2008-09 Club Profile: Asvel Basket
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 As one of the best teams in French basketball history, Asvel Basket has high hopes as it looks forward to the challenge of the Eurocup. Although the club's glory days came with 15 domestic championships in just 33 seasons between 1949 and 1981, Asvel has stayed among its country's elite clubs right up to the present.
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Asvel Basket Roster 2008-09
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| Name |
Pos.
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Height
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| Eric Campbell |
F
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1.99
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| Chevy Troutman |
F
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2.01
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| Ali Traore |
C
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2.05
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| Laurent Foirest |
F
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1.97
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| J.R. Reynolds |
G
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1.88
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| Ben Dewar |
G
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1.96
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| Kevin Joss-Rauze |
G
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1.88
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| Antoine Eito |
G
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1.87
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| Aymeric Jeanneau |
G
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1.85
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| Amara Sy |
F
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2.03
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| Jerome Sanchez |
F
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1.96
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| Stephane Raquil |
F
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2.03
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| Vincent Collet |
Head Coach
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In the 1990s, Asvel won several cups and made the 1997 Euroleague semifinals while reaching the French League finals in five out of six seasons. The elusive domestic title finally arrived in spring of 2002 as Asvel roared through the French League playoffs and swept archrivals Pau-Orthez in the finals behind to earn its first domestic crown in 12 years. That success carried over to the 2002-03 Euroleague season as Asvel advanced to the Top 16. Subsequent tries at the French League title were not successful, but Asvel did well enough to stay in the Euroleague for several seasons before making its ULEB Cup debut in 2005-06, reaching the quarterfinals. Back in the ULEB Cup last season, Asvel made the elimination rounds last season, but missed the Last 16 by a single point. Similarly, it fell a victory short of reaching the French League title game, but certainly earned its way into the Eurocup. Over the summer, Asvel began its transformation by hiring a new coach, Vincent Collet, who brought Le Mans to prominence this decade. Veteran help arrived in the persons of Gave Muoneke and Eric Campbell, both forwards, while guards J.R. Reynolds and Ben Dewar are younger and out to prove themselves. The same goes for big man Ali Traore, who returns to the club where he spent several seasons as a teenager. They join team leaders Laurent Foirest and Aymeric Jeanneau and solid forward Chevy Troutman to give Coach Collet plenty to work with as he tries to lift Asvel to prominence in 2008-09. Some of the most devoted basketball fans anywhere have always been part of Asvel's strength, and there's no doubt they will be fired up for a new competition and a revamped team.
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Monday, September 08, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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