Players in the basketball community in Montreal deplore the lack of infrastructure in the city, at a time when the enthusiasm for this sport is at its highest.
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“We have nothing to envy to the United States in terms of talent,” says Nathan Cayo, who wore the colors of the Montreal Alliance last season. The fan support is amazing here. All we need is better sports facilities. »
Montréal-Nord is a blatant example of this; the borough is a talent pool with Chris Boucher, Luguentz Dort and Bennedict Mathurin, who play in the NBA, but there is still no sports center. Amateurs should train in school gymnasiums after school hours.
“Often, practices start around 7 p.m., which limits access to basketball for the youngest,” explains the director of the Montreal-Nord basketball club, Wilmann Edouard.
“In Montreal, it’s always been difficult to find a place to practice,” explains Cayo. When I want some shoot, I sometimes have to drive across town to find an available gym. I’m lucky to know some coaches universities that can open the doors of their halls to me, but for young amateurs, it’s immediately much more complicated. »
Undeniable enthusiasm
“If we lack infrastructure, it’s also because we have a lot more players than before,” explains Nelson Ossé, a former coach of Dort and Mathurin.
“When Toronto won in 2019, we saw young people celebrating in the streets of Montreal,” says ex-professional player who became coach at Concordia University, Dwight Walton. Several NBA players are from Montreal, it inspires young people here. In their minds, the dream has become possible. »
In 2020, Basketball Quebec had 52,000 registrants, compared to 39,000 in 2014.
“And this figure only takes into account those registered in school clubs, in reality, it is much broader than that! enthused Alliance Vice-President of Operations, Annie Larouche.
For its first season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the Montreal club exceeded all expectations.
“We are the team with the most tickets sold,” she says. On average, we had 2900 fans per game, out of a capacity of 3467. There was a real expectation of having a professional basketball team in Montreal. »
Funds claimed
In September, Mayor Valérie Plante assured that Montreal was “seen as a basketball city”.
“For us to really be seen as a basketball stronghold, we need to inject more funds,” says Ossé.
Repeatedly postponed, a sports center project in Montreal North seems to have stalled.
“The project will require nearly $100 million,” says Mayor Christine Black. We all want the center to see the light of day. This would be great news to encourage our young talents to develop here. But that takes the support of the city, the government and the federal government. »
Train the next generation
To sustainably professionalize athletes, focusing on training could be a solution.
“We need to attract the best coaches to train our young people at the highest level, thinks Hernst Laroche, a professional player who passed through the Alliance. Coaches are very well paid in Ontario or in American universities, much less in Montreal. »
For Walton, the construction of a “basketball academy” like in Ontario could also be an avenue to consider.
“Such an infrastructure would make it possible to bring together all our young talents in a well-identified place, to better train the next generation, explains the Concordia coach. The academy would teach our young people to train well, to eat well, and would give them all the possibilities to put themselves in the best conditions in order to become professionals. »