By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
Chalon made a significant step towards qualifying for the Basketball Champions League quarterfinals last week, as they defeated Joventut 85-77 on their home court.
The French team is now tied in the second place with Unicaja on the Group K table with a 2-2 record, and the decision on advancing will come down to the final two rounds of the Round of 16, where they face matches against Unicaja and Wurzburg.
The most deserving for their current position in the standings is Chalon’s point guard Jeremiah Hill. Hill played an incredible game against Joventut, finishing the duel with 25 points (9/13 from the field, 4/5 three-pointers), along with six assists and two rebounds, which was enough for him to earn the Player of the Week award in the BCL with an efficiency index of 28.
From Division II to Chalon
Jeremiah Hill was born in 1995 and played for Savannah State in the USA, where he spent one year, as well as for Valdosta State, where he studied from 2014 to 2017. After four seasons in Division II, Hill was not selected in the NBA draft, after which he played for the Jacksonville Giants in the ABA League (American Basketball Association), with whom he won the title in 2018, after which he was part of the G League as a member of the Lakeland Magic.
He left America in 2019, and his first club outside of it was Kazakhstan’s Astana, where he played for two years in the domestic championship and the VTB League, and in 2021 he also became the champion of Kazakhstan.
He didn’t go far, as his next club was Parma from Perm, and in 2022 he moved to somewhat warmer regions. He played in France for Gravelines, then in Spain for Real Betis and Girona, before returning to Russia for the 2023/24 season as part of Runa. From 2024, he is a member of Chalon.
Selling the Chalon Cathedral to keep him at the club
The importance of Hill for Chalon’s performances is highlighted by an event from April last year. The coach of the French team Elric Delord, emphasized the value of his point guard by stating that they might only be able to gather money for his stay at the club if they sold the cathedral, a landmark of Chalon.
One fan perhaps took this too seriously, as the Saint-Vincent de Chalon cathedral was listed for sale on a French website for five million euros. Fortunately for the city’s residents, it was not sold, and Hill remained with the team this season as well.
Hill is now an experienced European veteran, 30 years old, and the team leader. The ball is constantly in his hands, he orchestrates the team’s play, and he is always there to take responsibility when needed. Currently, he averages 16.3 points per game (52% for two, 32% for three, and 82% free throws), along with 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds, in just over 28 minutes on the court.
Helping Cameroon reach the Olympic Qualification tournament
Although born in America, Hill holds Cameroonian citizenship due to his roots in the country. Together with Cameroon, he passed through the African qualification tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games, so this national team competed in the tournament in Riga.
Cameroon was defeated by Montenegro in the first match, but in the second group game pulled off a sensation and defeated Brazil (77-74) with 22 points from Hill, along with six rebounds and six assists. With this victory, the African team advanced from the group and came within two matches of a historic success and qualification for the Olympic Games. However, in the semifinals they were stopped by hosts Latvia (72-59).
Jeremiah was also part of the team that played the AfroBasket in 2025, and Cameroon ultimately finished in fourth place, following a narrow loss to hosts Angola in the semifinals (74-73), the later tournament winners.