Sekou Doumbouya in Roanne, it’s done. Invited to train with Jean-Denys Choulet’s group for several days, the 23-year-old Franco-Guinean strong winger won over his crowd. Enough to land a contract for the rest of the season, knowing that the Choir lost Jalen Jones to injury. “I am very happy to be in Roanne. I like the atmosphere that reigns here with the group, and I have felt good chemistry with the coach since my arrival. Above all, I am very happy to be able to play again and to help the team,” said the player, on the website of his new team. A player with a… winding path, to put it mildly, with a bright future when he started professionally at 15 with Poitiers, before joining Limoges to discover Pro A at 17, then Detroit and the NBA at 18. , in 15th choice in the 2019 Draft.
A native of Conakry, however, went from disillusionment to disillusionment, with the G-League, a short stint with the Lakers, the separation with his agents. He still played 96 games in the NBA for averages of 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds. Back in Europe since last summer, he was waiting for an offer. Here it is. “It is in Roanne that he will have the opportunity to demonstrate that he has lost none of his talent, made of mobility, touch and explosiveness,” we slip.
Coach Choulet does not hide his joy: “I am happy to have found a player in this position 4. Sekou arrived in Roanne as a training partner thanks to the good relations I have with his agent, he wanted let him come to us. The week went more than well, his behavior was exemplary. He certainly lacks pace, but he arrived in perfectly good physical shape and has not lost his qualities in a year. He was also very well accepted by his new teammates. He is a complete player with size, jump and outside shooting ability. He is a French player, which will allow us to find Jalen Jones in the group at the end of his period of unavailability without sending a foreign player to the stands. Sekou Doumbouya should make his debut under his new colors in Strasbourg on March 2 (4 p.m.) in Betclic Elite.