BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZIMBABWE international basketball star Vitalis Chikoko is set to continue his romance with French basketball after recently completing a big move to LNB Pro A side Levallois Metropolitans from another French top-flight club Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez.
The 2,08 metres tall 28-year-old centre had a fine season for with Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez, earning himself a nomination for the coveted French National Basketball League (LNB) Pro A’s Most Valuable (MVP) award.
Levallois Metropolitans moved swiftly after the recent conclusion of the 2019 French LNB Pro A to prise Chikoko away from Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez, where he spent the last three seasons.
The club confirmed the signing of Chikoko in a statement on their official website.
“Levallois Metropolitans is pleased to announce the arrival of Vitalis Chikoko,” the club said.
“Chikoko arrived in the French championship in 2016 in Pau-Lacq-Orthez after passing through Germany and Italy. The inside of 2,08m quickly became one of the best players of current Jeep Elite (LNB Pro A league).
“The 28-year-old from Zimbabwe averaged 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and 1.9 decisive passes per game and finished with the fourth best evaluation of the Championship. This earned him his first All-Star-Game LNB selection,” Levallois Metropolitans said.
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Founded in 2007, as Paris-Levallois Basket, the club has been based in the Paris metropolitan area where they use the 4 000-seater Palais des sports Marcel Cerdan as their home ground.
Since its formation, Levallois has won two titles thus far after clinching a memorable double in 2013 when they won French Cup and the Match des Champions (French Supercup).
Chikoko is expected to play a pivotal role at the Paris-based side which is aiming to challenge for the French title next season after finishing 10th in the Pro A and reaching the semifinals of the French Cup.
Levallois Metropolitans are also aiming to make an impact at the EuroCup Basketball after a disappointing campaign this season where they finished bottom of the six-team Group A with just two wins from 10 regular season matches.
Chikoko is expected to link up with his new team this week having represented Zimbabwe in the 2019 Afrobasket Championships qualifiers held at the City Sports Centre in Harare in June.
The former Mbare Heat star played a pivotal role as Zimbabwe started their campaign with a shock victory over regional powerhouses Mozambique.
However, his efforts were in vain as the home side’s inconsistent form for the remainder of the tournament saw them miss out on the sole ticket to the continental finals to be held in Mali later this year.
Zimbabwe are, however, still hopeful of earning a spot at the 2019 Afrobasket Championships on a wild card ticket.
