The Bourg big man discusses qualifying for the EuroCup playoffs, his European journey, and the pride of playing in a basketball city.
Ricky Lindo, Bourg: ‘We’ve got to keep showing we’re number one’
Interviews
10 Mins read
Ricky Lindo has been a key contributor for Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse in his first BKT EuroCup season, helping the team secure a playoff berth with five games to spare. The big man has averaged 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and is seventh in the competition with 1.0 blocks per game. After stints in Finland and Israel, Lindo is thriving in France and embracing the challenge of competing against top teams across Europe. In this conversation with Javier Gancedo, Lindo reflects on Bourg’s success, his journey through European basketball, and the mindset needed to finish strong.
Hello Ricky. Last week you beat Lietkabelis and qualified for the postseason with five games left. Lietkabelis came back, but you held on to your lead. How important was that win?
"Thanks. Very important. We were able to just lock in on our defensive plan and our offensive plan. Coach really emphasized us passing the ball, not to keep it stagnant, and since he always likes to preach that we have the best defense in the EuroCup, he wanted to preach that we continue to show that even on the road against a very solid team like Lietkabelis. So that's really all we did, stayed locked in, stayed focused."
This is your first EuroCup season after previous stops in Israel and Finland. How do you like playing against so many good teams all around Europe?
"It's really great to play against good teams and especially more than once a week. So if you lose a game, you don't even have to worry about thinking about it, you just move on to the next game. I like that and it's great to be able to showcase my skills against good teams, not just in France, but all across Europe: Italy, London, Germany a few times... So it's great to play against good competition around Europe."
You were in Finland two years ago, playing against your current teammate Both Gach. Two years later, you are teammates on one of the best teams in the EuroCup.
"We talk about that all the time. It's great because we battled against each other a few times in Finland, so I already knew how good he was as an offensive and defensive player, even before we even signed here and bonded together. He already knew how good of a player I was, so when we saw that we signed with the same team, it was immediately 'Okay, the team knows what they're doing and we're going to have a good season'."
In Finland, his team beat your team in the playoffs. Does that give him bragging rights?
"He doesn't talk about it too much, but he does have bragging rights, yeah."
Bourg-en-Bresse is a basketball city. The club made it to the 2024 EuroCup Finals. What is it like to play in a town that breathes basketball?
"It's great! It is a small town, which means everybody knows you. Everybody is a fan. Everybody wants you to succeed. Everybody wants to see you happy. It's great to focus on basketball, there are no outside distractions other than basketball at all, so it's just great. And I guess you guys can see it because we've won a lot of games here in EuroCup and also in France. We lost [on Saturday] night [in the French League against Strasbourg], but there are still a lot more games to be played."
And the best one might be against Besiktas, which is second in the group and beat you by 30 points in Istanbul. A win would probably make you the group winners. How much are you looking forward to the game?
"I'm really looking forward to the game, especially since the last time we played Besiktas, like you said, we lost to them at their place by a lot. So not even about the standings or anything, but just to get our pride back, just to make sure they know we are not going to let them steamroll over. Those losses like that, we always just put them in the back of our mind. We don't forget what we learned from them, and then we just try to do better the next time."
I wanted to ask you about Coach Fauthoux, who took Bourg to the EuroCup Finals in 2024. How is it play for him, knowing that he was an elite player for many years?
"It's great to know that he knows what it's like to play, what it's like to be a player, because he knows what it's like to have a long training schedule, road games every other week. So he knows what it's like on the body. Also for him to be the coach of the national team is also really good to know, because he coaches a lot of really good French players. Wemby [Victor Wembanyama], Elie Okobo, Alex Sarr, Zaccahrie Risacher and players like that. So it's good to know that he has coached good players like that before. That means I get to learn a lot from him, too."
“Playing in Finland was great for my career. I was able to showcase a lot more of my offensive ability than I ever have before.”
How difficult was it to make the decision to start your professional career in Finland? After you finished your college career at George Washington, what opportunities did you have?
"Playing in Finland was great for my career. I was able to showcase a lot more of my offensive ability than I ever have before, even in college. So that was great to put some film out there, put some stats out there, and then to be able to move up into the Israeli league, which is really respected. A lot of former NBA guys were there. Two EuroLeague teams are there now, and then a bunch of BCL and EuroCup teams are there. So you know you are going to play against good competition every other week. It's just good to know that I was able to keep stepping up. And then now, obviously, here in Bourg, one of the best EuroCup teams, it's good to know that I keep leveling up and hopefully keep doing that even for next year as well."
The EuroCup must be big in Bourg after the 2024 Finals. How much of a star are you in Bourg?
"I do get stopped sometimes at the grocery store. Some kids like to take pictures. I'm walking around and they just take pictures and ask for autographs. So I get stopped every once in a while, but not all the time. Also, the club is great. They are very professional. They know what they are doing."
Bourg is 11-2 and it is now legit to dream big. What will be important for the team in these last five regular-season games and the start of the playoffs?
"What's really important is that we keep the mindset of being a top team. We’ve got to keep showing these teams that we are number one for a reason. Even if there are five games left, we've got to make sure we don't lose focus and keep the good momentum towards the playoffs. Everybody is excited, but we are still focused."