Élan Béarnais

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
Nickname	ÉBPLO
Leagues	Pro A
Founded	1931; 90 years ago (1931)
History	Élan Béarnais Orthez (1931–1989) Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez (1989–2008) Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (2008–present)
Arena	Palais des Sports de Pau
Capacity	7,707
Location	Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
Team colors	White and Green
President	Didier Rey
General manager	Didier Gadou
Head coach	Laurent Vila
Championships	9 French Championships 3 Tournoi des As Cup 3 French Cups 1 Semaine des As Cup 1 Korać Cup
Website	elan-bearnais.fr
Home Away

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez, also known as simply Élan Béarnais,^[1] and formerly known as Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Pau.^[2][3] They compete in the top-tier French league, the LNB Pro A. They are one of the most successful clubs in French basketball history, as they have won nine French League championships and have had European-wide successes as well.

History[]

The Élan Béarnais was founded in 1931 in the town of Orthez in Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the southwest of France. 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 FIBA 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 FIBA 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 Tel Aviv, 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: , the beloved longtime president of the club, and , 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 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.

Arena[]

Pau-Orthez play their home games at the Palais des Sports de Pau, which has a seating capacity of 7,707 people.

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 is also a fierce rival of the Élan Béarnais, and games against both of these teams are referred to as the "Clasicos" of French basketball, receiving tremendous hype from the media and fans.

Players[]

Retired numbers[]

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez retired numbers
No.	Nat.	Player	Position	Tenure
10			F	1982–2002

Current roster[]

Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age PG 1 Bibbins, Justin 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 68 kg (150 lb) 25 – (1996-01-23)23 January 1996 PG 2 Threatt, Jay 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 79 kg (174 lb) 32 – (1989-08-08)8 August 1989 PG 4 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 30 – (1990-11-19)19 November 1990 SF 9 Leloup, Jérémy 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 34 – (1987-01-31)31 January 1987 PG 11 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 20 – (2001-08-24)24 August 2001 PF 12 Cornelie, Petr 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 26 – (1995-06-25)25 June 1995 PF 23 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 27 – (1993-12-15)15 December 1993 SF 35 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 22 – (1998-10-03)3 October 1998 C 37 de Jong, Nicolas 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 114 kg (251 lb) 33 – (1988-04-15)15 April 1988 G 44 Sanford, Vincent 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 30 – (1990-12-05)5 December 1990 C 55 N'Diaye, Hamady 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 34 – (1987-01-12)12 January 1987 SG Hrovat, Gregor 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 27 – (1994-08-18)18 August 1994 C Chikoko, Vitalis 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 30 – (1991-02-11)11 February 1991 F Archie, Dominique 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 34 – (1987-08-19)19 August 1987 PG Jefferson, Brandon 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 78 kg (172 lb) 29 – (1991-11-25)25 November 1991 SF Oniangue, Giovan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 30 – (1991-04-24)24 April 1991	Head coach Assistant coach(es) Team manager Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: August 25, 2021

Notable players[]

showCriteria
To appear in this section a player must have either: Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club. Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time. Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

FIBA Hall of Famers[]

Élan Béarnais Hall of Famers
Players
No.	Nat.	Name	Position	Tenure	Inducted
11		Antoine Rigaudeau	G	1995–1997	2015[4]

All-time roster[]

Honours[]

Total titles: 18

Domestic competitions[]

• French League

Winners (9): 1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04

Runners-up (4): 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2001–02

• French Cup

Winners (3): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2006–07

Runners-up (2): 2000–01, 2003–04

• Leaders Cup

Winners (4): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2002-03

• French Super Cup

Winners (1): 2007

European competitions[]

• EuroLeague

3rd place (1): 1986–87

• FIBA Korać Cup (defunct)

Winners (1): 1983–84

Semifinalists (1): 1994–95

• European Super Cup (semi-official, defunct)

Runners-up (1): 1984

Season by season[]

Season	Tier	Division	Pos.	W–L	French Cup	European competitions
2009–10	2	Pro B	1st
2010–11	1	Pro A	9th	13–17
2011–12	1	Pro A	15th	7–23		3 EuroChallenge	RS	1–5
2012–13	2	Pro B	2nd
2013–14	1	Pro A	11th	15–15
2014–15	1	Pro A	13th	13–21
2015–16	1	Pro A	7th	21–15
2016–17	1	Pro A	7th	23–14		4 FIBA Europe Cup	R2	8–2

In European and worldwide competitions[]

The road to the 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup victory[]

Kit manufacturer[]

2017: PEAK^[5]

References[]

External links[]

• Official Site (in French)