A season successfully concluded

The curtain falls on the season for our U21 team. Despite this solid victory against ASVEL at the Adidas Arena, Paris Basketball narrowly missed out on a spot in the Trophée du Futur (Future Trophy).

Our U21 team started the game strong. There was no feeling-out period, with two teams giving the ball handler no respite. From the initial catch to the final shot, the ball was constantly contested. Paris Basketball applied even more pressure, which the Villeurbanne team managed to partially overcome thanks to some big three-pointers. Our offensive plays, however, were finished closer to the basket. Following his 25-point performance against Monaco, Samuel Bringer got us off to a good start from the post. Then, exemplified by the powerful and-ones drawn by our captain Malik Rouamba, the young Parisians maintained a high level of competitiveness throughout the first half. In contrast, ASVEL’s performance was inconsistent. More consistent, Julien Mahé’s team firmly maintained control of the game and then created their first significant lead at the end of the first half (41-32). And even when the visitors thought they were closing the gap, our transition game allowed us to maintain a comfortable advantage (47-40).

Much like in the final minutes of the first quarter, ASVEL closed the gap on the scoreboard. This time, our savior was Dario Cokara. Between multiple steals and well-placed mid-range jumpers, our Espoirs (U21 team) emerged unscathed from this difficult period before shifting into second gear again. For the first time in the game, the 10-point mark was surpassed (69-57). The visitors’ long-range shots were falling less frequently, forcing them to rely on fast breaks to compete. Getting past our first line of pressure in the half-court became almost impossible. Quite the opposite of our Parisians, who hammered away in the paint. The three-pointer was also a weapon in our ranks at the end of the game. Confident in their basketball, Paris Basketball cruised to a victory, controlling it from start to finish (91-80).

Our U21 team thus concludes their superb 2025-2026 season with this positive result. Paris Basketball will not be competing in the Trophée du Futur this year due to Nanterre’s victory over Cholet at the same time (79-68). Nevertheless, it remains a historic season for our young Parisians !

And once again, a huge congratulations to them !