In 100% CSP, we are interested in the back of the hopeful team Mehdi Bellil. On January 26, he joined the Algerian team for the first time to participate in the Arab Nations Championship in Dubai. He also faced one of his club teammates Youssef Kayhat who won the tournament with Lebanon. When he leaves the training center in a few months, Medhi Bellil hopes to break into the professional world. Born in Tizi Ouzou in Kabylia, Mehdi Bellil arrived in France at the age of 2, in the Jura. It was there, in the small club of Salins les Bains, that he started playing basketball at the age of 10. His journey does not go unnoticed. “For the small club where I come from, it is a source of pride to have players who can play in the French championship. It’s really a pride for them and for me too” he explains.
There are more and more young people who want to come to Limoges for training
In 6 years with the various CSP youth teams, Mehdi Bellil has seen and experienced the club’s progress in this area. In his eyes, the training center is attracting more and more :”there are more and more young people who want to come to Limoges for training. With Arnaud as a coach, we are getting good results, the players are progressing. At the organizational level, there is really an evolution. They make sure that we train to the maximum, that we are not too bad for our studies. It attracts more and more people.“Medhi Bellil referred to as”worker” by his coaches is aiming for victory with hopes at the end of the season at the Trophée du futur at Beaublanc. But before that, there is a regular season to finish well with the idea of continuing to progress. In particular in contact with the professional group with who he now trains every day.
The most important thing is to play to keep progressing
“It’s rewarding because you learn a lot with the coaches and the players. There are quite experienced players. I am thinking of Nicolas Lang and Demonte Harper. They have very high basketball IQs. It’s really interesting to learn with them on a daily basis“Estimates the 20-year-old back. This advice from CSP executives is necessarily valuable as Medhi Bellil is in his last year of hope. In a few months, he will have to leave the cocoon of Limoges to try his luck with the professionals.. “I hope to find in the short term, from next season, why not a national 1 team. I think the most important thing is to play to continue to progress and then climb the ladder to reach the highest level“explains Mehdi, who shares the opinion of his trainer Arnaud Tessier on this point.
Bringing Algeria back to the forefront of African basketball
With this in mind, this call-up of the Algerian team was a boon to accumulate experiencein addition to being an immense source of pride:”it is a source of pride for me to represent the country where I was born. The country of my parents. It’s really a good experience to see some international basketball. There have been good years for Algerian basketball and the goal is to put it back on the African basketball scene. Build a good group to perform in international competitions in the future“. But to make his place in the selection as in the club, Medhi Bellil knows what he must do:”I already have to improve defensively and in my finishing close to the circle. I want to be more consistent by the end of the season.“Medhi Bellil intends to take full advantage of his last months with the hopes and pros of Limoges CSP to continue to progress before flying on his own.