French Teams Struggle In Europe
Cholet Only Of Eight ProA Teams To Reach Last 16 On Continent
Jan 16, 2009
France was quite strongly represented in Europe's three continental competitions with eight teams - Le Mans, SLUC Nancy, Asvel Basket, Chorale Roanne, STB Le Havre, Cholet Basket, SAOS Hyeres Toulon and JA Vichy. But Cholet was the only club to advance to the final 16 of a European tournament, reaching the Top 16 of the Eurochallenge.
Two Last Places In Euroleague
France had two clubs in Europe's elite competition - the Euroleague. But both Le Mans and SLUC Nancy struggled mightily against Europe's best. Le Mans shocked Greek giants Olympiacos in the final game day but still finished 2-8 in last place in Group A - three games behind a spot in the Top 16.
Nancy Misses Final Chance
Defending French champions Nancy had a chance to advance to the Top 16 from Group B with a final game day victory over Montepaschi Siena but lost at home by 24 points to finish in last place with a 2-8 record.
Asvel Nearly Advances, Two Last Places In Eurocup
The French flag hung a bit higher in the Eurocup - Europe's second-best competition. Asvel were 3-2 heading into the last game at Azovmash Mariupol with a victory meaning a berth in the Eurocup Last 16. But Asvel lost 87-74 to finish 3-3 and in third place behind Azovmash and Lietuvos Rytas.
Roanne Overmatched
Chorale Roanne meanwhile collected a victory at home against ASK Riga to start their Group A campaign but lost five straight by an average of 14.4 points in finishing 1-5 and in last place.
Le Havre Winless
Le Havre, which reached the Eurocup regular season by beating Base Oostende in the second qualifying round, could not even win one game in Group C, going winless at 0-6 with an average margin of 13.7 points.
Eurocup/Eurochallenge Qualifying Rounds
As part of the new collaboration between former rivaling European basketball organizations Euroleague and FIBA Europe, the ULEB Cup changed names to the Eurocup and had two qualifying rounds with the losers of each round heading to the third-tier Eurochallenge, which had its own two rounds of qualifiers.
Cholet Reaches Eurochallenge Top 16
Cholet were bounced from the Eurocup first qualifying round by ASK Riga but were able to establish themselves as a powerhouse in the Eurochallenge Regular Season. The team went 6-0 to top Group C, with 21-year-old guard Nando de Colo averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Cholet won three blow-outs and collected two one-point victories.
Cholet now have been drawn into Group I in the Eurochallenge Top 16 with Belgacom Liege, Telekom Baskets Bonn and EiffelTowers Den Bosch.
Hyeres Eliminated In Eurochallenge Regular Season
SAOS Hyeres Toulon took advantage of the qualifying rounds to reach the Eurochallenge Regular Season with two-leg qualifying round victories over Cedevita Zagreb and CSU Asesoft Ploiesti. Hyeres were 3-2 going into the final game day of Group B - a home match against Telekom Baskets Bonn. Toulon needed to beat the German team to advance but lost 86-72 at home to finish 3-3 in third place.
Vichy Bounced In Second Eurochallenge Qualifying Round
The other French club JA Vichy knocked off Seastar Apoel in the Eurochallenge first qualifying round. But they were beaten by Belgacom Liege in the second qualifying round.
Past Success For French Clubs
French clubs have not had much success in the past in European competitions. Nancy won the 2002 Korac Cup while Asvel reached the quarter-finals of the ULEB Cup (the predecessor of the Eurocup) in 2007 and Strasbourg reached the same stage in 2007. And Dijon was the 2004 finalist in the FIBA Europe Cup.
