Cholet Basket

Template:Short description Template:Infobox Basketball club Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the LNB Pro A. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1998 and 1999, Cholet won the French Cup.

History

Establishment

The team debuted in the 1st division in the 1987–88 season and after managing to get to the premier league in only 12 years. The team were able to sustain themselves in the league, and were consistently in the top 10 teams having a highly successful youth system. This youth system has allowed the club to produce professional players season after season. After winning the National Cup in 1999, Cholet got automatically qualified for its first participation to the Euroleague (3 victories – 13 defeats). During the 2004–05 season 10 of the 12 players in the first team derived from the youth system. Some of the most illustrious players who had their debut in the team are Antoine Rigaudeau, Jim Bilba and Mickaël Gelabale.

During the 2008–2009 season, Cholet was defeated by Virtus Bologna in the EuroChallenge's Final (75–77).

In 2010, Cholet finished 1st of the 2009–2010 Pro A League regular season and won the championship after defeating Le Mans in the Play-Offs Final (81–65). Thanks to its national champion title, Cholet is automatically qualified for the 2010–2011 Euroleague season. Cholet was eliminated during the first round (4 victories – 6 defeats) of the 2010–2011 Euroleague after defeating prestigious (and at the time unbeaten) Fenerbahçe Ülker (82–78).

In 2011, Cholet, defending its title finished 1st again of the 2011-12 Pro A League regular season and was only defeated during the finals by SLUC Nancy (74-76).

Logos

colspan="3" style="Template:Basketball color cell;"| Evolution of the Logo
–2012	2012–2019	2019–present
File:Cholet Basket Logo.svg	File:Cholet Basket new logo 2.png	File:Cholet Basket 2019 logo.png

Youth academy

Cholet Basket is intensively focusing on its Youth Academy to provide players to its professional squad. During the 2004–05 season, 10 of the 12 players of the Pro squad have progressed through the club Youth Academy. It is also one of the only six European clubs to have provided two players to the same NBA draft in 2009, with Rodrigues Beaubois and Nando De Colo beside Real Madrid (2005), Joventut Badalona (2009), Fenerbahçe Ülker (2008), KK Partizan (2002) and Pau-Ortez (2003).

Notable Players that have progressed through the Cholet Youth Academy (Espoirs)

Template:Flagicon Antoine Rigaudeau Template:Flagicon Jim Bilba Template:Flagicon David Gautier Template:Flagicon Aymeric Jeanneau Template:Flagicon Charles Kahudi

Template:Flagicon Cédric Ferchaud Template:Flagicon Claude Marquis Template:Flagicon Mickaël Gelabale Template:Flagicon Rudy Gobert

Template:Flagicon Nando de Colo Template:Flagicon Rodrigue Beaubois Template:Flagicon Kévin Séraphin Template:Flagicon Killian Hayes

Players

Retired numbers

colspan="5" style="Template:Basketball color cell;"|Cholet Basket retired numbers
style="Template:Basketball color cell2;"|No.	style="Template:Basketball color cell2;"|Nat.	style="Template:Basketball color cell2;"|Player	style="Template:Basketball color cell2;"|Position	style="Template:Basketball color cell2;"|Tenure
4	Template:Flagicon	Antoine Rigaudeau	PG	1987–1995
10	Template:Flagicon	Jim Bilba	PF	1988–1992, 2002–2007

Current roster

Template:Basketball roster nationality note Template:Basketball roster header |- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Wheeler, Aaron | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1998-09-24)24 September 1998 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Melvin, Cleveland | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1991-06-25)25 June 1991 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | De Sousa, Nathan | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (2003-02-21)21 February 2003 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | McNeace, Jamuni | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1996-03-25)25 March 1996 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Ayayi, Gérald | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (2001-08-24)24 August 2001 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Briggs, Justin | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1997-11-19)19 November 1997 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Campbell, T. J. | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1988-01-23)23 January 1988 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

|- | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Bs position | style="text-align:center;" | Template:Ifnumber | style="text-align:center;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Diawara, Digue | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | | style="text-align:left; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%" | Template:Dts – (1998-10-03)3 October 1998 | style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; font-size: 85%"| |-

FIBA Hall of Famers

colspan="6" style=" REDIRECT Template:Basketball color cell;"|Cholet Basket Hall of Famers
colspan="6" style=" REDIRECT Template:Basketball color cell2;"|Players
No.	Nat.	Name	Position	Tenure	Inducted
4	Template:Flagicon	Antoine Rigaudeau	G	1987–95	2015

