Cholet Basket captain Miralem Halilovic suffered a fresh muscle injury in training just before he was due to return against JDA Dijon, extending an absence that began on Oct. 6 due to a finger fracture, BeBasket reported.
The latest setback denies head coach Fabrice Lefrançois of his key interior presence. Early medical examinations indicate the Bosnian center will face an absence of less than one month.
“The injury is not excessively grave,” Guillaume Costentin told Ouest-France.
That timeline provides some relief for the club, though Halilovic has already missed more than five weeks of action. His absence immediately strains Cholet’s frontcourt rotation and offensive rhythm.
Frontcourt struggles during Dijon defeat
The true cost of the frontcourt shortage showed clearly on Nov. 7. Cholet absorbed a 97-71 home defeat against Dijon without either Halilovic or medical replacement Johnathan Williams available in the paint.
Williams remained inactive for Betclic ÉLITE play because the club had already declared Halilovic fit to return. That procedural step automatically deactivated the temporary signing under league regulations.
While Williams remained eligible for Basketball Champions League play ahead of a trip to Serbia to face Spartak Subotica, the club opted against seeking another temporary fix.
Roster rules dictate recruitment freeze
Cholet management chose to preserve its future roster flexibility rather than burn another medical joker. Betclic ÉLITE rules limit clubs to three medical replacements until the end of February, followed by two more for the remainder of the campaign.
The club has already used two of those slots this season. Williams arrived to cover Halilovic, while JeQuan Lewis stepped in earlier for Jarrod West.
Costentin said that the initial diagnosis for the captain remains relatively reassuring. Consuming a third replacement spot prematurely would leave the roster vulnerable to further injuries deeper in the season.
Cholet fights for Champions League seeding
Cholet must play the next few weeks without its main offensive outlet. The team currently holds a 3-5 record in domestic play as it fights for qualification in the Leaders Cup.
European ambitions also add urgency to the rotation’s recovery. The club aims to secure the highest possible seeding in the Basketball Champions League group phase to approach the Top 16 qualifiers favorably.
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