Their smiles are the kind you only see when people are working toward something bigger. Together. For one another. Full of enthusiasm. Nothing seems too much trouble.
At a tiny market in southwestern France, a story about basketball is being written.
And about community.
The best stories are often the ones you stumble upon by accident. If there really is such a thing as “by accident.”
That morning, I was at a park with my daughter in the little village of Linxe – on vacation and, for a brief and blissful moment, disconnected from everyday life. I had no idea that less than an hour later, I’d feel that familiar journalistic rush.
The kind of rush you get when you stumble upon a story you immediately know you’ll enjoy telling.
My wife, daughter and I were heading to the bakery.
For a baguette. And a strawberry tart. We’re on vacation, after all.
All of a sudden – the Friday market.
What’s Basketball Doing Here?
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“Merci Coach Nono,” reads the T-shirt of a friendly young man frying eggs next to a griddle in the middle of the small market.
Above the words is a picture of a girls’ youth basketball team.
OK, now you’ve got my attention.
Basket Côte Atlantique – BCA – is a basketball club bringing together three small villages: Linxe, where we are, Castets and Lesperon.
They’re looking for sponsors, but they’re not leaving anything to chance.
Who’s “they”?
Inès, Morgan, Frédéric, Philippe, Stéphanie, Virginie, Florian, Arnaud, François, Jean-Pierre.
Breakfast for Basketball
Everyone has a role in putting together a heavenly breakfast, with the scent of pine trees all around us.
Two fried eggs, green salad with dressing, two slices of crispy baguette with spread and prosciutto.
Eight euros, all of it going directly to Basket Côte Atlantique.
Everyone working here is a volunteer.
“About 300 euros,” a beaming Inès tells me when I ask how much they usually make, turning immediately to the others to make sure she’s got the number right.
Stéphanie, a friendly woman with glasses, shows my daughter Iva that she’s welcome to sit and eat at their table. The other tables are too high for her.
Their faces light up as they watch Iva devour her breakfast.
Her dad isn’t doing badly either, but I also want to learn more about the club.
A little English, a little Spanish, a little French typed into the Notes app on my phone – and eventually, we piece the story together.
But the most important part is clear without words: sport is a wonderful reason for a community to come together.
Two Fridays each month are reserved for raising money for the basketball club. The other two belong to the local rugby club.
It Takes a Village
The basketball club from Landes – the department in the far southwest of France – has 300 registered members and 19 teams. Its senior women’s team competes at regional level.
“We organize a lot of events to raise money and help finance the club. We have many volunteers who take part – often our players, as well as the parents of children who train with us. People genuinely enjoy it and are always happy to get involved,” curly-haired Morgan tells us between customers.
The club simply couldn’t function without its volunteers – financially or otherwise.
Even players from the senior teams coach the younger age groups.
“We’re looking for sponsors who can help the club continue to live and function because running it requires a significant budget, especially for small village communities like ours,” Morgan tells us as she points out the gym and a nearby outdoor multi-purpose court with two hoops.
Every Player’s Dream in Landes
Il y a du monde pour le premier match de 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝘄 en D3 du côté de Biscarosse ! 👀 pic.twitter.com/IZgi2Fg8ez
— SKWEEK (@SkweekSports) October 15, 2023
“Every basketball player in Landes dreams of winning the Coupe des Landes,” Morgan adds with a smile.
If that sounds familiar, there may be a reason.
Two years ago, former NBA champion Boris Diaw brought together a group of former professional players and won the Coupe des Landes with Biscarrosse.
Eight thousand fans watched the final.
BCA reached the quarterfinals, where it lost to a team competing at national level.
As another round of plates is filled, they send us on our way with broad smiles and a toast.
“Au revoir!”