Team Profile: Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration
MONTPELLIER (EuroLeague Women 2017) - We start our look at the teams competing in EuroLeague Women 2017 with French champions Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration (BLMA) who are back in the competition after a year’s sabbatical.
Last season: BLMA did not compete in EuroLeague Women or EuroCup Women, but they won silverware on home soil with a Cup and Championship double in the LFB.
Roster: BLMA have lots of returnees and they are all well-known faces at international and club level. Gaelle Skrela, Sarah Michel, Anael Lardy and Elodie Godin have all played in major tournaments with France and in this competition for many years. There is also a ticket back into the BLMA locker room for underrated Netherlands forward, Naomi Halman. In terms of new arrivals, veteran forward duo Geraldine Robert and Fatimatou Sacko arrive via Villeneuve and there’s a different Australian face on board as Rachel Jarry takes the Opals’ baton from Jenna O’Hea.
Key player: Gaelle Skrela really is captain fantastic for BLMA and with more than a decade behind her in Montpellier, she is the heart and soul of the club and will lead both on and off the court. It's unclear whether her time with Les Bleues is over and Rio will end up being her swansong, but she will definitely be a big factor on BLMA's return to this level.
‘X-Factor’: Sarah Michel can turn it on in a big way when she is firing on all cylinders. A good season from her will make all the difference as she can put points on the board in a hurry and is difficult to slow down when she gets it going.
Stat attack: She may be a frontcourt operator, but in EuroLeague Women 2015, Elodie Godin equaled Skrela for a team-high 35 assists and she also led the way in steals by some distance.
Social media stars: Geraldine Robert [gegepog11] and Rachel Jarry [rmjary] on Instagram.
Outlook: Possessing good continuity from previous seasons, BLMA have drafted in veteran know-how and international quality when it comes to their new arrivals. That means two thirds of their roster is at least 27-years-old and so they certainly have the experience and mental toughness to deal with the demands which EuroLeague Women brings. They will have to win their home games and that will be vital. They should prove a tough nut to crack and look capable of finishing in the middle of the pack or maybe even top four in Group A if they play well.
FIBA
