Andrew
Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez, the team that Zimbabwean professional basketball player Vitalis Chikoko turns out for, will this weekend take their never-ending battle for survival to the west of France when they clash with fourth-placed Cholet at the La Meilleraie Arena.
Pau-Orthez, as they are also called, have not had the best start to the 2022/2023 French basketball season as they currently lie 15th in the French Pro A Basketball League ahead of Saturday evening’s game.
The Pau-based basketball club has only two wins from their first seven games of the season and currently lie just two slots above the drop zone with a record of 2-5.
Only Le Portel, Strasbourg and Paris (all 1-6) have a worse off start to the season.
Their opponents Cholet, however, are fourth on the table and have won five of their opening six matches.
They have played a game less than Chikoko’s Pau-Orthez.
The less-than-desirable start comes fresh off the heels of a tricky off-season in which the Pau-based club was almost demoted to the amateur level due to financial reasons.
According to reports from France, on June 22 it was announced that Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez will be demoted to the amateur level by the French LNB league due to financial reasons.
Fifteen days later, the decision was approved by the Superior Management Council of the National Basketball League.
Luckily for them, the legendary French club’s shares were then bought by Sabastien Menard, president of the Eat4Good group on July 22.
Menard is then believed to have presented his plan to the FFBB appeal committee, which was successful.
The Appeals Chamber of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) then decided to reinstate the club in the French LNB.
Control of the club was handed to the American investment fund, Counterpointe Sports Group, over a year ago.
Elan Bearnais is a historic French basketball club with nine French championship titles and a FIBA Korac Cup title in 1984.
The team won the French Cup this year and was a semi-finalist in the French LNB. – Online Reporter/basketnews.com
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter