The first club in French basketball is now a competitor in the Eurocup. The Saint Thomas d'Aquin sports club was founded in 1903 and its basketball division opened in 1924 thanks to the Pineau brothers, Louis and Roger. And when the French Basketball Federation opened its doors in 1932, STB Le Havre was the very first team to register.
The club's first great era was in the 1950s under coach Edouard Barq as Le Havre qualified for the top league in 1952 and finished its debut season in the top flight with a winning record (9-8). In 1955, Claude Josephau carried Le Havre all the way to the French Cup semifinals only to come up short in front of 1,200 fans against Paris University Club, 55-50. Many quiet years passed with the club descending into the semipro ranks. Finally in the late 1980s, Le Havre battled its way back up the ladder and in 1993 it secured a spot in the ProB division. Two years later the club was in the French Cup semis. The turn of the millennium also marked a turn of the page in Le Havre's history as the club returned to the top division in France. Despite hiring former France national team coach Michel Gomez, the first season was a struggle and indeed a coaching change was needed to save the team from relegation. New coach Eric Girard begins to turn things around by bringing in future stars Jermaine Guice and Ricardo Greer, who helped the club get to the Semaine des As finals in 2003 and to make its European competitions debut the next season in the FIBA Europe League. Le Havre also qualified for the French playoffs in 2004 and again in 2006. Last season the club recorded its best season in the modern era, placing fifth in the regular season before going out to defending champion Roanne in the quarterfinals. Now Le Havre's special mix of rich history and growing hunger sees the club enter the Eurocup for the first time, looking to leave its mark as it continues to shine.