What is the Canadian Elite Basketball League?

Founded in 2019 by Ontario real estate developer Richard Petko, the league aims to be a practical option for Canadian basketball players.

Its association with Basketball Canada makes it a tour of choice for Canadian players who want to pursue their careers at home after their university career in the first division in the United States. Same story for players in homesickness after years of rotation in European professional leagues.

It is also attractive to players from NBA farm clubs, and even to its alumni, who want to play during the summer.

A league created by Canadians, for Canadianscan we read on the league website and the numbers are there to show it.

75% of the players in the league are from Canada. At an average of 76%, the Alliance de Montréal is no exception. Moreover, a rule requires teams to have two Canadian players on the field at all times.

Who is the Montreal Alliance?

The Alliance comes from a long tradition of basketball teams that have passed like shooting stars in the Montreal market, and more widely in Belle Province. Sad projects that have failed, in some cases, to attract basketball fans to Montreal and its surroundings.

Dragons, the Matrix and the Kebs are a few examples.

Formally on Oct. 27 at the Verdun Auditorium, his home, the Alliance’s arrival seemed like a breath of fresh air for a variety of players who have loved basketball for years.

For the Montreal club, the expression local flavor taking on a different dimension. Ten of the 17 players on the roster are from Quebec, or nearly 60% of the squad. Three athletes from Ontario, two from the United States and two from Europe are completing the training which will be led by head coach Vincent Lavandier.

The team also decided to entrust the assistant position to Rose-Anne Joly, an ambitious coach who graduated from NBA basketball school in Dubai and was also offered the reins of the University of Ottawa’s women’s basketball program after serving as a temporary there last season.

Montrealer Joel Anthony assumes the role of general manager. The former 2.05 m center has won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013), along with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Among the players chosen by Anthony, Hernst Laroche and Kemy Ossé became the first captains in Alliance history.

A product of the University of Arkansas, in NCAA Division One, Ossé, the first team player under contract, played in the LECB in 2020 and 2021 with the Saskatchewan Rattlers. He will be one of the team leaders this season.

Who will be the opponent of the Alliance?

Six teams competed for awards in the inaugural season: Fraser Valley Bandits (BC), Edmonton Stingers (ALB), Saskatchewan Rattlers (SASK), Niagara River Lions (ONT), Guelph Nighthawks (ONT) and Hamilton Honey Badgers (ONT).

The 2022 season, which will run from May 25 to August 14, will mark the strongest expansion in its short history. After the addition of the Ottawa Blackjacks in 2020, three new formations will see the light of day this year: the Shooting Stars of Scarborough (ONT), the Alliance of Montreal (QC) and the Growlers of Newfoundland (T.-N.- L. ).

In an interview, commissioner Mike Morereale mentioned the idea of ​​reaching a total of 12, then 14 teams in the near future. The cities of Kelowna and Calgary have already begun discussions with LECB leaders.

Each team will play 20 games a season, half of them at home. The series, in the form of a four-team championship, or Final Four for insiders, will be shown at TD Place in Ottawa, Aug. 12-14. This is when the best team at the end of the season is crowned.

For those wondering who the favorites are to win the title this season, the Edmonton Stingers have won the last two championships. They have only lost 2 of their last 20 games of the season. Seriously