After Tony Parker, president of the club, here is the little brother TJ Parker. The latter took the post of coach of the basketball team of Asvel (Lyon-Villeurbanne) to replace the Montenegrin Zvezdan Mitrovic, dismissed at the end of May, under the gaze and authority of his big brother. But the privileges and favoritisms are not part of the family.
"Anyway, he knows the rules of the game. With passing number one, now he is at risk!", Tony Tony throws at the microphone of Europe 1, immediately putting pressure on TJ, former professional basketball player now 36 years old.
"I know what the risks are"
Asvel aims high and has given itself the means: no less than seven international make up a workforce that makes Villeurbanais the big favorites of the next season. New coach TJ Parker knows what to expect: "I'm an employee. OK, my brother is the president. But I know what the challenge is, and what the risks are. So there you go!" .
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The little brother is well placed to know that his elder will not let him pass. TJ has already occupied the position of coach N.1 for several interim, notably ending the 2017-2018 season after the dismissal of the Franco-Canadian JD Jackson, of whom he was the assistant, just before the arrival of Mitrovic on the bench villeurbannais in the summer of 2018. And already at the time, the message passed by his big brother was clear: you have to prove and manage, the company will not give you a phone, computer, or company car.
Trophies objective
TJ Parker is a coach, but the boss is Tony Parker. "He knows that if one does not win a trophy, I will have no choice," confirms the club president, who insinuates that he can change his coach otherwise. "He knows it very well, that's the rule of the game when you're number 1, especially in a very ambitious club like ours. You have to bring back the trophies". The objective will therefore be to bring back the title of champion of France.
TJ, who signed for three years, will be seconded in his mission by Frédéric Fauthoux (47), who has also signed up for three years, after leaving in May the team of Levallois Metropolitans which he has led since 2015. Terence Jonathan Parker, by his full name, played at Paris Basket Racing, in Nancy or even in Villeurbanne. He returned to Asvel eight years ago to be in management.