Having succeeded, for only its second participation, in bringing French basketball back into the last four of the queen of European competitions, not attended since Asvel in 1997, is already a notable achievement for ASM.

To succeed CSP Limoges, the only French club to win the C1 (in 1993), it must achieve two others, it was still playing in the third division in the summer of 2013 when Olympiacos, its opponent Friday in the semifinals (18:00 French), won its third title in Euroleague.

Taken over in 2012 by Ukrainian businessman Sergey Dyadechko, who since 2022 has ceded his place as president and majority shareholder to the Russian naturalized Hungarian Aleksej Fedoricsev, the club of the Rock has climbed the ladder at high speed.

Until winning, in 2021, the Eurocup, antechamber of the Euroleague, a coronation that opened the doors of the C1, semi-closed competition where two-thirds of clubs have their permanent napkin ring.

Among them, Real Madrid (10 titles), Barcelona (2) and Olympiacos, on whom Monaco had broken their teeth last year during the decisive support match of the quarter-finals, reached in its first appearance in C1.

"Nothing to envy to anyone"

The team of the Principality, standard bearer of the France at the highest level of European club basketball (Asvel also participates in the Euroleague), has this time "validated (this) strong step" to reach the last square, told AFP Yakuba Ouattara.

Monaco captain Yakuba Ouattara (right) defends on Maccabi Tel Aviv player Lorenzo Brown (left) during Game 4 between the two clubs, in the quarterfinals of the Euroleague basketball, on May 4, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel © JACK GUEZ / AFP/Archives

Monaco captain Yakuba Ouattara (R) defends on Maccabi Tel Aviv player Lorenzo Brown (L) during Game 4 between the two clubs, during the Euroleague basketball quarterfinals, on May 4, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

"We're going to fight for something even bigger. We must be aware of our luck and live fully the moment, "added the Monegasque captain. "We have nothing to envy to anyone, we are able to beat everyone," he said.

To maintain the dream and play the final on Sunday, against the winner of the "clasico" Barça-Real, with budgets twice that of ASM (about 40 million euros against 20), Ouattara and his family can rely on the experience of their two confrontations this season against Olympiacos, both won (81-76 in Greece and 65-60).

"The first leg was very early in the season (matchday 5). We were coming off four wins in a row. We were not good defensively, unable to compete with their energy," recalled Aleksandar Vezenkov, the Bulgarian power forward voted MVP of the Euroleague season with the Greek club.

Olympiacos finished first in the regular season by being the team making the most assists per game (20.9 on average), proof of its oiled collective, and stealing the most balls (7.5), a sign of its aggressive defense.

"First aggressors"

Vezenkov, top scorer (17.2 pts on average) and second rebounder (6.8) in the competition this season, also believes that "Monaco has everything: offensive talent, energy and athleticism".

Monaco is counting heavily on its American point guard Mike James, here against Maccabi in the quarterfinals on May 4, 2023 in Tel Aviv (Israel), to take them to victory in the Euroleague basketball © Final Four JACK GUEZ / AFP/Archives

The ASM, led by Serbian Sasa Obradovic, is indeed a mix of talents in the back lines (Mike James, Jordan Loyd, Élie Okobo) and warriors (Ouattara, Alpha Diallo, John Brown, Donta Hall, Chima Moneke).

Ouattara knows what the priority is in basketball, especially in Europe: "The most important thing will be defense, being able to respond to the physical challenge. We will have to be the first aggressors. There is a psychological side: when you are assaulted and it goes wrong from the start, you lose confidence."

Then Monaco could defeat the club of Piraeus, the main port of Athens, where Limoges had foiled the predictions just 30 years ago.

The program of the Final Four (in French hours)

Friday

(17:00) Olympiacos - Monaco

(20:00) FC Barcelona v Real Madrid

Sunday

(16:00) 3rd place match

(19:00) Final

© 2023 AFP