A night that will remain etched in the collective memory, a magical night of basketball. A win against France in the World Cup—Swiss basketball has rarely achieved such a feat. Here’s the story.

The calm joy of Lucas Maniema (FIBA)

At the Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, we witnessed a unique sports moment. Sure, the exploits of the LHC, HC Ajoie, the youth national teams at the Youth Games, or even the opening ceremonies of those same Games brought their share of emotions. But on July 2nd, it was basketball. It was also great theatre, pure emotion. A high-stakes battle. An incredible endgame scenario. They did it. We’re proud!

Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada (FR) in an awkward position against Lucas Maniema (CH), photo: FIBA

Switzerland eliminates France in a rollercoaster match

At the Vaudoise Arena, Switzerland tore a hole in the hardwood and waves of lava burst from the molten stands. The upset was massive: knocking out France—one of the tournament favorites—in the U19 World Cup Round of 16 (86-79 after overtime) was nothing short of miraculous.

Trailing throughout regulation until the end of the third quarter, Ivan Rudez’s squad managed to tie the game with 50 seconds left thanks to Marko Aleksic, and then took the decisive lead in overtime through Andrin Njock. The 12-point halftime deficit didn’t faze this team of wise-biting bulldogs. The Swiss were lifted by three-point shots from Oliver Sassella and Austin Ouko. Dayan Nessah stood out as the hero. A stat line worth framing: 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists.

This heroic victory sends Switzerland to the quarterfinals, where they will face New Zealand. The fans were electric—waves of deafening heat. For the families in the crowd, it was about believing, shouting, and celebrating.

« Best game of my life » — Lana Sergi

Let’s start with the fans: Rémi and his sister Lana had tears in their eyes. They vibrated, shouted, and celebrated this historic U19 Swiss team victory. “This is the best game of my life,” said Lana. “I’m extremely proud of what they did,” added Rémi.

Lana and Rémi, two passionate fans, brother and sister united for the U19 Swiss team (FIBA)

These two teenagers are themselves U19-aged. They’re students at École Nouvelle de Lausanne, where they go to school with several players from the Swiss National Basketball Center—a center founded by their father, Giancarlo Sergi, who was also president of Swiss Basketball from 2014 to 2024.

He explained: “The center is taking off. Swiss basketball development is reaching a new level.” The upcoming move to Biel–Magglingen, where the national performance center will unite the country’s top athletes, is very promising.

A promising generation

Among the Sergi kids’ friends: Andrin Njock, Oliver Sassella, Matteo Da Silva, and Dario Cokara. All basketball players, they attended the École Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande in Lausanne. “We saw them at the boarding school, we were all part of this journey. We felt very connected to this team,” said Rémi.

Switzerland is seeing the rise of a highly promising generation. Two new names have just made it to the NBA: Kyshawn George and Yanic Niederhauser, heading to Washington D.C. and the L.A. Clippers. These two join a quartet alongside Thabo Sefolosha (Chicago, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Houston) and Clint Capela (Atlanta, Houston). For many, this is a powerful sign.

Coach Ivan Rudez and his burning desire to win after a legendary match (FIBA)

Thomas Dufant from First Team, the French basketball blog and YouTube channel that covers games alongside Erwan Abautret, said: “We were blown away by the energy in the arena. What matters is that basketball is growing—even if it was France that lost…” Erwann added: “The NBA is watched all over the world. Having Swiss players like Kyshawn George, or Clint Capela who’s been there for 10 years, is huge. Just look at what Tony Parker did for France—he put us on the map thanks to the NBA.”

Thomas said he was thrilled to witness future NBA stars: “We covered France but also saw a lot of Americans like Dybantsa, Brown Jr., and Peat. We discovered the Australians, especially Jacob Furphy—very impressive. It’ll be interesting to see them in the quarters.” The French YouTube duo enjoyed their time in Lausanne—on and off the court: “We also loved eating malakoffs… (a nod to the club in Paris where they used to play before becoming journalists),” they said with a smile.

