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ENGLISH SOCIETY NEWSPAPER |
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HOW IS BASKETBALL DOING ON THE RIVIERA? SABRINA GUERBAS DJAMILLA CHAKIR IMEN BEN EL MANOUBI SOPHIE BAZALGETTE On the 2nd of December we decided to interview 3 basketball players at the Antibes Olympic Club after their training session. This club was created in 1942 and has won the French championship in PRO A (the highest level in France or NBA equivalent). At present, the club is in Pro B. In the 2003/4 team there are various nationalities including French, Polish, Canadian and American. We chose to interview the Canadian guy, Michael Ayanbadejo, 25, the American pivot Casey Sanders, 23, as well as the French player Julien Monclar, 20. Michael Ayanbadejo, 25, Canadian, interior. What do you do on a usual day? Well, I wake up; I go to practice early in the morning, usually around 09h00. Then, I go to the gym to work out for an hour, it’s hard you know because the training session is pretty tough….after that, I try to relax a little bit, I sometimes check the city out a bit. Do you have training sessions everyday? Yes, absolutely. The only day off is the day after game even though then I usually run in the park. Is there a player that impresses you? One player that I like a lot, although he’s not very famous is called Ron Artest. He plays for the Indiana pacers, and he works very hard and plays to win, rather like me, I play to win…(he laughs)!! Do you miss your relatives? My relatives back home? Yeah, a little bit, when I first got here it was a little bit different for me even though I grew up in London. I didn’t know a thing about the south of France so it was nice to come here but at the same time you miss home a little bit. Could you list three things that you always bring with you onto the court? Well, I don’t know…my sneakers, my mouth protection because early in the season a guy hit me in the mouth and I hurt one of my teeth, what else do I bring? … Ahh, my sweatband…(he laughs). We know that you’ve played in Ireland, that you come from Canada and now that you play in France, so tell us, what are the main differences between French basketball and others? We’re getting along very well, the French guys are funny (he laughs)..everybody….they all made us feel at home right away, they’re really nice. The American guys Casey and David are good guys. The club is very professional, the public’s great, the city’s great, I like it!! Thank You! No Problem! JULIEN MONCLAR, 20 Years Old, French, Winger Would you like to play abroad one day? If so where would you like to go? Yes, of course but at the present it’s just a dream out of reach. I’d like to play in the US of course. For four years things have been changing fast in French Basketball and the opportunities to play abroad are bigger for us but at the same time, European standards are almost as good ad is almost equalling the American one, so if I had to choose one club I would say Barcelona! Do you Practise another sport? I used to but unfortunately no longer because the training sessions are rather intense and take up all my time but when I was younger I did athletics as well as skiing. I had to quit because my basketball required all my spare time and I am currently following my studies in law and trust me, it’s difficult enough to handle both things. In France, the system isn’t efficient enough to do sports and studies at the same time and that’s a real issue I think. As far as I’m concerned I have to miss one training session per day to go to college. What is your relationship with the foreign players like? It’s cool, there’s a good atmosphere, they’re nice…we help them to integrate into the team and the city…I think there’s a real exchange between us, they’re giving us as much confidence as we’re giving them, there’s a real and positive team spirit between us! Last but not least, what do you think about Tony Parker’s career? Simply wonderful, he’s an incredible guy, he’s a role model to me, I think he brings a lot to basketball and I truly admire him as well as his game and his competitive spirit. Thanks a lot! You’re welcome Casey Saunders, 23 years old, American, Pivot What is it like to be a basketball player in Antibes? Well, it’s OK. It’s good even though the practise is tough, its hard work you know, it’s a little bit frustrating just to have one day off but on the whole I like it. Have you quickly become integrated? My team is pretty nice, they tell me what the coach says, outside it’s a little bit difficult because I don’t speak any French but the city’s cool, the weather’s nice and everything’s pretty cool thank God. What do you think about French Basketball? I like it. It’s very different from US basketball, as here you focus more on the team than on individuals, for instance we do more rotations and stuff like that in order to build a solid team. Why did you choose to become a basketball player? Because I love this game, I’m very tall and athletic and it’s something I always wanted to do even though I started really late, at 16. In the US, most guys begin to play at around 5, so I started really, really late, but I like it, I get the chance to travel, I’m pretty well paid, and I like my job so its cool! Who’s your favourite player? Me! (he laughs). No, seriously, I’ve got two favourite players, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. I like Garnett because he’s skilful and athletic kinda like me and he’s like always doing a great job on court, I like his game, he’s really talented! Thanks! My pleasure!
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