Partizan at Paris Tonight: Bandja Sy Back After 7 Years
Partizan visit the Adidas Arena at 8:45 p.m., and after Derek Willis's injury coach Penarroya has a wing born in the French capital.
Bandja Sy was born in Paris, and tonight he arrives there as a Partizan player. The 36-year-old forward signed a short-term contract on Monday, September 28, with the club he played for in the 2017/18 season. Partizan now take him to the Adidas Arena for Euroleague round two, with tip-off at 8:45 p.m.
Spain’s Carlos Peruga will referee, assisted by Ioannis Foufis and Sergio Manuel.
Why did Partizan need a power forward?
Partizan began the season thin at the four. Then Derek Willis, the starting four, was injured after just one minute of the new season and will be out for several weeks. Coach Joan Penarroya summed up the moment in two words: “Murphy’s law.”
Sy went through the full preseason with Partizan and played the closed-door games against Zenit and Hapoel, so he already knows the new coach’s system. The signing is temporary, and the contract is short-term.
He first lived in Belgrade in the 2017/18 season, when he won the Radivoje Korac Cup with Partizan. He repeated the feat in 2019. After that he wore the jerseys of Andorra, Metropolitans, Paris and Oradea before returning to the club where he started.
Will Sy play in Paris?
The sources disagree. Sportklub, Danas and Arena report that Sy is available from September 28 and is going to the game in Paris. Sportska centrala writes that he will travel with the team but will not play the first game of the back-to-back, because his first registration is expected for the match against Bayern.
Penarroya has several other options at power forward. Sportklub reports that the starting center will most likely be national team player Nikola Tanaskovic, and that Lamar Stevens will probably get minutes at the four. Jabari Parker is also on the payroll, but the club is not counting on him. “Jabari Parker is out of Partizan’s team,” Penarroya said on Monday. Parker has been in Belgrade since the end of August and is working out individually.
What does Partizan expect from Paris?
Partizan won round one against Olimpia Milano 92-76, with Carlik Jones posting 20 points and 10 assists. Paris lost in Athens to Panathinaikos 91-72. Paris coach Maxime Lefevre made no excuses after that defeat:
“We started the game badly. We allowed them eight offensive rebounds, and they scored off them.”
The numbers back him up. In round one Paris had the sixth-worst defensive rating in the Euroleague, allowing 119.7 points per 100 possessions. In the same round Partizan were among the three most efficient teams, with a rating of 118. B92 estimates that Paris will speed the game up at home from 77 possessions per 40 minutes to more than 80, while Partizan had 72 possessions against Milan.
Penarroya is counting on exactly that difference between Paris and the first opponent:
“Paris plays quite differently from Milan, faster, they score in the first seconds of the attack.”
Luca Vildoza said before the game: “We know what kind of team Paris is and what we can expect.” For Kevarrius Hayes this is familiar ground, since he once played for Paris. “The key is to keep our focus and pressure and to get back on defense on time,” Hayes said.
After Paris, Partizan face another road game, at Bayern in Munich, where Sy should be registered according to Sportska centrala.