An electrifying atmosphere

Swiss head coach Ivan Rudez was ecstatic. He found his players incredible: “I told them at halftime to stay focused. France is a top-5 team globally. It was a dogfight. We moved the ball much better in the second half. Most importantly, we stayed tactically disciplined. A huge night for Swiss basketball, a huge night for Swiss sport.”

« The atmosphere was incredible, they were ready! » added Giancarlo Sergi. Among the current U19 squad, seven or eight players were trained at the Swiss National Basketball Center—created just four years ago. Set up by the Swiss Federation, this performance center has broad support. “Basketball is growing, especially in terms of player licenses,” said Sergi.

A national turning point?

“These young players need role models and ambassadors,” added Sergi. “After the match, they were signing autographs for kids born in 2006, 2007, or 2008. It’s incredible. The opponent was tough. But we also have players in top clubs—some in the NCAA, in Spain, and in Germany. Just to compare: 750,000 licensed players in France versus 25,000 in Switzerland—we’re not doing so bad.”

Many of these players were scouted by local and regional coaches. The CNBS will continue, but in a new location. The move to the National Center in Magglingen will likely push them to the next level—with Hervé Coudray as technical director, and coaches like Ivan Rudez, Maxime Ravert, and others involved. “It’s a true team effort,” summed up Giancarlo Sergi.

Next stop: New Zealand

It’s the evening of July 2nd. Switzerland is set to play New Zealand in the quarterfinals on the 4th. Giancarlo Sergi observes: “I’m discovering Oceania. They play well as a team. No standout stars, but great ball movement. They’re fast. Australia too—but New Zealand hasn’t lost yet.” And to kick off that quarterfinal? They’ll face the haka. A Swiss haka? Time to bring out the alphorn!

“Leader on the court”

“They gave everything on defense,” said lead supporter Lana Sergi. “Oliver Sassella hit three crucial threes.” Rémi added: “Maybe they lacked confidence at first. But you saw the difference in the second half.”

Assistant coach Maxime Ravert spoke about his number 10, Lucas Maniema (12 points): “He was the leader on the court. We used him a lot, and he was consistent for the rest of the team. We had that team chemistry. We were down 14, and we beat them in overtime… We almost even had the game-winner!” Maxime was grinning ear to ear.

“We showed who we are” – Lucas Maniema

“We support each other—we’re always together,” explained Lucas, a shooting guard. “The crowd was even crazier than during our game against the Dominican Republic. We felt a whole country behind us. Against France, we showed who we are. A new generation. The president of the federation gave us the tools.”

Indeed, president Andrea Siviero seemed to float in a bubble of happiness: “This is a historic day. I told them… Don’t wake me up, I think I’m dreaming. What they’ve been doing for a while now—it’s incredible. We’ve got a generation that can shine. We were in Athens with the women’s team, after 69 years of absence. Then we got silver in 3×3 in Mongolia. This sport matters in Switzerland—we must keep working to make it grow.”

A crowd that responded in the best way

On the international scale of this feat: “This is a World Cup—and the crowd responded in the most beautiful way. As I’ve said: U19 basketball is not youth basketball—it’s the future stars. In this big Lausanne arena—an amazing venue for hockey—we saw that basketball can bring people together. It’s a huge sport in Switzerland. We must work in the coming years to take it even higher.” Andrea Siviero hopes that this winning momentum continues on Friday. He hopes the dream won’t end. May his wish come true.

Kamary Diakité, forward, exclaimed: “This is a first for me—qualifying for the quarters! And now New Zealand… I haven’t even processed it yet. We need all the fans for that game. At halftime against France, we said—we can’t play soft. The French are strong, but we showed we’re not France’s little brothers. There’s no more ‘little Switzerland.’”

Text: David Glaser | Photos: FIBA