Nadir Hifi, 11 points in one quarter on his return: « I adapt to any situation »
French National Team - Rarely used since the start of EuroBasket, Nadir Hifi took advantage of France's wide victory against Iceland to regain his rhythm. The Paris Basketball guard scored 11 points in the third quarter.
Photo Credit : Julie Dumélié
As the least used player on the French team during the first round (9 minutes per game), not playing Tuesday against Poland, Nadir Hifi has had a quiet start to the tournament. Given responsibility without much success in Sunday’s loss against Israel (2 points on 1/8 shooting, -5 in evaluation in 15 minutes), the Paris Basketball star guard didn’t play in the next game against Poland on Tuesday. While the staff didn’t use him in the first half against Iceland on Thursday, he played almost the entire third quarter, scoring 11 points on 3/7 shooting during that period, before returning in the last 2 minutes of the game. This big win (114-74) was therefore useful to get him back on track.
Embracing the « 12th man » role
Since the beginning of the tournament, Nadir Hifi has taken on a specific role as the 12th man (now 11th after Alexandre Sarr’s withdrawal). Limited playing time, lots of patience, but an irreproachable attitude. « I adapt to any situation. It’s up to me to find efficiency with few minutes. Whenever the coach calls on me, I’ll be ready, » explained the Alsatian after the game.
While he didn’t play Tuesday against Poland, he seized his opportunity in the second half against Iceland. « Even if the last two games were complicated, it always feels good to have a game like this where everyone is confident, » continues Hifi.
🇫🇷 France 90 – 46 Iceland 🇦🇨
The magnificent Alley-oop from Nadir Hifi that allows Les Bleus to reach 90 points!
Watch live on @TMCtv and @tf1plus: https://t.co/uIm9myuUhH pic.twitter.com/9YwaT1FvHM
— TMC (@TMCtv) September 4, 2025
Supported by his teammates
His teammates didn’t fail to praise his attitude. Captain Guerschon Yabusele emphasized his involvement: « We’re very happy for him. It’s not easy to have a role like that. Sometimes, you come here, you don’t play much. He’s there, he gives all his energy. He supports us. He doesn’t show any bad attitudes. »
Similar sentiment from another team veteran Mouhammadou Jaiteh: « A guy like Nadir is mature. It’s not an easy position, but he stays true to himself, without forcing anything. It’s impressive and noteworthy. »
Staff’s deliberate choice
Asked whether this game served to revitalize Nadir Hifi or even Théo Maledon (9 points and 5 assists in 17 minutes), head coach Frédéric Fauthoux explained the staff’s logic: « These games are good for that. Five games in eight days wear down bodies. In some cases, players can doubt themselves, feel frustrated. I made stronger choices. For everyone’s morale, it was important. Congratulations to Théo and Nadir for staying focused. »
This should allow the Paris Basketball guard to approach the rest of the tournament with more confidence, possibly with a role to play during the final phases.
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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