Clément Frisch on His Journey at Baskonia Vitoria: "It's up to me to climb the ranks and become a recognized player at this level."

It's reported that Clément Frisch and his partner, Lilas, needed a few months to settle into their new life in Vitoria.

"My girlfriend wanted to enroll in a Spanish language school, but her application was rejected due to overwhelming demand. It wasn't easy for her, and by extension, for me. You move to a new country, you're not working, and... you get bored."

Lilas eventually managed to join a beginner's class, while Clément faced his own struggles with coach Paolo Galbiati.

"Initially, we had no relationship beyond him yelling at me on the court. I was, in a sense, 'imposed' on him, and he wasn't convinced. My agent, who is in contact with the club, didn't tell me immediately to spare me. He only discussed it much later so I could understand the context of my arrival. Fundamentally, I was brought in as a project for the power forward position, but the coach believes I'm a bit 'undersized' to play as a four at this level."

The ice finally broke a bit later.

"After the semi-final against Barça (70-67), I went to talk to the coach that evening because I felt I needed to. I was too tense and very frustrated about not having any impact. I felt like I was wasting opportunities. At that moment, I got genuine feedback from him. He replied: 'I'm like you, always a bit nervous, like a battery. You're doing great work, you don't have to worry.' He might have just wanted to instill confidence in me for the next day, but it meant a lot to me. I knew I'd need an adaptation period, and I'm not worried. I'm starting from a small role, with very limited playing time (10 minutes average in EuroLeague, 13 in Liga), and it's up to me to climb the ranks to become a recognized player at this level."