Sylvain Francisco: « It will leave a scar » after elimination against Georgia
The French national team, eliminated in the round of 16 of EuroBasket 2025 by Georgia, leaves Riga very disappointed. Coming off the bench, Sylvain Francisco tried to bring his energy but lacked accuracy, like his team. The Zalgiris Kaunas point guard reflected on this elimination, between lucidity and willingness to bounce back.
Photo Credit : Julie Dumélié
Sylvain Francisco (6’1″, 27) couldn’t prevent the French team’s disappointment at EuroBasket 2025. Eliminated in the round of 16 by Georgia (70-80), the French team exits prematurely from a competition that was supposed to launch a new cycle after the Olympic silver medal. The Zalgiris Kaunas point guard spoke at the press conference, clear-headed despite his disappointment.
« We didn’t approach this game as we should have »
Coming off the bench, Sylvain Francisco tried to bring his energy to revive his team after a poor start. Although he brought the French team back once, his shooting didn’t follow (3/13 from the field including 3/11 from 3-point range), reflecting his team’s performance. He didn’t hide: « I feel we didn’t approach this game as we should have in the first quarter. It didn’t give us confidence. We missed open shots that we needed as a team. It’s tough, I’m disappointed, that’s basketball. […] We can’t start the first quarter like that, the first four minutes. »
Against a Georgian team successful from outside, France paid for their terrible 6/36 from long range. « 6 for 36 from 3-point range, it’s tough. They made 10 out of 18, it’s incredible. We can’t play like that, » admitted the Parisian, who explained the high number of long-range shots attempted. « We weren’t aggressive enough, they were closing the paint, leaving open shots and we didn’t punish them. If we had made them, they would have been scared and we would have had more space. »
A diminished team
Without key players just before the Euro or from the first round, Alexandre Sarr and Matthew Strazel, the French team couldn’t find their balance. « We’re a young team, the youngest in the tournament. We missed injured players, we tried to do better, but I feel we shouldn’t have lost this game, » Francisco regretted.
When taking stock, he insisted on the importance of turning the page: « It will leave a scar, with the feeling that we didn’t do what we could have. But what’s done is done, we can’t go back. »
A desire to bounce back
Already marked by the failure at the 2023 World Cup in Jakarta, the French point guard intends to use this new disappointment as motivation for the future. « Come back stronger. Here it’s different from 2023, we lost so many centers, the chemistry is different, guys had different roles and had to raise their level. We lost, I can’t say anything more. »
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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