Life in France: Guillaume Boucard

The MBA are one of the 28-teams that play in the Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1) league of the FFBB. Founded in 1932, the FFBB operates the French National Team and organizes the Coupe de France for both the professional male and female basketball leagues. 

With the official season tipping off on October 10th, we caught up with Boucard to see how things are unfolding so far for him in France. 

With this being Boucard’s second season in Mulhouse, he was excited to see his old teammates and pick up where they last left off during their previous season which came to an abrupt end in March due to COVID-19. 

“There’s a lot of familiar faces and we got into things really fast,” said Boucard. “But for us, not much is new. We’re pretty much running the same plays as we did last year and because there’s so many of us [players returning] it wasn’t too hard to get back on the same page. We’ve just had to fill in the couple of new guys.”

As one of the starting five players for the MBA, Guillaume has made his presence known. So far, during the official season, the MBA holds a 2-2 record, with Boucard leading his team in points and rebounds. 

However, as the COVID-19 cases have begun to rise in France and with concerns over a second wave, the league has seen a few games cancelled or postponed.  

“Our pool of teams has especially been hit,” continued Boucard, “I got tested today actually because my team makes us take a test every week. Some other clubs do it too, but I know not all of them test their players”. 

As a result, the MBA is now entering a schedule where they play twice a week so their players and team staff will be tested between each game. 

Aside from basketball, Boucard keeps himself busy with yoga, cooking new dishes, studying for his certificate in financial planning, as well as modelling.

While life in France has been an easy adjustment for the French-Canadian, there are some little adjustments to his regular lifestyle that he has made while living in the eastern city close to the Swiss and German borders. “I like yoga, but I prefer hot yoga and unfortunately, there aren’t any hot yoga classes in my area, so I settle for regular,” commented Boucard. “I also really enjoy cooking and being on my own, I’ve spent some extra time learning new recipes, like most recently chilli, and trying new foods. I want to expand my knowledge in the kitchen because I just find it fun to cook.” 

In preparation for life after basketball, Boucard is working towards becoming a financial advisor. With his undergraduate degree in Economics from Carleton University, Boucard has always considered it a goal of his to work in the financial sector. “I want to become a financial advisor to help people with their portfolio or retirement plans. A lot of what I’m studying is about stocks and how companies work, especially in the Canadian market” said Boucard. “I also invest on my own and this year more than any other years, I’ve been more into politics.”; 

The basketball professional also has been pursuing a modelling career on the side and although. he has considered modelling since his Carleton University days, it was not until last summer that he stepped outside his comfort zone and took it more seriously. 

“When I was in university, I just didn't feel like I had time and [modelling] wasn't a priority. Now that I’m playing pro, I feel like I have more time because school is not in the way,” said Boucard. “The first agency I ever auditioned for turned me down, but I was picked up by the second agency that I auditioned for. I like [modelling] because I’m not really a social guy, and it gets me out of my comfort zone”. 

In the early days of Boucard’s modelling career he was featured as an actor in an NFL store commercial that allowed him to get a a foot in the door and some good experience under his belt. Since his arrival in Mulhouse, Boucard has continued to pursue the modelling avenue and has been in contact with a few local French photographers.  

For Boucard, keeping in touch with family and friends is priority and something he constantly does through social media. . Luckily, he also has some some family in South-East France that he hopes to play in front of sometime this season provided that the games do not get postponed or cancelled. 

Considering that COVID-19 cases are on the rise right now in France, the 2020-21 FFBB season is at risk of having to suspend play again. Cities across France have implemented new curfews and restrictions in effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to deter citizens from travelling within the country. 

“I’m just hoping that our season is going to continue, unlike what happened last season which was pretty rough.” While Boucard remains optimistic, he is nervous that things may come to a halt once again. 

With the Christmas holidays less than two months away, Boucard is unsure what he is going to do. “I get two weeks off at Christmas and right now I do have a flight to come home. But it’s going to be a weird if I have to quarantine for 14 days [when I’m home] because I won’t be able to be with my family. It’s a dilemma that I will have to make a decision on as we get closer”. 

Boucard's next game is set for October 30th. Live game feeds are unfortunately unavailable to North American viewers, however, the Mulhouse Basket Allgomeration schedule, stats, and roster can be found here.