Major setback for Vichy: point guard undergoes surgery and will be out for several months

The arrival of Elian Benitez (1.80 m, 22 years old) at Vichy was meant to bring stability to the point guard position. However, the 2025-2026 season starts in the worst possible way for the Catalan player. Injured during JAV’s victory in Caen on the first day of ELITE 2, he underwent surgery for a fibula fracture and will miss 4 to 6 months of competition, meaning a large part of the season.

An expected recruit who must already step aside

Trained in Toulouges and then at JL Bourg’s youth academy before starting his professional career at Rueil in 2023-2024, Benitez was coming off a frustrating season in Nantes. He had joined Vichy this summer hoping to revive his career and form a complementary duo with Alexandre Bouzidi, a tall shooting point guard with whom he appeared very compatible on paper.

But this setback already forces JAV to reorganize. The club will need to recruit a locally trained player (JFL) as a medical replacement or rely on Luka Salaneuve. The young 20-year-old point guard had already participated in 21 ELITE games last season, averaging 17 minutes.

A long absence to manage

While his return is not expected until late winter, losing Elian Benitez remains a major blow for Vichy, whose roster loses a key player right at the start of the championship. The progress of the medical replacement case should be closely monitored in the coming days.