He should get the hang of it at some point.
Many were surprised with Ange Kouame’s decision to take his talents to France after helping Gilas Pilipinas win a historic gold medal in the Asian Games. Filipino hoop fans must’ve thought that the 6-foot-11 big man would’ve played in avenues more familiar to them such as the Japan B.League and the Korean Basketball League. Of course, many would’ve loved to see the former Ateneo Ble Eagle play in the PBA as an import.
But it is what it is, and Kouame is now a member of C’ Chartres Basket in France’s third tier league Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1). He has played in six games for the French club so far and the results have been a mixed bag. Check out how he’s been doing through six games:
First game: October 13 – Chartres beats RAC Basket Rueil, 83-72
Kouame’s debut game in NM1 is actually his best outing so far. In 27 minutes of play, he tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. What a way to make a good first impression!
Second game: October 20 – Chartres beats CEP Lorient, 90-80
Despite his fire debut, Kouame only saw 14 minutes of action in his second outing. Less time, understandably meant less production. With that, the 25-year-old cager only scored four points.
Third game: October 27 – Chartres loses to Union Tarbes-Lourdes, 77-57
Kouame got a few more minutes in his third game for Chartres, but he still didn’t play as much as he did in his stellar debut. In 19 minutes, he shot 1-for-6 from the field for two points. To his credit, the former UAAP MVP finished with 11 boards to his name.
Fourth game: October 31 – Chartres beats VCB Chalians, 84-82
Chartres’ bounce-back win also saw Kouame bounce back a bit from his scoring struggles. Against VCB, Ange missed only once in his four shot attempts to finish with a total of seven points. He also chipped in four rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Fifth game: November 3 – Chartres beats Poissy Basket, 79-77
Chartres managed notch back-to-back wins after beating Poissy in a close one. It was, however, Kouame’s worst game in the NM1. Playing for only seven minutes, the Filipino center went scoreless as he could only watch from the bench.
Sixth game: November 10 – Chartres loses to Berck Rang du Fliers, 69-63
Just when Ange got the most minutes since his maiden NM1 appearance, Chartres failed to secure the W. That being said, Kouame contributed well to his team as he posted nine points, three rebounds, and two blocks.
With per-game averages of 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in the NM1 so far, the Gilas big man clearly has a long way to go before reaching his goal of playing in the EuroLeague. The good news is that it will only mean one thing: Kouame will keep at it ‘til that lofty dream becomes a reality.
Chartres and Kouame will plunge back to action next Thursday versus Tours Metropole Basketball.
(MDB)