By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Cholet clinched a berth in the Play-Ins of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, but Wednesday’s win over Bursaspor also marked the necessity of a closer look at Aaron Towo-Nansi.
It has been far from smooth sailing for Cholet between the 2025-26 editions of the BCL and France’s Betclic Elite, but earning a second opportunity to advance to the Round of 16 at the continental level was a brilliant reward for blowing out Bursaspor in La Meilleraie. Another home game, with Joventut Badalona visiting on December 17, will decide whether the team coached by Fabrice Lefrancois will have homecourt advantage in a following best-of-three Play-In series or not. A conversation for later, perhaps unlike the latest BCL gem from Cholet and France.
Since the introduction of the league, supporting youngsters, providing them a competitive stage to display their talents, was pretty high on the list of priorities, alongside expanding exciting continental basketball action to more European countries and across undervalued markets. Specifically, France has been on a roll with the last two BCL Best Young Players, adding to the trend of promising French prospects spread all around the world. Cholet was responsible for Tidjane Salaun in the 2023-24 season, following up on the same nod for Yoan Makoundou in the 2020-21 season.
After capturing the award, Salaun was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the sixth overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft presented by State Farm. One year later, Nolan Traore went from Best Young Player to 19th draft pick and the Brooklyn Nets. As for Makoundou, the youth product of Cholet switched to AS Monaco in 2022, and this season returned to La Roca Team with the experience of loan assignments at Turk Telekom and Buducnost VOLI over the previous two years.
Like Sengun
In Gameday 5 opposite Bursaspor, 16-year-old Towo-Nansi connected 2/2 two-pointers, 1/1 three-pointers, and 4/6 free throws en route to 11 points, besides four assists, one steal, and one rebound over 17:26. Before becoming the youngest player to reach double-digits in points in a single BCL game, he tallied 11 points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal in a total of 32 minutes over the four previous team outings.
Alperen Sengun was the last player under 18 years old to score more points, packing 25 for Teksut Bandirma in March 2020, in his last Champions League showing. Through the 2019-20 installment and until his side being eliminated from ERA Nymburk in the Round of 16, the future superstar of the Houston Rockets averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, 0.6 assists, and 0.3 steals per game.
At the age of 16 years and 260 days old, the path is certainly different for Towo-Nansi. He is a few years away from maybe considering his options in the league based in North America. For now, progress is displaying and developing his talents with Cholet, from a couple of Adidas NextGen EuroLeague showings in Belgrade and Podgorica to the Champions League.
Beyond quickly moving through junior teams and reaching the senior squad of Cholet, he represented France in the 2024 and 2025 installments of FIBA U16 EuroBasket, capturing gold on the first occasion and settling in fifth place last summer.
The scouting report includes useful attributes in both offense and defense, perhaps equally apparent to his size. Standing at 1.74 meters, approximately 5 feet 8 inches, he is the latest edition of a small guard, following several EuroLeague superstars of similar height, including Markus Howard of Baskonia and T.J. Shorts II of Panathinaikos Aktor or Nadir Hifi of Paris and former MVP Mike James of Monaco.
An extremely premature look at the youngster generates several similarities to the aforementioned European stars, including an eye for creativity to counter a short basketball stature.
The next BCL challenge
After advancing to the Play-Ins, Cholet would like to also secure homecourt advantage with a win over Badalona or get some help from Bursaspor in the other Gameday 6 fixture on December 17.
Back in the 2023-24 BCL journey, the French club went from second seed in Group C of the Regular Season to winning a Play-In series versus Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari and reaching the Round of 16, but then falling on the wrong end of a three-way tie and getting eliminated. In contrast, the 2020-21 bid did not progress beyond the Regular Season, and the 2024-25 run ended in the Qualification Rounds.
Certainly, wins and losses, an extended Champions League run, are deciding factors in club success, but showcasing exciting prospects like Towo-Nansi is a further reason for Cholet fans to be proud.