Paris, the city of love is the hometown of a basketball team. Yes, maybe you did not know but the team is the merger of Paris Basket Racing and Levallois, two professional teams that played in the French ProA for several seasons.
Basketball in Paris is quite a dilemma. On the one hand, you have an enormous potential, both in terms of player potential, sponsors and public, but on the other hand, all tentatives to create a strong team in the capital has been a disaster. Yet, the exception was in 1997 when Paris Basket Racing won the French championship with an exceptional team those days.
Since then, there have been up and downs but last year, with the take over of a team around Antoine Rigaudeau, it looked like there is a new boost in Paris. This summer came then the merger with Levallois, a suburb of Paris that is known for producing quality prospects over the last years. Everything was in place, the second highest budget in France was put together, even if I don’t understand what they have done with the money when you check their roster.
However, the start into the season was more than disappointing. Without any wins outside Paris, and now the first home loss this weekend, it was time to change something. The head coach Elias Zouros had to leave the club, officially because he has an offer from Panellinios in Greece. In addition, the team looks like it will be rebuild for the new year according to a recent article in the French newspaper l’Equipe.
So it looks like yet a new start for Paris…
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