“The most important thing is to have won”
Nenad Markovic (JDA Dijon coach): ” There are always doubts before the first game. I think we played really badly in defense in the first half: even if we only conceded 37 points, each time someone forgot something. Three guys were aggressive but two others not enough. We also conceded too many offensive rebounds, 11 in the end is too many. […] We resumed making the same mistakes in the 3e quarter, we found ourselves too quickly in weakness but in the last quarter we played very well in attack, we moved the ball well and we improved in defense. We took important rebounds to put easy points then. […] I want to stay positive, it’s the first game, there’s always a bit of excitement, hesitation for everyone, with new players, but the most important thing is to have won and to contain yourself on the next game. »
Arnaud Ricoux (Portel coach, usual assistant): “We missed rotations. Certainly the absence of Benoît (Mangin, suspended) cost us dearly but also that of Nadir (Hifi) in the second half because of a crutch. I think offensively it didn’t bother us too much but we were a bit short defensively. And when there are snipers like in Dijon, with a rather maddening skill at three points… Last year, I had very negative memories here, we had been dominated head and shoulders for almost 40 minutes. This (Friday) evening, even at six, we never gave up. Whether it’s Eric (Girard, the coach was suspended) or all our supporters, I think we can be proud of this team. »
Charles Abouo (back of Portel): “We lacked a bit of lucidity. Ronald Curry made good decisions, but he lacked a bit of fluidity in attack in key moments. Dijon are a very qualified team, they don’t make many mistakes and when you do, it goes quickly on the other side. It’s never easy to lose but at least we showed cohesion and intensity, from there we will be able to focus on the tactical side by being more precise in our game.
Robin Ducoté: “We knew it wouldn’t be an easy match”
Robin Ducoté (back of the JDA Dijon): “We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game, Le Portel plays at a different pace, changes a lot of defense, but we were ready for that. Afterwards, it’s our first game, we’re happy that it ends with a victory to start the season in the best way. […] At one point, when the complicated three-point shots come in, it does us good mentally and it gave us energy on the other side of the field to defend even harder. It really helped us when the two teams were neck and neck. »