If other ULEB Cup clubs attest to pro basketball fever in small cities, the exploits of Pau-Orthez celebrates the sport at its real grass roots. Orthez, a village of 11,000, first made it to the table of the biggest names in Europe with a Korac Cup victory in 1984 that came with a laundry list of better-known victims from bigger cities. Two years later, Pau staged a miracle as it knocked off the biggest names in Europe while placing third in the Euroleague. The need to survive among the continent's biggest and best clubs led to a marriage of necessity. The club moved to the nearby town of Pau, population 80,000, to become Pau-Orthez. Soon, the club came to dominate French basketball at home and represent it admirably abroad. The first in a string of four consecutive domestic titles arrived came in 1996 and sent Pau to the Euroleague repeatedly. With its growing European experience, Pau became a regular in further rounds at the Euroleague level. After alternating French titles for a couple years, Pau put another pair together again in 2003 and 2004, giving it a total of 10 in less than 20 years. Over the years, players like Fred Fauthoux, the Gadou brothers or Laurent Foirest led a team famous for developing talents such as the Pietrus brothers, Boris Diaw or Johan Petro. In 2002-03, Pau added its fifth French Cup to win its second domestic trophy double in 12 seasons. In 2003-04, Pau showed that it can stand up with the elite teams on the continent, too, when it reached the Euroleague Top 16. The team kept facing the very best Euroleague team in the last three years, but it wasn't until last season that the team managed to add another trophy, the 2007 French Cup. Pau showed its power in the Euroleague, returning to the Top 16. But as in many a small market, Pau has a dedicated fan base to rely on and winning tradition to remember as it tries to get on track with a turnaround season in 2007-08.