The players donned a green jersey as tribute to the legendary 1997 team
'Special' ASVEL celebrated historic night in style
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Regular Season
Round 31 of 34
Group Regular Season
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne took advantage of this season's last double-round week to celebrate with its fans the club’s history in European basketball. And coach Pierric Poupet’s side delivered on the court by beating Turkish Airlines EuroLeague leader Olympiacos 81-70 at a packed LDLC Arena.
ASVEL's supporters saw their team don a special green jersey to commemorate the team that reached the 1997 Final Four in Rome. Tributes were paid to members of that legendary side, including club icon Delaney Rudd, whose No. 4 shirt has been retired by ASVEL.
“It was crazy, special,” Coach Poupet said after the game. “Special night, special crowd, special team, special character. I’m very happy that we get to celebrate this 1997 team. They saw what the people who come to watch the game want to see. They want to feel emotions, that’s what it’s all about.”
On the floor, two Frenchmen were meant to lead the charge, with Nando De Colo and Theo Maledon combining for 19 of their team’s 23 points in the fourth quarter to down the Reds. The former netted 10 of his 18 points in the closing quarter, including 2 big triples to practically finish the game off.
“I’m not sure if everyone understands exactly what this jersey means, but we tried as French players to remind everybody what it is,” De Colo told EuroLeague TV. “Pierric told us this morning how this week is important for us especially on the court, but also for the fans.”
Meanwhile, Maledon pulled off another complete display by recording 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and a team-high PIR of 28.
“Amazing, it might be the jersey,” Maledon told EuroLeague TV after the final whistle. “We really played with a lot of passion, a lot of heart and showed our fans what we’re about. You always want to know about your history, you always want to represent your history. We had the chance to do that tonight and I think that we did it the best way possible against the best team in the EuroLeague right now.”
ASVEL ‘European Heritage Week’ will end with another home clash, this time against Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday night. The French side may have missed out on postseason, but they proved on Tuesday night that they can pose problems to any rival, especially when motivation is sky-high due to the club celebrating its history in European basketball.
“We won the game, but I think the most important thing is that we got to celebrate the 25th anniversary of EuroLeague with Delaney Rudd celebrating the 1997 Final Four,” Poupet told the post-game press conference. “I’m very happy that the crowd, the team and the teammates from that 1997 [team] got to celebrate all together. It’s a great feeling to be part of this. I think we’re blessed to live this and hopefully, we can show the same face on Thursday against Zalgiris.”