Elan Chalon looking for supporters to rock Le Colisée once again

CHALON-SUR-SAONE (FIBA Europe Cup) - Elan Chalon coach Jean-Denys Choulet will be quick to tell you there will be more to the first leg of the FIBA Europe Cup Finals against Nanterre 92 than just the players on the court and the coaches on the sidelines.

The 58-year-old playcaller from Besancon, a not-too-distant 90-minute drive from Chalon-sur-Saone, sang praises to the club's faithful after a dramatic second-leg victory against Telenet Oostende in the Semi-Finals, saying the 5,000-strong support at Le Colisee played a crucial role in paving the team's path to the Finals.

"It was a beautiful event of basketball," said Choulet of the home fixture against the Belgian outfit from Ostend, in which Elan Chalon had to erase a five-point first-leg deficit, but did more than needed and passed the test with flying colors with an 83-65 triumph instead.

The man at the helm of the club admitted he hadn't seen as crazy an atmosphere in a home Elan Chalon game both during his tenure at the club since 2013 and the many times he came to Chalon-sur-Saone as an away coach before.

"The support was incredible. This is the first time I've seen the supporters like that. I've been a coach here for a couple of years already and before that I've coached against Elan Chalon both in Pro A and Pro B plenty of times, but never has the atmosphere in the arena been so fantastic," Choulet voiced his appreciation.

C'était hier... pic.twitter.com/kor3nFKTbr

— FansElanChalon (@FansElanChalon) April 6, 2017

With five players playing heavy minutes in the decisive game against Telenet Oostende and starting center Moustapha Fall going the full 40 minutes from tip-off to the final buzzer, Choulet says, the fans helped to push Elan Chalon across the line.

And in scenarios like this, every single extra joule of energy matters.

"The fans definitely gave us a boost, because I guarantee you that at the end of the game Moustapha Fall did not have much gas in the tank," the team's playcaller smiled.

Needless to say, another sold-out night is expected for the game against Nanterre and Elan Chalon will hope to make the most of it once again. 

After all, they haven't lost a single game at Le Colisee in the FIBA Europe Cup. Hungarian side Kormend came close, but all they could manage was a draw in the Round of 16. 

Eight other home games? All wins.

Elan Chalon will still be slightly cautious after seeing their unbeaten home run end at the worst time possible last year, when they fell short against Openjobmetis Varese in the Semi-Finals of the Final Four they hosted.

They did get partial redemption by getting over the Semi-Finals barrier this time around, but finishing second could potentially be even more painful than last season's disappointing exit.

One thing is certain, nothing is easy at this stage of the competition with so much on the line. But it's a challenge that Elan Chalon shooting guard Lance Harris and his teammates are ready to welcome.

"Nanterre have a really good team, it's going to be a great battle," the player said of what seems to be an evenly-matched tie between two French sides.

There might not be the same cliff-hanging do-or-die setting in place at Le Colisee like there was against Ostend due to the fact a return leg still awaits in Nanterre at the end of the month, but of all things, lack of intensity – both on the court and in the stands – should not be an issue.

After all, it is the culmination of a long and hard-fought campaign, which both of the teams have been a part of since the very beginning of the Regular Season back in October. Moreover, there is some recent history from the domestic championship in France.

"It's great to be back at this stage of a European competition for the second time in three years, but Elan Chalon will be a huge hurdle to overcome, as we can tell by our two losses to them in league play," said Nanterre head coach Pascal Donnadieu, who helped the side to a EuroChallenge triumph back in 2015.

Although winning in Chalon-sur-Saone will be a difficult task, the resilient Nanterre squad demonstrated they do have what it takes to get a result in a not entirely welcoming surrounding by eliminating Telekom Baskets in Bonn with an 86-81 victory after a big fourth-quarter comeback, when they erased a double-digit deficit and stunned the German fans at the Telekom Dome with a 16-point turnaround.

"I am very proud of my team, who never gave up on themselves and always tried to find a way to claw their way back into the game. What we learned [in Bonn] will be our role model going forward – never give up," Donnadieu explained.

The first-leg duel between the two French teams will take place in Chalon-sur-Saone on April 18 at 20:30 CET, with the return game played in Nanterre a week later. 

However, unlike their opponents, the coaching staff of Nanterre will not be able to dedicate their undivided attention to the international trophy bout. Having also made it through to the title game of the French Cup, Pascal Donnadieu's side will face Le Mans Sarthe during the weekend in between the two legs of the FIBA Europe Cup Finals.

FIBA