is just beginning, but it already shows the maturity of a group ready to take hits to improve. Next appointment for the club is on October 11th at Palais des Sports J.M. Geoffroy against JDA Dijon for the 3rd round of the championship.
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