Story of the season: Elan Chalon
CHALON-SUR-SAONE (FIBA Europe Cup) - It took time for Elan Chalon to get rolling, but the French side picked up steam throughout their FIBA Europe Cup campaign and showed their capabilities when they needed it the most.
Consistently brilliant performances by John Roberson, Cameron Clark and Moustapha Fall have been a revelation for many basketball fans around Europe.
Can they bring their A-game one last time?
Leading up to the title decider against Nanterre 92 at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on Tuesday, we examine Elan Chalon's story in the FIBA Europe Cup game by game and chapter by chapter.
W @ Brussels Basketball 77-86
W v SL Benfica 90-76
A victorious start to the season saw Elan Chalon go 2-0 in Group A standings after wins against Brussels Basketball and SL Benfica, but the quality of their game, in the eyes of coach Jean-Denys Choulet, left more to be desired.
John Roberson registered the team's first double-double by scoring 21 points and dishing out 13 assists against the Portuguese side at home in Chalon-sur-Saone.
"We won, but I'm not satisfied. There isn't a good balance in the team, because of bad performances by some players. I don't like the body language on the court, some guys are putting too much pressure on themselves."Jean-Denys Choulet
L @ Alba Fehervar 111-91
After two wins to start the FIBA Europe Cup campaign, it didn't take long for Elan Chalon to get their first taste of defeat. Alba Fehervar handed the visiting French side a tough Hungarian pill to swallow in the third week of action.
The team's lackluster defensive effort forced coach Choulet to call out his players: "We didn't play a single minute of good defense!"
Gedeon Petard picked up a knock in the game
W v Brussels Basketball 78-74
The growing pains of a newly-assembled roster were still visible, as Elan Chalon barely escaped a home upset against the fourth-placed Belgian club, who were still winless at this point.
"I'm not happy about our bench, I can't play John and Cam for 30-plus minutes every game. We won on John's talent, but we can't be satisfied with a win like this, we won't hit big shots every game." Jean-Denys Choulet
L @ SL Benfica 77-69
Three other French teams — BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, Nanterre 92 and Pau-Lacq-Orthez — had already clinched Second Round berth.
What about Elan Chalon? Although they were in a reasonably good position to qualify with a 3-2 record, the lowest-scoring game of the season and a defeat in Lisbon still meant they could finish anywhere between first and third.
Elan Chalon hit a season scoring low against Benfica
W v Alba Fehervar 106-77
Ready or not, here comes the boom!
Elan Chalon threw the hammer down on Alba in Chalon-sur-Saone, getting revenge for the 20-point loss in Hungary with a 29-point victory at home behind a game-high of 26 points by Cameron Clark and double doubles of Moustapha Fall and John Roberson.
The enormous victory margin allowed Elan Chalon to get the head-to-head advantage and qualify to the Second Round as the number one team in Group A.
"We really wanted to do better after getting smacked in the away game. A lot of people talked trash about us when we lost, I just hope those people are going to keep talking about our big win tonight." Jean-Denys Choulet
W v Mures 101-65
W @ Sodertalje Kings 63-86
Having ended the Regular Season with a crushing win, Elan Chalon carried over their momentum to the Second Round as well. In spite of a shaky start to the season, the French side were well and truly rolling.
The game in Sweden against Sodertalje Kings was an emotional one for the team's starting point guard John Roberson, who spent three seasons at the club.
John Roberson got an exceptionally warm reception in Sodertalje
To mark his return, the playmaker scored 18 points and distributed 6 assists to his Elan Chalon teammates, who took advantage of the created opportunities.
"John is better this season compared to last season. He is close to being the best player in the league, maybe even the MVP. The team is better this year, our defense is better, the chemistry in the team is better and we have more experience."Jean-Denys Choulet
W v Gaziantep 102-83
While impressive, wins against Mures and Sodertalje pale in comparison to the one-sided triumph against Turkish side Gaziantep in a battle of Group K leaders.
Axel Bouteille exploded for 24 points, as Elan Chalon inscribed their third consecutive victory in the Second Round, setting themselves up nicely for the second part of the stage.
After dropping 30 points on Mures, Axel Bouteille played well again
W @ Mures 66-88
W v Sodertalje Kings 74-45
Elan Chalon became the first team to book a place in the Round of 16 after making it five wins in as many games in the Second Round after defeating Mures and Sodertalje for the second time.
The fact that Elan Chalon have been beating opponents by an average margin of 25.8 points might be even more impressive than their 5-0 record in the standings.
"We didn't play that well tonight even if we did win by nearly 30 points."Jean-Denys Choulet
L @ Gaziantep 92-80
Elan Chalon got used to winning by double digits in the Second Round, but their last game before the start of the Play-Offs was one of their worst performances this season.
Gaziantep led by as many as 32 points in the third quarter, but a big fourth-quarter comeback allowed Elan Chalon to cut the deficit to just 12 points and get within the boundaries of the 19-point cushion.
Both teams qualified to the Play-Offs.
"I spoke in the locker room during the half-time interval that we have to qualify from first position. And my players reacted well and decided to play a completely different game in the second half. We succeeded, because we won the first game in Chalon by 19 points and they beat us by 12 points."Jean-Denys Choulet
W @ Kormend 78-99
In the biggest first-leg win in the Round of 16, Elan Chalon beat Kormend by 21 points on the road in Hungary and gave themselves plenty of wiggle room for the return leg.
'Oh no, you didn't...'
D v Kormend 82-82
Some wiggle room was actually needed, with Elan Chalon not being able close out Kormend at home. When you factor in the 21-point first-leg advantage, however, the tie wasn't all that close.
"The good thing is that we advanced to the next round, but honestly it may be the worst game of the season, preseason included. I'm disappointed."Jean-Denys Choulet
L @ Cibona Zagreb 87-85
While the game might officially be classified as a loss for Elan Chalon, the all-out offensive back-and-forth between two point guards John Roberson and Scottie Reynolds made it one of the most memorable FIBA Europe Cup contests this season.
John Roberson simply couldn't miss and set two FIBA Europe Cup records with competition records in scoring and three-point shooting with 39 points on 10-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
W v Cibona Zagreb 83-78
The roller-coaster Quarter-Finals match-up that started in Zagreb went through a number of ups and downs before coming to an end favorable to Elan Chalon in Chalon-sur-Saone after a clutch fourth-quarter outburst by Cameron Clark, who finished the game with 26 points and 8 rebounds.
"The crowd was amazing today; we simply couldn't lose with such an atmosphere."Cameron Clark
L @ Telenet Oostende 85-50
The story repeated itself. Another road loss on the first leg... and another second-leg comeback?
"Rasko Katic played a great game and I am looking for a good reaction from Moustapha Fall in the return game. I am happy what my players showed tonight. We can be happy about tonight, because it is better to come home minus 5 instead of minus 15."Jean-Denys Choulet
W v Telenet Oostende 83-65
After being encouraged to step up by coach Jean-Denys Choulet, Moustapha Fall had arguably the best two-way game of the season in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Not only did he score 12 points, grab 9 rebounds and block 6 shots, but he also completely shut down Rasko Katic, who caused Elan Chalon the most problems in Ostend.
Moustapha Fall eliminated the threat of Rasko Katic
D @ Chalon 58-58
It could have been better; it could have been worse.
Although Elan Chalon failed to build a cushion in the home leg, being on level terms was a positive result for the red-and-whites, considering they were down by as many as 15 points.
Cameron Clark, who had some problems with foul trouble in the first half, led all scorers with 16 points and was 13 in positives in the plus-minus department.
Elan Chalon supporters have been among the most vocal in the league
FIBA
