Chorale Roanne Basketball

Player to watch : Aaron Levarity

The Bahamian international’s rise continues! All the more so given that Aaron Levarity has come a long way. Having trained with the Milligan Buffaloes in the NAIA from 2016 to 2019, the power forward began his professional career in Denmark. More specifically, he played for EBS Holbæk Stenhus and then the Svendborg Rabbits. This spell in Scandinavia paved the way for his first stint in France. Following a successful spell at LyonSo, he moved to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he really came into his own.

A double-double average, topped off with an MVP award, later on, Aaron Levarity played for Évreux and Le Portel before returning to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, this time to Roanne. As the top rebounder in the second tier, this athletic centre, with his commanding presence under the basket, will cause problems for more than one team this season.

Playing style

T.J. Parker learnt a great deal during his time at Bayern as Gordon Herbert’s first assistant coach. As a result, this Roanne side of the 2026–2027 season is very different from the ASVEL team of the early 2010s. La Chorale run the floor, set the pace, capitalise on transitions and create gaps in the opposition’s defence. There are also several sequences of set plays where the Roanne side do not hesitate to drive hard into the paint.

Intensity also dictates the off-ball play. Through increased pressure combined with substantial rotations, the Loire-based side aims to stifle the opposition’s attacks at source. And they’re prepared to take risks with traps or double-teams to achieve this.

Club History

In 1932, both the French Basketball Federation and the International Basketball Federation were founded. It was a pivotal year in the history of basketball, during which a choir was formed in Roanne. However, to prevent its ageing members from drifting apart, this choir from the Loire region decided to turn to sport. Five years after its formation, La Chorale Roanne became a basketball club! Led by their rising star André Vacheresse, the team performed well from the outset in the youth categories, though they did not excel at senior level. And after three consecutive failures, the Roanne side finally reached the French top flight in 1953.

A more than convincing start in the top flight! In its debut season, La Chorale came within a whisker of reaching the final. Then, following three consecutive semi-final appearances, Roanne clinched the title in the 1959 final with a commanding victory over ASVEL (67–52). This triumph marked the beginning of a transitional phase. The next generation was epitomised by one man: Alain Gilles! A product of the local youth system, ‘Monsieur Basket’ led the club, amongst other achievements, to the 1964 French Cup final, which ended in a frustrating defeat to Le Mans (68–70) with just seven players on the court! This was the last hurrah before a decline that culminated in Roanne’s relegation in 1967. It was a paradox, given that at the same time the junior teams were shining on the national stage.

Although the Loire-based club returned to Nationale 1 two seasons later, the spectre of the second division was never far away. The arrival of the first American players did nothing to change this! And just as the club was beginning to stabilise at the highest level, Dick Smith’s departure on the eve of the 1975–1976 season saw Roanne relegated to Nationale 2. The Chorale endured a string of turbulent seasons for nearly a decade. The aim was no longer promotion, but simply to stay in the second tier. This turbulent period came to an end in 1987, marking both promotion to N1B and the opening of the new Halle des Sports.

As had been the case for several years, Roanne was unable to maintain the stability of yesteryear. Yet there was no shortage of stars, such as NBA champion Thirdkill. But once again, after reaching the play-offs in 1991, the club was relegated as early as 1993. Added to this was significant financial pressure lasting six years. Years and years of struggle came to an end with the arrival of Jean-Denys Choulet as head coach. A true standard-bearer for the club in the 2000s, the French coach finally brought the much-sought-after stability. The highlight of this was the incredible 2006–2007 season! It began with a victory in the Semaine des AS, followed by a thrilling run in the French league that saw Marc Salyers’s team secure their second national championship title against Nancy (81–74).

A remarkable run continued the following year in the EuroLeague (C1), where the Chorale came close to reaching the Top 16, but also in Pro A with another final – this time a defeat. From then on, Roanne enjoyed a string of European fixtures. However, a decline set in following the departure of Jean-Denys Choulet in 2011. Then, in 2014, relegation struck the Loire-based side. They struggled to recover from this blow, came very close to yet another relegation, but eventually managed to secure promotion in 2019. History repeated itself at the end of the 2023–2024 season. Once again relegated to Pro B, the club managed by T.J. Parker reduced the length of its absence from the top flight to two years. Bolstered by an ambitious project, Roanne is determined to establish itself permanently at the top of French basketball.

Zoom : The Choir

For anyone who has ever watched a Roanne match on TV, one question is bound to have crossed your mind : why does the word ‘Chorale’ feature in the club’s name ? The answer dates back to 1932 !

Before becoming a basketball team, the organisation was known as a choir – one of the most renowned in the region! However, over time, these young singers gradually left the group. Faced with these departures, local industrialist Henri Rhodamel decided to change the organisation’s focus. First, they turned to cycling in 1936, without much success, then to basketball from 1937 onwards. 

These are the roots that Roanne has chosen to preserve in its name.

The Number : 28

That was the score Roanne had built up against Bourg-en-Bresse on 3 October 2005 after six minutes of play (28–0) – a first in the French league.