Chalon/Saône

Cholet Basket

	Foundation	1955
	Arena	Le Colisée
	Championships	Betclic ÉLITE / Basketball Champions League
	Coach	Elric Delord
	Famous players who have played for the club	Clint Capela / Mathias Lessort / Joffrey Lauvergne

Joueur à surveiller : Obinna Anochili-Killen

In search of one final big man ahead of its European season, Chalon has set its sights on Obinna Anochili-Killen. It’s a remarkable achievement for this Nigerian who has come a long, long way. From his hometown, which lacked electricity and running water, the center has become one of the very best defenders in the NCAA.

Standing 6’9”, Obinna Anochili-Killen is coming off a college season averaging 14.4 points and 3.2 blocks per game, making him the league’s second-best shot-blocker. The reigning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year is a rare talent. He is capable of securing rebounds on both ends of the court thanks to his physical strength, but can also step out of the paint to play the power forward position with a solid three-point shot.

He is yet another particularly unique diamond in the rough. Chalon sees him as the future anchor of its paint and plans to give him all the time he needs to adapt to the European game.

Playing Style

Having taken over midway through the 2024–2025 season as head coach of the LNB’s worst defense, Elric Delord has built his system around increased off-ball intensity. Even when luck isn’t on their side, the Chalon players can rely on this blend of discipline and teamwork to consistently stay afloat. Defense and securing rebounds form the foundation of this Chalon team.

Elric Delord demands relentless effort on the court in the service of the team. All while maintaining a framework that’s broad enough for players to express themselves… yet tight enough for everyone to coexist with their teammates. This commitment to never overplay explains in part why Chalon finished its last season with the league’s best 3-point percentage (39.7%).

Club History

Since its founding in 1955 following a merger between two local clubs, Élan Sportif Chalonnais has languished at the bottom of the regional basketball league. The turning point finally came from soccer! More specifically, in the early 1970s, thanks to its partnership with FC Bourgneuf-Val d’Or-Mercurey. Under the presidency of Gabriel Bernard, Chalon reached Division 2 in just six years, before dropping back to Division 4 (1986), then climbing back up to Division 2 (1990), and finally reaching the professional ranks (1994).

Boasting a particularly high number of registered players, Élan Sportif rose from last place to first place in Pro B in the span of a year and a half. Under the leadership of Philippe Hervé, the Chalon team solidified its standing during its debut in the top flight. A wake-up call to French basketball, the team finished in the top 4 during the 1998-1999 season, securing a spot in the playoffs as well as European Cup competition. A flurry of firsts descended upon Chalon! While the team stagnated domestically, Stéphane Ostrowski’s teammates advanced all the way to the 2001 Saporta Cup final (C2). Coming within two points of an upset against Maroussi Athens (74-72), this epic run still allowed Philippe Hervé to compete in the Korac Cup (C3) for his final season in 2001-2002. As a bonus, it marked Chalon’s very first semifinal appearance in the playoffs.

A new chapter is beginning in Saône-et-Loire, along with all the consequences that come with it. The following year, three coaches took turns on the red-and-white bench. Nothing was going right, and last-chance hire Greg Beugnot narrowly averted disaster. Fully recharged after that disastrous 2002-2003 season, the Châlonnais went on to reach three consecutive league semifinals, followed by three solid but unremarkable campaigns, highlighted by an unfortunate loss in the 2000 EuroChallenge (C3) final. It was the calm before the storm of trophy wins in Burgundy.

Chalon began the decade with a Semaine des AS final, a third-place finish in the regular season, and, most importantly, a victory in the 2011 French Cup. With this first “major” title secured in its 55-year history, Élan Sportif continued on this path with a HISTORIC 2011-2012 season! Still under the leadership of Greg Beugnot, the Chalonnais reached another European final in the EuroChallenge (C3). But this 91-86 loss to Besiktas was merely a blip in the middle of a completely insane treble: Semaine des AS – Coupe de France – Championship.

With their heads still in the clouds, the EuroLeague (C1) serves as a reminder to the Chalon players of the challenges of competing at the very highest level. The team has seen a string of unsuccessful seasons, despite reaching the Final Four of the FIBA Europe Cup (C4) here and a Leaders Cup final there. A new chapter, culminating in the 2016-2017 season. In the wake of this third loss in a continental final, Chalon won its second French championship against SIG Strasbourg.

The beginning of the end for Élan Sportif. The talk is no longer about hovering in the middle of the Pro A pack, but about relegation! In the second tier of French basketball, Chalon got off to a flying start but collapsed in the final stretch. Promotion would finally come in 2023. The Chalon team cemented their return by securing their spot with four games remaining and even tasted the playoffs again seven years later in 2025.

palmarès

	French Champion	2012 / 2017
	French Cup	2011 / 2012
	AS Week	2012

Spotlight : Wheelchair Basketball

In fact, Chalon has not two, but three national championship titles in French basketball. For the first time in its recent history, Élan Sportif Chalon Basket Fauteuil has won the National Elite title – just two years after claiming the National 1 (second division) title.

A pioneer in the field, Chalon is now the only club in the Betclic ÉLITE to have a wheelchair basketball team in the top division. But beyond France, the Chalon team is looking further ahead. Having won a bronze medal in the Challenge Cup (C2) last season, Chalon Wheelchair Basketball is now setting out to conquer the biggest continental competition to – why not – become the third French club to win the EuroCup (C1).

The Number : 32

This is the number of points conceded by Élan Sportif Chalonnais against Toulouse on October 27, 1998 (67–32), marking the lowest total ever recorded in the French first division.