Circus catch Bataille performing well for NU

Bill Coen likes to call Baptiste Bataille the Renaissance Man of the Northeastern men’s basketball team. But the fourth-year coach knows that doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to defining his 5-foot-10-inch senior guard from Ferin, France.

“He’s very adventuresome and very accomplished,’’ says Coen. “There is a lot of depth there.’’

That is evident from his bio in NU’s media guide. Bataille, it says, enjoys playing piano, water sports, scuba diving, and table tennis. He speaks three languages. But there, at the bottom of his profile, is this nugget: “was in the circus as a child.’’

To those who have watched Bataille play for the Huskies the last three seasons, that explains a lot.

“You think so?’’ says Bataille. “You mean, the way I play?’’

It is not unlike watching a trapeze artist work without a net. It can be an experience replete with thrills, chills, and spills.

“That’s exactly right - he’s fearless,’’ Coen says. “For a guy his size, he’s not afraid to give up his body, whether it’s taking a charge or getting on the floor for a loose ball. Those are all energy plays that our team feeds off.’’

“Renaissance Man’’? Perhaps Bataille, who is averaging 9.4 points in 26.1 minutes a game this season, would be better suited as NU’s ringmaster.

“I try to use what I have,’’ he says. “I’m a small guy and I try to outquick people and try to outsmart them. Some of those guys are so much more athletic than I am, so I have to compensate and try and use a little more of my brain and stay low to the ground.

“As Coach Coen always says, ‘Low man wins.’ If you’re a big guy and I’m attacking you, if I’m lower than you - my center of gravity is lower than you - then I have a chance to beat you.’’

And when Bataille attacks the basket, challenging bigger opponents, it can be akin to sticking his head in a lion’s mouth.

“I’ve never done that in the circus,’’ he says, “but I like the metaphor.’’

Flipping over acrobats

The allure of the big top first struck Bataille when he was a teenager, participating in a summer discovery program sponsored by Cirque du Soleil, which ran satellite programs across the country, including the Isle of Oleron, where Bataille and his family vacationed every summer.

“I think I was about 13-14 years old, and so I started this camp and we would put together shows,’’ Bataille recalls. “I was with the acrobats. Me and this other guy would carry and throw around these little girls who would do all sorts of flips.

“Acrobatics were my specialty. I got to try out almost everything, but acrobatics was something I was pretty good at, so I kept doing it.’’