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Basketball - 03. February 2016.

Miyem pinpoints defense as central to Rio dreams

5 Endéné MIYEM (France)
Endene Miyem (FRA) - France v Spain, 2015 EuroBasket Women, Semi-Finals, 26 June 2015


KURSK (2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament) – Four years have passed since their last appearance at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT), but the main ingredient of defense hasn't changed for France.

In 2012 in Ankara, Les Bleues put up a defensive wall and shut down those who tried to tear them down – a strategy that got them to the London Games and then fueled their run all the way into the Final in the British capital.

Yes, Celine Dumerc had a superb Olympics, the best performance of her career. But France's defense was the foundation of their success.

In Ankara, a significant chunk of that defensive power came from Endene Miyem, a player that is even more of a leading contributor these days. Her hard-nosed play in the paint is one of the reasons France will be so hard to topple in Nantes.

Always ready for the battle, Miyem has reacted to being drawn againstCuba and New Zealand in Group A of the WOQT with a slight curiosity.

"Well, I'm not really able to talk about New Zealand and Cuba in great detail as we are not really used to playing against these teams," said Miyem, who is currently enduring her first harsh Russian winter at Dynamo Kursk.

What I sure do know is that both teams are known as being aggressive and tough. Therefore, to be successful, we'll need to take these games seriously and must focus on what's most important – defense. - Miyem

"Of course this (defense) will again be the key for us, since it's one of our biggest strengths," added Miyem. "We also must make sure we don’t let our opponents decide the tempo during the game."

A member of the team that made it to the Final of the EuroBasket Women 2013, Miyem is thrilled that she will be donning a national team vest in front of her compatriots once again. She is banking on home advantage giving France an added edge.

 

Endene Miyem (FRA) played at the EuroBasket Women 2015

"Playing at home was really good news for everybody," Miyem said. "EuroBasket Women 2013 was such a good experience for us.

Playing in front of our fans and families is an extra motivation and that can make us move mountains – even while in pain. And, hopefully the crowd will come in real numbers as well. - Miyem

The WOQT will run from 13-19 June.

FIBA

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