Cholet Basket has given additional job security to head coach Erman Kunter by signing him to a contract extension through 2013. Kunter was already under contract for the next season. He has coached the club for six consecutive seasons already and seven overall. Kunter guided Cholet to the 2010 French championship and its Euroleague debut last year. Now his goal is to take the club back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague via the Qualifying Rounds.
After a stellar career as a player in Turkey, where he was known as a talented scorer and a stalwart of the Turkish national team, Kunter entered coaching with Darussafaka in 1996. He then served a three-year stint with the Turkish national team before returning to the club level with Galatasaray. In 2003 he moved to France and spent one season with Cholet and another with Asvel Basket, where he tasted the Euroleague for the first time. In 2006 he returned to Cholet and has been a fixture on the sidelines there ever since. He also led Cholet to the Semaine des As title in 2008, the 2010 FIBA EuroChallenge final and to the French League title game last season. He was voted as the French League’s Best Coach last season, too.
"This contract extension is a continuation of the project that we have established with management," Kunter said. "We have made several changes in the squad because we had reached the end of the cycle with some players. We will rebuild the team during the preparation period and then meet two objectives: to qualify for the Euroleague regular season and return for the third consecutive season to Bercy to win a the French championship.”