When you talk about basketball talent north of the border nowadays, no conversation can be complete without mentioning Champlain St. Lambert (Montreal, Canada).
John Dangelas’ program has watched as Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes left for Gonzaga and Olivier Lamoureux departed for UMass.
However, the cupboard is far from bare.
``We’re deeper than we were last year,” Dangelas said. “Usually my teams always play hard, especially on the defensive side. This year we’re more naturally gifted offensively.”
Michigan State-bound 6-4, 180-pound senior guard Maurice Joseph will take on even more of a leadership role than he had a year ago. He’s a big-time scorer who doesn’t exactly fit the label of most Canadian ballplayers.
``He’s hard-nosed, just makes shots and is real, real competitive,” Dangelas said. “He doesn’t even talk about games. He talks about practices. This guy’s the furthest thing from soft you can get. He doesn’t play like he’s from Canada. He plays like he’s from the Bronx or Compton.”
Joseph won’t have to shoulder the load by himself, though, as he’ll have 6-6, 195-pound senior swingman Max Pauhlus-Gosselin and 6-6, 200-pound junior wing William Archambault to help him out.
Pauhlus-Gosselin has committed to Davidson and Archambault, a big-time shooter who will need to get tougher, is already receiving interest from the likes of Boston College, Gonzaga, Northwestern, Davidson, Utah, Florida, Toledo and Illinois.
Etoile Imama will likely start at the point guard spot despite the fact that the 6-2, 180-pounder is just a sophomore. Patrick Kervin is a 5-11, 170-pound left-handed junior who should see time running the team as well. Another player who will get time in the backcourt is 6-3 sophomore Olivier Boyard, who is already receiving Ivy and Patriot league looks.
There will be three primary big guys that Dangelas will use along the frontline. Phillippe Letourneau is an undersized power forward at just 6-4, but he does all the little things and adds speed and athleticism to the frontcourt. Maxime Boudreau is a 6-7 ½, 215-pound junior power forward getting interest from Long Island, St. Francis, UNH and Santa Clara and 6-9, 215-pound junior Kambi Laleye is the biggest of the group at 6-9 and 215 pounds.
Other players who should see time off the bench include 6-4, 200-pound sophomore forward Raul Tutelea, 6-1 senior guard Bradley Zrihen, 6-4 sophomore swingmen Valeriu Lazarescu and Alex Sabino-Ifill and 6-2, 210-pound senior Rodney Skerritt. Juniors Michael White and Richard Belanger-Finn fill out the roster.
Also, Ibrahim Ipappa, a 6-3 ½ junior shooting guard with plenty of talent who hails from Africa, is on track to become eligible at Champlain St. Lambert around Christmas.
``If we’re lacking anything, it’s experience,” Dangelas said. “We only have three seniors who have played significant minutes and the rest are juniors and sophomores.”