The French club decided for the second time this season to change head coaches.
ASVEL, Pozzecco part ways after two months
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne announced early Saturday that it has parted ways with head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco and replaced him with Pierric Poupet, who had been the assistant coach and becomes the team's third head of the bench this season. Pozzecco had joined ASVEL in November as a replacement for T.J. Parker, the brother of team president Tony Parker.
Pozzecco's promising start before losing streak
Pozzecco became a first-time EuroLeague head coach when ASVEL hired him in late October following the team's 0-4 start. He won his second game, against Zalgiris Kaunas, and his fourth, against ALBA Berlin, both on the road. But the 10 losses in a row after that included a 100-101 overtime thriller on the opening night of the new LDLC Arena.
Pozzecco's departure comes despite his team's best game of the season just two days earlier, a 93-79 victory over Zalgiris that was ASVEL's first home win all season. As such, Pozzecco finished with a 3-12 mark, with four of those defeats coming by 3 points or less. ASVEL continues to occupy last place in the EuroLeague standins with a 3-16 overall record.
Pozzecco had earned rave reviews since becoming Italy's head coach in the summer of 2022, with the Azzurri reaching the quarterfinals at both EuroBasket 2022 and the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He had been on EuroLeague sidelines before as Ettore Messina’s assistant at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan during its playoff run in the 2020-21 season.
New coach joined ASVEL recently
Poupet, 39, is a former player who spent one season each in the EuroLeague and EuroCup with Chorale Roane between 2006 and 2009. He played 18 pro seasons total in his native France, competing in the second division for the last 10 of those before retiring in 2020. He joined ASVEL as an assistant coach last year.