The event will bring together six American college teams, facing face off in a nine-game series from Nov. 25–27.

Three matches per day are scheduled between the teams of Stephen F. Austin, Quinnipiac, Montana State, UNCG, MTSU, and Hofstra.

“We invited all the NCAA teams for the event, and those are the ones that answered the call,” explained Emilio Zaga Mendez, brand manager at Evenko. “They’re sanctioned games, so they’ll directly influence the qualification of those teams for the post-season tournament.”

Indeed, it’s not only about preparatory games, like the one disputed between Duke and McGill University in this same building in 2018. The teams will thus have their best lineup on the field.

Laval’s Pick

Zaga Mendez believes Place Bell was the ideal location for the event due to the availability of the place, and the pool of basketball fans.

“We know Montreal and Laval are basketball fans,” he said. “Every year, the [Toronto] Raptors preseason games are working very well at the Bell Centre. We hope it will be a recurring event every year.”

Zaga Mendez sees the event as a “basketball clinic” for young fans of the sport, dreaming of making a career out of it.

Nancy Harold, executive director of the Association régionale de Basketball Laval, sees it the same way.

“It’s clear that it can interest our young people,” Harold assured. “What they need is to believe it’s possible. I think many parents can say basketball is a sport that can lead a young person to academic success, have discipline, team spirit and perseverance.”

Succession

Harold also believes the increase in interest in this sport could lead to the possible presence of a Laval player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

“There’s talent here, and we believe the next Quebec NBA player is at Basketball Laval,” she said. “It’s such a rewarding sport for our young people, and it’s unfortunate that it’s not highlighted. We need more high-level basketball in Quebec.”

In total, the Association régionale de Basketball Laval plans to have around 50 young athletes from its program on site to attend the event.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article NCAA Basketball Stops at Place Bell est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

That foundation, Le BUT, is mostly an idea of Pierre Gendron, director of operations and president of Sports Rousseau – Groupe Gendron 3.0, and his colleagues.

The goal of the foundation is quite simple, as there’s no membership needed like some other foundations.

People wanting to help young people who can’t afford to buy equipment and play hockey can go to a Sports Rousseau store and drop off their hockey items in a red box identified in this regard, as explained in a press release.

Gendron was visibly moved by the official launch of the foundation. A video about him, showing clips of him younger, playing hockey and sharing beautiful moments with his loved ones, was also shown on a screen at the start of the conference.

“Like we saw in the video, it’s because of my mom and my love for hockey that I’m here today,” Gendron said. “My mom’s no longer with us now, but I want to thank her. She gave me everything. She made sure I didn’t notice anything. We weren’t rich, but I never noticed that. She worked very hard, had to do a lot for my registrations and often found me someone to drop me off and pick me up at games and practices.”

Joël Bouchard, former head coach of many junior and professional hockey teams, in addition to having had other important roles in the domain, concluded the press conference nicely.

“It’s now our job to help those young people,” said Bouchard. “When this press conference is over, I will go shopping and buy some items to put in the box. Today, I am a lucky man to be here and to be able to give back. The simple fact of that I know the equipment I’m going to buy will end up somewhere in Quebec, and help a young person to have an extraordinary experience, as we’ve had, us here, that gives me chills.”

L’article New Foundation to Help Young People Play Hockey est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The first part of the competition, which will feature Canada’s best under-12s, will take place from August 20-26. Athletes 14 and under will follow a few days later, playing from August 28 to September 3.

These athletes have received their access for the competition through their provincial ranking and qualifying events.

For the first two editions presented in Laval, this event was selected as the Canadian tournament of the year. According to Laurent Denis, general manager of Carrefour Multisports, the reduction of constraints related to the pandemic should allow them to win this distinction again in 2022.

“It’s way easier this year in terms of preparing the event,” Denis said. “We weren’t worried, and the mask requirements have dropped, so it’s really easier for us. The same can also be said for transport.”

Professional Atmosphere

Three members of the Club Tomahawk will play the tournament. This is a first for the organizers, who intend to offer them the privilege of playing on the main field of the centre multisports. The same goes for all participating Laval residents.

“We really want all participants to live a unique experience,” Denis said. “They have privileged access, are staying in hotels, and will feel like professionals throughout the week.”

The red clay surface at Carrefour Multisports, similar to that of Roland-Garros, also enhances the experience of the young players.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Laval to Host Canadian Tennis’ Next Generation est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.