Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
Leagues LNB Pro A
Founded 1908
Arena Palais des Sports de Pau
Arena Capacity 7,707
Location Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
Team colors White and Green
         
President Maher Abid
Head coach Claude Bergeaud
Championships 9 French Championships
3 Tournoi des As Cup
3 French Cups
1 Semaine des As Cup
1 Korać Cup
Website elan-bearnais.fr
Uniforms
Home
Away

The Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez is a French professional basketball club based in Pau. They are currently competing in the LNB Pro A, and play their home games at the Palais des Sports de Pau. They are one of the most successful clubs in French basketball history.

History

The Élan Béarnais was founded in 1931 in the town of Orthez. Prior to that, the basketball club was just a section of the Orthez sports club, founded in 1908. It was not a "club" in the modern sense, but rather a sponsorship created by clerics to enable the local youth to play sports.

The club first reached the top level of French professional basketball in 1973. They were immediately relegated back to the second division, but returned to the top flight in 1976. The club then made their European debut one year later, in 1977, by qualifying for the Korać Cup. Their ascent continued by winning the FIBA Korać Cup in 1984, defeating Crvena Zvezda in the final in Paris (Palais des sports Pierre-de-Coubertin). This was the first of many pieces of silverware that would be added to the club's trophy cabinet over the next two decades.

More success followed as the Élan Béarnais were finally crowned champions of France for the first time, winning back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987. This earned them entry into the European Champions' Cup (present-day Euroleague). Despite their status as newcomers, they were anything but intimidated, completing their maiden campaign of 1986-87 with a shock 3rd-place finish and a perfect record at home. It was a magical run, as they defeated European giants or traditional clubs of European basketball like Žalgiris, Maccabi Elite, Real Madrid, Zadar and that season's champions, Tracer Milano, on their home court, La Moutète. The Élan Béarnais would remain a fixture in European competition every season thereafter, until 2008, setting a European longevity record of 31 years in the process(1977–2008).

As this humble club from a village of 12,000 people at the foot of the Pyrénées blossomed into a power of European basketball, a move to a bigger city became necessary. The club changed its name in 1989, becoming the Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez, and moved to the city of Pau, after the inauguration of the Palais des Sports in 1991. This move was made possible by the visionary efforts of two men: Pierre Seillant, the beloved longtime president of the club, and André Labarrère, then-mayor of Pau. Thanks to them, the Palais (still today the largest basketball-centric arena in France) was built, and the Élan were able to remain in their home region of Béarn.

With the relocation complete, the club carried on cementing their status as the dominant force of French basketball, winning seven more league championships over the next thirteen years. The club's total of nine championships ranks them third behind ASVEL and Limoges for the most of any team in the history of French professional basketball. The last one came in 2004, the second of back-to-back titles, and was the culmination of a golden-age for the club. The previous season, 2003, was arguably the most spectacular in the history of Pau-Orthez, when the breathtaking abilities of two homegrown, young talents named Boris Diaw and Mickaël Piétrus spearheaded the Élan Béarnais to a sweep of all three French trophies (Le Championnat, Coupe de France and Semaine des As). Diaw's campaign won him the League MVP award for French players, and following the season both he and Pietrus were drafted in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Unfortunately, due to exodus of talent, a lack of coaching stability, and financial problems, the success of the club steadily waned from 2004 on, until rock-bottom was reached and the previously unthinkable happened: in 2009, the Élan Béarnais were relegated to the LNB Pro B after finishing in last place. It was their first stint in the second division since 1976. This disappointment was used as an opportunity to re-structure and re-strengthen the club, but although they earned immediate promotion back to the Pro A in 2010, their struggles continued, and they were relegated for a second time in 2012. However, the Élan once again wasted no time in climbing directly back to the top-flight, and in the 2013-14 season they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2006. With club-legend Didier Gadou entrenched as the General Manager, and former title-winning head-coach Claude Bergeaud back at the helm on the sideline, the future is bright once-again for this proud club. They remain in a tussle for a playoff berth halfway through the 2014-15 season.

In 2008, the club underwent a minor name-change for the second time in their history, becoming the Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez. The city of Lacq's inclusion in the name and entrance onto the director's board strengthened the club's Béarn identity. For their part, Lacq, located just north-west of Pau, now provides funding to the club.

Rivalries

The Élan Béarnais' biggest rival is Limoges CSP, another legendary French club, and they have been trading blows with one another for national supremacy on the hardwood, both figuratively and literally, since the early 1980s. In the 22 seasons between 1983 and 2004, the two clubs combined for 18 championships, and multiple games between the two teams resulted in fights amongst the players, including one that ended in a brawl between Élan supporters and Limoges players at their old Orthez venue, La Moutète. ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne is also a fierce rival of the Élan Béarnais, and games against both of these teams are referred to as the "Clasico's" of French basketball, receiving tremendous hype from the media and fans.

2011/2012 Roster

Jersey Name Birth year Height (meter) Nationality Position
4 Rémi Lesca19901.80FrancePoint guard
5 Teddy Gipson19801.93United StatesShooting guard
7 Florian Lesca19891.94FranceShooting guard
8 Antoine Mendy19831.98FranceSmall forward
9 Claude Marquis19802.04FranceCenter
11 Slaven Rimac19741.95CroatiaShooting guard
12 Chinemelu Elonu19872.08NigeriaPower Forward/Center
13 Marko Maravič19792.01SloveniaSmall Forward
15 Mickael Var19902.05FrancePower Forward
16 Tanguy Ramasaamy19902.06FranceCenter
17 Romain Hillotte19911.94FranceShooting guard
20 Jean-Frederic Morency19891.99FranceSmall Forward
22 Allan Ray19841.88United StatesPoint guard

Coaches

U20 Team

France Mickael Var 2.05 Power Forward/Center
France Brice Rominger 1.75 Point Guard
France Florian Lesca 1.95 Small Forward
France Remi Lesca 1.80 Point Guard
France Alexandre Mendy 1.90 Shooting Guard
France Romian Hillotte 1.92 Shooting Guard
France Miguel Buval 2.08 Center
France Tanguy Ramassamy 2.04 Power Forward

Honours

European competitions

FIBA Korać Cup

Domestic competitions

French League

French Cup

Leaders Cup

French Super Cup

The road to the 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup victory

Round Team   Home     Away  
2nd round Greece AEK 81–61 77–83
Top 16 Italy Star Varèse 92–82 77–75
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zadar 90–77 93–106
Greece PAOK 73–58 78–83
Semi-finals France Olympique Antibes 75–68 69–71
Final Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Crvena Zvezda 97–73

Notable players

All-time roster

Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez All-Time Roster

References

    External links

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