The last-minute replacement became one of the most impressive players at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul
Isaac Guedegbe honored to be among France’s top young point guards
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France has become one of the biggest talent factories in basketball and Isaac Guedegbe showed at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul that he deserves to be considered among the country’s ever-growing list of top young point guards.
Guedegbe helped the U18 Next Gen Team Istanbul finish second at the NextGen Istanbul by averaging 13.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists for an index rating of 16.5 and earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He ended the tournament ranked second in assists and eighth in performance index rating.
“I am just very happy to be competing here and very proud,” said Guedegbe, who was a last-minute replacement for the select team.
When someone is asked about French playmakers born in 2007, a number of the country’s top young talents come to mind such as Maxence Lemoine, who was named to the All-Tournament Team of the NextGen Dubai last season, Soren Bracq, Adam Atamna and Akram Naji among others.
Guedegbe was born on December 31, 2007 and is only starting to become a name in talent circles, having never been invited to a France youth national team training camp.
“There are a lot of great players in France and I am honored to be included among them,” Guedegbe said.
And the 1.79-meter point guard says playing for his country would be special.
“The national team is just an extra. I would be very happy to be there but I am motivated to every day surpass myself,” he said.
Guedegbe was born in the village of Montverdun, located about 40 kilometers west of Lyon and home to about 1,300 people.
“It’s my village so of course I liked growing up there,” he said. “I started basketball because my father was a basketball player in France.”
Guedegbe’s father, Innocent Guedegbe, played briefly with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the mid-1990s.
Isaac was 10 years when he joined the youth program of Roanne, which is about 30 kilometers northwest of Montverdun.
“I like that family side of the club,” Guedegbe said.
Guedegbe’s teammate at Roanne is Robin Pluvy, whose father, Laurent Pluvy, played with Innocent Guedegbe during his decade-long career at ASVEL.
The Guedegbe and Pluvy sons have been successful as well, playing together and helping Roanne win the French U17 Cup in 2023 - their sixth year adjoined on the court.
“The French Cup was my best memory in basketball because I won this title with my friends,” said Guedegbe.
The point guard recalled his favorite moment of the U17 event as Zakaria Mechergui hitting a buzzer-beater in an 84-83 victory over ASVEL in the semifinals to reach the title game.
Guedegbe is playing mainly in the U21 league in France this season but he is practicing regularly with Roanne’s pro team, which last season was relegated to the second division ProB. And one of the leaders of the pro side is the former French national team star Antoine Diot.
“He is a great player who I respect a lot. He has taught me a lot on and off the court. And I am very happy to practice alongside him,” Guedegbe said of the 35-year-old Diot.
With a birthday on the last day of the year, Guedegbe is the youngest of any of France’s 2007-born point guards. But he is slowly making his way up the list of the best playmakers of his generation.