TJ Shorts, the point guard for Paris Basketball and winner of the Leaders Cup, expressed his feelings about winning the trophy. He mentioned that the trophy is special as it is the first for the club. After building the team and working hard to meet the expectations and goals, they knew that Nanterre would have a limited rotation and would try different strategies related to this. Despite being six points behind at the beginning of the fourth quarter, they followed their game plan and managed to pull off the win.
He also talked about being named the MVP, saying that it is not the end goal for him. He wants to win, and the award is a result of the hard work he puts in during the summer and throughout the year. He acknowledged that in the past few days, he has been more of a scorer than usual because the team needed it. However, his main focus is on doing whatever it takes for the team to win, whether it’s grabbing rebounds, defending the best opponent, drawing offensive fouls, or making decisive passes.
On the other hand, Benjamin Sene, the point guard for Nanterre, expressed his thoughts on the intense match. He mentioned that they were perhaps physically exhausted towards the end of the final. He also reflected on how few people believed they would make it to the final at the beginning of the competition, but they were almost the only ones who had faith in their success. Despite feeling proud of the team and staff, he was very disappointed that they did not win the trophy. However, he emphasized the importance of moving on and mentioned that they are still in the running for the French Cup and, of course, the Championship. He also highlighted that the team is growing, and their victories are building confidence.
