Ben Kovac played his first season with the new club Alm Evreux in the second league in France in 2025/26. The national team talks about a long season.
Alm Evreux managed to stay in the league, but it was a long and difficult season with plenty of ups and downs. What are your conclusions as a team?
„It was definitely a difficult season for our team and club, we were the underdog with the smallest budget in the league. All in all, we reached the goal of staying in the league, most people thought we would relegate. Furthermore, there were issues next to the court with a victory that awarded to us and than taken away by the league at the end of the season. We kept our professional attitude and focused on playing and did our job in the end. »
What is your personal conclusion of the season?
„It was also a mixed season. I had a big role as a starter in the beginning but unfortunately an injury slowed me down significantly. I was able to recover and gain confidence through the games of the national team in February but my role was limited and I did not receive the communication I was hoping for from our coach. It was a big step for myself, the second league in France is incredibly athletic and strong. I proved myself that I can play on this level. I almost had 10 points per game on average and I had the feeling like I could have played better in a different system. My goal is always to make the next step and try to play in a top league in Germany, France, Greece, .. , now it is time for my agent to talk to everybody and find the best possible place for the upcoming season. »
In the men’s national team, you have taken over an even bigger role, how would you describe it and what are the goals for the future?
Over the last year and half, I tried to take over parts of the leader role from Alex Laurent, Thomas Grün and also Bobby Melcher. They have helped me reach this point and now I try to be kind of a mentor for the upcoming young guys in the team. Together, we will try to make the best possible results with the national team knowing that we will always be the underdog. Many young players are very talented on the roster and we will try to build a strong team over the next years together with our experienced players. The goal remains the same, we want to win games and play on a higher level. »
In July, the next games at home are on the schedule with the national team with a possible qualification for the next round on the line, what do you expect?
I expect the gym at the Coque to be crowded to support our team. We can achieve a major goal by qualifying for the next round. We play at home, everything is on our hands and the mentality of our team should be to enter these games to win both of them and move on in the qualifiers. I had a very long season in France, I took a very short break with a small vacation but in a few days, I will be fully committed to the national team, start my off-season workout with a personal coach and try to become better as a player and prepare for the upcoming games.
