Guerschon Yabusele reacted to Alex Sarr's injury after his career night vs. Poland, saying they will obviously miss him but will try to find solutions to fill his shoes, with Yabusele also playing as a center.
France took their third win in Group D at EuroBasket 2025, defeating previously unbeaten Poland 83-76.
Player of the Game
Guerschon Yabusele
33
Guerschon Yabusele
Points
Accuracy
Rebounds
Assists
New York Knicks newcomer Guerschon Yabusele put on a show in a crucial win for France, scoring a national team career-high 36 points (12/20 FG, 6/12 3PT), while adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocks to his tally.
After his career-high performance, Yabusele spoke to the media at the press conference, reacting to his performance and the absence of their NBA center Alex Sarr, who will miss the rest of EuroBasket due to a calf injury.
"We had a conversation with the coach and the players to try to get me involved in the game a little bit more," Yabusele said after his 36-point performance. "I know it's important for me to be aggressive the whole time, both for the team and for myself, and just try to find the rhythm."
"I just try to give energy to the guys to make sure we all go the same way. Tonight it was my way, but like I said, this victory is everybody's."
After Sarr went down with an injury, they have some difficulties as they have only one true center, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, on their roster.
Yabusele says they will try to find ways to fill this void, including him playing as a center, just like he did against Poland.
"Whatever happened, happened. If he could come back, we would be more than happy because we miss him on the court."
Credit FIBA Media
"We will try to find a way, like tonight, putting me at the five or putting Jaiteh at the five. We're not looking for excuses, we'll figure it out, and we'll play guys who are ready to play," Yabusele added.
France will conclude their group stage with a game against Iceland on Thursday.
Currently, they're tied at the top of the Group D standings with Poland and Israel, all holding a 3-1 record.
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