France basketball head coach Freddy Fauthoux urged Yabusele Guerschon to pay less attention to his job as skipper and play his natural game as France gear up for the knockout stages at the European basketball championships.
France qualified for the last-16 from Group D before their game against Poland on Tuesday.
They take on Iceland on Thursday afternoon at the Spodek Arena in Katowice in their final game knowing that they will only rise to top spot if they dispatch the already eliminated Scandinavians and if Israel and Poland lose to Slovenia and Belgium respectively.
"Guerschon is a very important player and he is our leader because of his experience," said Fauthoux ahead of the final game.
"He has assumed this status in the most beautiful way.
"I think that being captain can sometimes be a burden: you're always looking out for others, trying to be more of a team player. Maybe he got caught up in that and forgot that he needed to be more of a player."
In the matches against Belgium, Slovenia and Israel, 29-year-old Guerschon scored a total of 24 points.
But in the game against Poland, he racked up 36 points to register both his career-high with the national team and the third-highest score for a French player in the 90-year history of the European chamùpionships.
"It's always nice to see a player perform like that," added Fauthoux.
Goals for success
Should France finish top of Group D, they will play the fourth best team from Group C.
After four games, Bosnia and Herzegovina occupy that berth with six points ahead of Georgia on points difference.
The two effectively play on Thursday for a place in the last-16
Defending champions Spain lie third in the pool, also with six points. They will take on Group C pacesetters Greece in their fifth and final game.
"We played a great game but not good enough," said Spain wing Santi Aldama after Tuesday's defat to Italy.
"We took good shots and missed some we would normally make," added the 24-year-old. "I think we did a pretty decent job. We have another game so we just have to go out there and die against Greece."
After pool matches in Poland, Finland, Cyprus and Latvia, the knockout stages will be held between 6 and 14 September in the Latvian capital Riga.
