By Jerome Pugmire and Tom NouvianPARIS —
Female French players haven’t yet had the same impact on the WNBA, but they are trending up. In April’s draft, two French players were selected — Carla Leite and Leila Lacan . “On all the courts I pass now, there is always someone playing,” said Krasnoff, author of “Basketball Empire.” “If you call a foul here, you are weak. So you shut your mouth,” said Lina Redjem, the only woman among more than 30 players waiting to get on the court.The country boasts of holding the first recorded basketball game in Europe during the 1890s at the Trévise court, near Paris’ famed Pigalle nightlife spots.
“That’s what separates us from our European rivals and connects us to the style played in America,” he said. ”We know how to develop them into tall and versatile players that the NBA craves. … Young French players experience the French championship, which is very rough and athletic, and play against European teams who are much more tactical.”