Season by season

Season	Tier	League	Pos.	French Cup	Leaders Cup	European competitions
2006–07	1	Pro A	7th
2007–08	1	Pro A	8th	Runner-up	Champion	3 FIBA EuroCup	GS
2008–09	1	Pro A	9th	Round of 16		2 Eurocup	Q
						3 EuroChallenge	RU
2009–10	1	Pro A	1st	Round of 32	Quarterfinalist	2 Eurocup	RS
2010–11	1	Pro A	2nd	Round of 16	Quarterfinalist	1 Euroleague	RS
2011–12	1	Pro A	4th	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist	1 Euroleague	QR1
						2 Eurocup	RS
2012–13	1	Pro A	10th	Round of 16		2 Eurocup	RS
2013–14	1	Pro A	13th	Round of 16		3 EuroChallenge	L16
2014–15	1	Pro A	14th	Round of 16
2015–16	1	Pro A	13th	Round of 32
2016–17	1	Pro A	11th	Round of 16
2017–18	1	Pro A	15th
2018–19	1	Pro A	15th
2019–20	1	Pro A	6th*
2020–21	1	Pro A	14th			3 Champions League	RS
2021–22	1	Pro A	8th
2022–23	1	Pro A	7th			4 Europe Cup	RU
2023–24	1	Pro A	7th	Round of 16		3 Champions League	R16
2024–25	1	Pro A	4th	Quarterfinalist		3 Champions League	QR
						4 FIBA Europe Cup	SF

Achievements

• French Championship Pro A: 2010
• La Semaine des As Cup: 2008
• French Cup: 1998, 1999
• Match des Champions (French Pro A Champion vs French Cup winner): 2010
• Finalist of Pro A: 1988, 2011
• French Cup Finalist: 2005, 2008
• Finalist of the Tournoi des As Cup: 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1993.
• Champion of Division 2 (now Pro B): 1986

Notable players

Template:Flagicon France Template:Flagicon fr:Valéry Demory Template:Flagicon Bruno Coqueran Template:Flagicon Stéphane Ostrowski Template:Flagicon Patrick Cham Template:Flagicon Antoine Rigaudeau Template:Flagicon Jim Bilba Template:Flagicon David Albert Template:Flagicon fr:David Gautier Template:Flagicon fr:Éric Micoud Template:Flagicon Aymeric Jeanneau Template:Flagicon Fabien Dubos Template:Flagicon fr:Cédric Ferchaud Template:Flagicon fr:Claude Marquis Template:Flagicon Mickaël Gelabale Template:Flagicon Cyril Akpomedah Template:Flagicon Steed Tchicamboud Template:Flagicon Nando de Colo Template:Flagicon Rodrigue Beaubois Template:Flagicon Fabien Causeur Template:Flagicon Rudy Gobert Template:Flagicon Killian Hayes Template:Flagicon Charles Kahudi

Template:Flagicon fr:Jimmal Ball Template:Flagicon Scooter Barry Template:Flagicon Corey Crowder Template:Flagicon fr:Paul Fortier Template:Flagicon fr:DeRon Hayes Template:Flagicon Mike Jones Template:Flagicon Micheal Ray Richardson Template:Flagicon James Blackwell Template:Flagicon fr:Graylin Warner Template:Flagicon K'Zell Wesson Template:Flagicon Terrell Lyday Template:Flagicon Lamayn Wilson Template:Flagicon Taj Gray Template:Flagicon John Linehan Template:Flagicon London Perrantes Template:Flagicon Antywane Robinson Template:Flagicon Randal Falker Template:Flagicon fr:Tony Stanley Template:Flagicon Chandler Parsons Template:Flagicon Michael Wright

Other countries Junior Etou Template:Flagicon Samuel Mejia Template:Flagicon John Amaechi Template:Flagicon Tony Dorsey Template:Flagicon Artūras Karnišovas Template:Flagicon Arvydas Eitutavičius Template:Flagicon/Template:Flagicon Moon Tae-jong

Head coaches

• 1970s: Template:Flagicon Dragoş Nosievici
• 1987–89: Template:Flagicon Jean Galle
• 1989–91: Template:Flagicon Jean-Paul Rebatet
• 1991–95: Template:Flagicon Laurent Buffard
• 1995–96: Template:Flagicon Alain Thinet (7 games) then Template:Flagicon Eric Girard (1 game) then Template:Flagicon Jean Galle
• 1996–2001: Template:Flagicon Eric Girard
• 2001–02: Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Savo Vucević
• 2002–03: Template:Flagicon Jean-François Martin
• 2003–04: Template:Flagicon Erman Kunter
• 2004–06: Template:Flagicon Ruddy Nelhomme
• 2006–10: Template:Flagicon Erman Kunter
• 2010–12: Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Erman Kunter
• 2012–14: Template:Flagicon Jean-Manuel Sousa
• 2014–15: Template:Flagicon Laurent Buffard
• 2015–16: Template:Flagicon Jérôme Navier
• 2016–18: Template:Flagicon Philippe Hervé
• 2018: Template:Flagicon Régis Boissié
• 2018–21: Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Erman Kunter
• 2021–24: Template:Flagicon Laurent Vila
• 2024–present: Template:Flagicon Fabrice Lefrançois

External links

• Official website
• LNB Club Profile Template:In lang
• Euroleague Club Profile Template:In lang