That was just nine months ago. This famous April 22, 2023, in an incandescent Accor Arena tinted with blue and white, Basket Landes offered itself a second consecutive Coupe de France title at the end of a sensational match against the Asvel armada, led by Marine Johannès and Gabby Williams (64-71). Since then, things have changed (a lot): the Landes club has had a makeover, taking the (financially constrained) bet of relying on young French hopefuls and foreign players for the relaunch. A successful bet so far for the new leader of the Women’s League, who has only retained two elements from his astonishing 2022-2023 season: the emblematic winger Kendra Chery and the inside captain…
That was just nine months ago. This famous April 22, 2023, in an incandescent Accor Arena tinted with blue and white, Basket Landes offered itself a second consecutive Coupe de France title at the end of a sensational match against the Asvel armada, led by Marine Johannès and Gabby Williams (64-71). Since then, things have changed (a lot): the Landes club has had a makeover, taking the (financially constrained) bet of relying on young French hopefuls and foreign players for the relaunch. A bet so far successful for the new leader of the Women’s League, who has only retained two elements from his astonishing 2022-2023 season: the emblematic winger Kendra Chery and the inside captain Clarince Djaldi-Tabdi.
Before entering the quarter-final of the Coupe de France, this Saturday in Saint-Amand (8 p.m.), the two young women looked back on this memorable 2023 final, their status as “old hands” in the group… and the dream of an incredible hat-trick. Which inevitably lingers in the back of my mind.
What memories do you have of this 2023 final at Bercy?
Clarince Djaldi-Tabdi For me, it was my first professional title. They were very good memories, especially after a complicated season individually (due to a long injury at the start of last season, Editor’s note) and collectively. This was the best way to bounce back!
Kendra Chery It’s something that gave us hope. We started from zero to go for a title, all that adrenaline… The season didn’t go well last year, but the Cup was our little light.
Does this competition have a special flavor for you?
K. C. For me, it is special, in the sense that we brought all of Mont-de-Marsan to Paris. It was huge… I want the rest of the team to experience that too.
Because you are the only two players to have experienced this 2023 title. Have you talked about the importance of the Cup with your teammates?
C. D.-T. It’s a new team so a new story. We have the experience of having already experienced this, we have this perspective. But all the girls who came here want to live this dream. I was talking with “Lex” (Peterson), I asked her if she had ever won a title. She told me she had made it to the final, but never won. With what we’ve achieved this year, we could afford to experience this together. Some of the team have played play-downs, so going to Bercy again would be something incredible.
Kendra, you have won two Cups, you know better than anyone the importance of this competition for the club.
K. C. What allowed us to go to Paris was the dream. Whether it was my first or my second year at Bercy, that’s really what everyone was passionate about. I find it strong and motivating. Several girls are new but also dream of winning.
For you, the first title in 2022 is necessarily more significant than that of 2023?
K. C. Oh yes ! 2022 was just huge. It was the first time at Bercy… I was expecting a small turnaround, but it was huge, the two overtimes against Bourges… It was really beautiful. The club had always dreamed of it and we showed that it was possible. The second time, it was different, everything had been hard… Now, when it’s difficult, I tell myself that it only took four days for everything to change, for us to be in the play-offs and we win the Cup! It’s not pleasant to live through a season like that, but you gain experience.
C. D.-T. You become resilient, you learn from it all. These are lessons. Basketball has a big place in our lives but that’s not all. We learned to put things into perspective and not take things for granted. But it’s in the end that it counts. We’re happy with everything we did today, but the goal is not to ruin it.
“We have a status and we are going to assume it. But you shouldn’t arrive thinking that it’s going to be easy”
Clarince Djaldi-Tabdi, Kendra Chery and Basket Landes are only two victories away from a third final in three years at Bercy.
Philippe Salvat/ “SOUTH WEST”
You now have team status to beat. Is it more difficult to approach these decisive meetings?
C. D.-T. We talk about the right to believe it, but these teams allow themselves to believe it too. Nothing will be given so, today, we have a status and we will assume it. But you shouldn’t arrive thinking that it’s going to be easy. We are going to go to Saint-Amand, to his house, we will have to be focused and not think that it is acquired. I hope that we are lucid enough to understand that if we want to go where we want, we must give ourselves the means. We’ll see at the end but we’re not going to anticipate a final. We have a first match, we will arrive focused, motivated, and take on this opponent like all the others.
Is achieving the hat-trick in the Coupe de France something you’re thinking about?
C. D.-T. Of course, we’re not going to pretend (smile)! We know the way to get there and we want to take it, that’s for sure…
A match to be taken “very seriously”
“A warning” at no cost, “a good reminder”. Call it what you want, but the failed return from the locker room in Salamanca (69-44), Wednesday in the Euroleague, questions the Landes coach. “We had a big air gap. We saw it on video: if we don’t put things in the right order, we charge. It’s the demand you place on yourself. »
The Landaises, leaders of the Women’s League after a successful first half of the season, assure us: they did not – even unconsciously – take their foot off the gas in this match without much at stake, just three days before their entry into contention in the Coupe de France in Saint-Amand. It then remains to react among the Northerners who are struggling in LFB but who remain with a success against the Flammes Carolo (71-65).
“I am wary of ourselves and our performance in Salamanca,” continues Julie Barennes. Even after the great success (82-53) on November 25 at the Espace Mitterrand. “We gave them 30 points, but in the last quarter! It’s not the same team anymore either, and we’ve already lost a lot there in the league in the past. We are not at home, we know it, we have to take this match very seriously. To continue dreaming…”
2024-01-20 14:46:33
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