Guerschon Yabusele’s troubling revelations about the Olympics: « Before the quarterfinals, the staff was convinced it was over »
July 27, 2025
Tom Compayrot
Vincent Collet, one year after Paris 2024: « The months that followed were difficult »
Vincent Collet, the former head coach of the French men's basketball team, reflected in Le Courrier de l'Ouest on his unique experience at the Paris 2024 Olympics. One year after winning the silver medal against the United States, the coach shares intense memories... and the post-Games blues.
Photo Credit : Guillaume Poumarede
Vincent Collet left his position as head coach of the French men’s basketball team after leading Les Bleus to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games final. Nearly a year after this historic campaign that ended with a silver medal, the Norman coach gave an interview to Le Courrier de l’Ouest where he shares both the pride of this epic journey and the difficulty of turning the page.
« A life adventure »
When discussing Paris 2024, Vincent Collet speaks not just of a successful competition, but of an extraordinary human and professional experience. « It’s not even the adventure of a career, it’s the adventure of a lifetime, » he summarizes. The atmosphere, popular fervor, playing at home: all elements that gave this Olympic campaign an exceptional dimension.
Though Les Bleus had a rough start to their tournament, everything changed in the quarter-finals against Canada. « The standout game was against Canada, where things turned around, » explains Collet, who also cites the semi-final against Germany as one of his most memorable moments. That evening, France secured their place in the final by beating the Germans (73-69), before facing the United States in a Tokyo 2021 rematch.
The post-Games blues
But after the cheers came silence. And for Vincent Collet, what followed wasn’t easy to handle. Unlike the players who quickly returned to their clubs and competitive rhythm, the former head coach found himself without activity.
« This period of blues really existed. The months that followed were difficult. It was somewhat like a breakup, » he confides. A separation made even more significant as these Games marked the last great adventure of his coaching career: « I don’t have many years left in my career. »
Images that remain in mind
Working as a consultant this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Vincent Collet has nevertheless taken time to review many games from the competition, some multiple times, particularly to draw tactical lessons. However, he hasn’t yet watched Court of Gold, the Netflix documentary about the Paris Games.
As for material souvenirs, Collet keeps it to the essentials: « It’s not really an object, but I regularly wear the training shorts we had at the Games. The Games, they’re present in the mind. »
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.
Commentaires