"The Moment I Found Basketball, I Knew It Was Something I Was Going To Do For The Rest Of My Life..." The Basketball Journey Of Guillaume Boucard.

When a person is passionate about their craft or their desire to be great, they tend to do anything to get the job done. Whether it’s waking up at 5 am or staying up all night to get the job done, passion is a source of fuel that drives every single one of us who has it. Yet when it comes to professional athletes, they tend to take their passion to a whole other stratosphere which then implements aspects such as work ethic, and the desire to be great. When an athlete is passionate, they will do whatever it takes to get the job done as they continuously work to improve their craft in hopes to be one day make it to the pros. The saying “hard work pays off” is the definition of Guillaume Boucard’s journey to basketball as he did not have it easy once he entered the game. However, where did this all begin?

Born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 16, 1990, Boucard started his life in the right direction. Early on, Boucard lived in a small town outside of Montreal, where he would first discover basketball. Yet the young upcoming star didn’t start his life loving basketball and instead would put all his energy on soccer. However, parts of Boucard’s life was difficult in some ways as most of his friends lived very far away while both of his parents were separated. This resulted in Boucard building a strong relationship with his brother as they would play video games at his father’s place while helping his mother and playing soccer and his mother’s home. Even though his parents were separated at a young age, they both loved and supported Boucard and his brother as they taught them values on how to be a respectable person while also working hard. However, Boucard lived with his mother mostly and would visit his father every second weekend of the year to spend time with him playing video games or playing some form of sport outside on the field. The only time that Boucard was able to watch TV or play video games was when he would visit his father. Growing up, his mother’s house didn’t have a TV or video games, which meant that Boucard occupied his time with reading books and enriching his mind with knowledge. Boucard was very close to his family growing up as he didn’t have a lot of friends due to how far away they lived. Although Boucard did make friends along the way, his true friends in his life were his family and his cousins.

Boucard growing up lived a fairly normal life. He would help his mom quite frequently and would go to a private school where he would work hard to get the best grades he could. Yet the thing that excited him the most about going to school was, playing sports with the other kids in his school. The area that he lived in growing up restricted Boucard in some ways due to a lack of a field to play soccer. Even though Boucard played on the pavement, it didn’t feel the same as playing on a field of fresh green grass. Whenever Boucard had the chance to play a sport in school, he would always jump to the opportunity due to the passion he had for sports. Even though soccer was his favourite sport to play as a kid, Boucard, as he got older, got more attached to basketball. The older Boucard got, the more he understood the complexities of basketball and instantly fell in love with the sport. Whether it was driving in the lane to get a quick lay-up or shooting a jumper, Boucard loved everything about basketball but also didn’t fully understand it. Boucard immediately had aspirations to pursue basketball; however, he realized that there were many obstacles he had to overcome.

Basketball was an early love for Boucard as he instantly gained a passion for it. Whenever Boucard had free time in school or at home, he would continuously play basketball and was extremely pleased when his mother put a basketball net in front of his house. From then on, Boucard would do nothing but play basketball and wanted to play on the varsity team; however, he could not afford it. With the financial difficulties that his family had growing up, Boucard wasn’t able to play for the varsity team due to a fee that was consolidated. Instead of accepting his fate, Boucard’s passion came unprecedented as he didn’t let this stop him. Instead, young Boucard would go all around his small community and went on a hunt to gather around any form of recyclables that could help him fund his dream. As a result, Boucard made a sufficient amount and would fund his basketball dream, which was a testimony to the amount of love and passion he had for the game. Instead of feeling defeated, Boucard worked hard and would do anything to get the funds he needed, as he did understand that basketball was a privilege and not a necessity. Yet to him, basketball was a necessity and was almost a prized possession for him as he felt that basketball was a sacred sanctuary for him when he would get stressed or overwhelmed. Even though Boucard had the right mindset when it came down to his true passion, he didn’t fully understand the complexities of the game, such as the rules and violations.

With the aspirations of one day playing professionally, Boucard would search everywhere to learn everything about basketball. Luckily enough, Boucard’s cousins were all into sports and new most, if not all, the technicalities basketball had. However, one of his cousins who were much older than him would take Boucard to a local gym and would slowly teach him aspects of the game and would also enhance his scoring ability and also a proper defensive stance. As weeks turn into months, Boucard was getting better by the minute; however, it was still not at the level he wanted to be at. Boucard would continue to train and work hard on his craft as he would wake up at 6:30 am to go to school where he would finish at 2 pm. Once school was over, Boucard would go straight to the courts where he would touch up his game before practice. Once practice was over, Boucard would then go home and work on his homework and help his mother before he went to bed. This routine would go on repeat until he would enter college.

