Boulazac

Boulazac Basketball

	Foundation	1992
	Arena	Le Palio
	Championships	Betclic ÉLITE
	Coach	Alexandre Ménard
	Famous players who have played for the club	Tony Snell / Will Cherry / Quinton Ross

Player to watch : Tony Snell

The player with the most NBA games in Betclic ÉLITE (648) is… in Boulazac! Having arrived in the Dordogne this summer, Tony Snell is the big surprise of this summer’s transfer market. From Derrick Rose’s Bulls to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, the wing has scored over 3,800 points in the NBA.

Renowned across the Atlantic for his defense, Tony Snell is a true 3-and-D player. With his lanky build, his athleticism gives him great versatility, even now at age 34. A true warrior, the American is far from done delighting fans.

Playing Style

With the club since 2022, Alexandre Ménard has been through it all with Boulazac. Signed to save the club from relegation in the Nationale division, the Choletais native now faces the same challenge, but in the Betclic ÉLITE. And like the summer signings, the BBD is built around a rock-solid defense and a well-oiled team dynamic.

This solid foundation allows the team to adapt to its opponent without having to completely overhaul its approach. In Alexandre Ménard’s teams, this understanding of the game complements the physical intensity brought by his players’ profiles.

Club History

After Paris Basketball, Boulazac Basketball Dordogne is the second-youngest club in Betclic ÉLITE. Founded in 1992 in the shadow of rugby, US Périgueux Basket quickly began to make its mark. Although the club established itself at the national level in the mid-1990s, it remained inconsistent. This chronic instability came to an end following their promotion to National 2 at the conclusion of a surprising season.

Driven by an increasingly loyal fan base, USPB once again defied all expectations by winning the 2003 NM2. The team, now known as Boulazac Basket Dordogne, continued its momentum and won the NM1 in its second season (2005). A meteoric rise that came to a halt once Pro B was reached. The Boulazac team stagnated for six consecutive seasons. Stuck between 11th and 15th place, their move to the Palio in 2008 did nothing to change that. But this long wait was finally rewarded with a promotion secured by the skin of their teeth.

The BBD’s debut in the top tier of French basketball did not go as planned. With only four wins in the first half of the season, the team’s fate seemed sealed. And despite a blistering finish to the season, Boulazac was relegated by a single, heartbreaking loss. This relegation also marked the end of the Sylvain Lautié era. The Boulazac management dug deep into their pockets to secure an immediate return to the top flight, but this ended in a frustrating 12th-place finish.

Boulazac then changed course and focused on continuity. This new approach was rewarded with an encouraging run to the promotion semifinals in 2015. This was followed by a 2016 Leaders Cup Pro B final, finally leading to a return to Pro A in 2017. The joy was short-lived, however, as the BBD finished in the relegation zone, again on the final day of the season. Fortunately for the club, the LNB allowed them to remain in the top flight due to an administrative non-compliance issue with a promoted team. The recent French Cup finalists seized this opportunity, finishing in a respectable 10th place the following season.

Nevertheless, that promising season did not pan out. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBD finished dead last in the league, due to a string of injuries. Worse still, in 2022, the Boulazac team narrowly avoided relegation to the Nationale division. Alexandre Ménard, who took over as head coach midway through the season, got the Périgourdins back on track. And following two consecutive appearances in the Final Four, Boulazac won the 2025 Pro B title—the club’s first and only “major” trophy in its professional era.

Spotlight : Fans

At Boulazac Basket Dordogne, there weren’t one or two, but three fan groups at the Palio during the club’s second stint in the top division. This is particularly rare in basketball—and in French sports in general

First, there are “Les Requins” – a historic BBD group founded when the club was still playing in the National League. Then there are “Les Gouyats” – created in 2012 to energize the Palio from the main stands. And finally, “Les Ultras Blue Lions” – an association founded in January 2018 but which has since ceased operations.