LDLC ASVEL recently bid farewell to coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who spent only a brief two months with the club before being replaced by Pierric Poupet. The decision to part ways with Pozzecco came after ASVEL (3-16) secured a victory over Zalgiris (6-13) in EuroLeague.
ASVEL’s President, Tony Parker, expressed his disappointment with Pozzecco’s performance and management style. “I am very, very disappointed with his performance, with his management of the team. We knew for two or three weeks that it couldn’t go any further. No club in the Euroleague plays like that,” he told L’Equipe.
Highlighting concerns about Pozzecco’s coaching approach, Parker mentioned the unrealistic demand of playing three games per week with a limited roster of nine players.
Additionally, he criticized Pozzecco for not giving enough opportunities to the young players on the team, stating, “His attitude was more and more negative; he had difficulty remotivating the players, and little by little, they were the ones who no longer believed in him.”
Parker emphasized ASVEL’s philosophy of promoting young talent and expressed his reluctance to have coaches deviate from that approach. He conveyed, “I don’t want any more coaches who do that; it’s not our philosophy.”
Regarding Pozzecco’s departure, Parker believed that the Italian coach eventually gave up. “Above all, I find that he has given up. As a competitor, it is something that I cannot understand, to give up like that after a month and a half. But I could see that he was not going to leave on his own. He was not going to leave money on the table. It’s business,” concluded Parker.
With 15 EuroLeague regular-season games remaining, ASVEL faces a formidable challenge to secure a playoff spot. Currently trailing in the standings, reaching the 10th position for a play-in opportunity requires a significant turnaround. The team needs to overcome a seven-win gap with the 10th-placed Valencia.
In the French league, ASVEL is positioned fourth, sharing a 12-5 record with Paris Basketball in the third spot. As the team navigates a coaching transition, the focus remains on achieving success in both domestic and international competitions.