Reflecting on Boucard’s life so far, you can immediately tell that he had a unique relationship with basketball. From the start, Boucard was willing to do anything to excel his skillset in the sport that he loves. Whether it was going door to door asking people in his neighbourhood if they had recyclables or his cousin taking him every now and then to the local basketball gym to train, Boucard had passion unlike no other at a young age. Yet, when I asked him on the phone as to why he fell in love with the game the way that he did, his response was,

“The thing about basketball is, its a very emotional sport, its something you pick up quite easily especially when people are frustrated or happy, that’s something you can see right away on a basketball court, unlike soccer where it’s a big field where you can’t see or feel anything. It’s easy to be influenced by basketball and its emotions, and that’s why I love it because that’s where I can show my true emotion to the game that I love,” said Boucard.

Emotions are what drives humanity every day. When your upset, it usually dictates how the rest of your day will pan out and vice versa. Similarily with basketball, if you score a basket or block a shot, it builds your confidence while also positively sustaining your emotions. Basketball for Boucard was much bigger than a ball going inside a hoop; it meant everything to him, hence why he never gave up and continued to work hard. His mentality of working hard and holding on to his passion is a poetic gesture to his mother. Growing up, Boucard didn’t have a lot but enough to have a good life. This was heavily due to his mother, who would work hard for the sake of her children while also setting a good example. Boucard looked up to his mother and always viewed her as a role model and continues to follow her example on a day to day basis.

Once Boucard’s high school days were over, Boucard decided to attend Carleton University, where he would play five years on the basketball team while studying economics. Boucard’s love for the game came early to him, and his passion is what set him up for greatness as he is now regarded as one of the best Canadian athletes this country has to offer. The lesson that can be taken from Boucard’s story is to never give up on what you are passionate about while also pushing through any form of adversity that comes your way. Your passion is your fuel source, which means that you always have to make sure that the tank is full and not empty. Boucard’s tank was still full, hence why he accomplished so much in his personal and professional life as a basketball player and a son.

Boucard would end up winning 5 championships with Carleton University.

Professional Career

Once Boucard graduated from Carleton University with his Economics degree, Boucard decided to take his talents to France, where he would first debut as a professional. Boucard’s experience in France was bittersweet for him as he got his first opportunity to play professionally while also having to earn his spot on the team. The transition between college to professional was quite overwhelming for the young upcoming star in the making. However, Boucard worked day and night on his game, where he would continuously improve by the minute. France wanted to Boucard to stretch the floor, which at first was a challenge and, at the same time, a blessing in disguise as he managed to expand his skillset. In his tenure with France, boucard averaged, 10 points, 5 rebounds, one steal and a block a game while shooting 44% from the field playing only 23 minutes a game. His incredible performance and elite work ethic managed to catch the attention of the NBLC, where he would join the Niagara River Lions, who were originally part of the NBLC before joining the CEBL.

Boucard’s tenure with the River Lions was an enjoyable experience for him as he managed to play with Samuel Muldrow, who is still on the team. Boucard would instantly be a full-time starter and was starting to be viewed as one of the best players in the NBLC. Boucard would average, 14 points, 8 rebounds, and a block and a steal while averaging 45% from the field in just his second year as a pro-athlete. Boucard would remain in the NBLC in the following year as he joined the Island Storm, where he would play half a season due to an ankle injury. His injury was tough to overcome; however, the love he had for the game was much stronger, and his passion for basketball is what continued to fuel his aspirations of continuing to play basketball at a high level. Despite the nagging injury, Boucard had the best season of his professional career as he averaged a staggering 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and block a game while shooting 44% from the field in 37 minutes of playing time. Boucard was starting to become an elite player and would soon be known across Canada. Boucard would be crowned First Team All-NBL player and would also be given the honours as the Canadian Player of the year or the most valuable Canadian player of the NBLC. In the following summer, Boucard would join the CEBL, where he would once again become one of the best players the CEBL had to offer. Boucard would average 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a block a game while shooting a career-high 50% from the field. Even though he took a step back in scoring, Boucard became more efficient as he also averaged close to 40% from the three-point range in just 31 minutes a game. Boucard would later be crowned as an All-CEBL first team and would be once again crowned as the Canadian Player of the year.

Boucard has been an absolute sensation for Canadian sports and will continue to do so as he is far from retiring from the game of basketball.