Even though there is no professional basketball team in Quebec City, no less than 6,000 enthusiasts took their place at the Videotron Center to get to know the LECB during its Duel Est vs Ouest. In light of this first meeting, there is reason to believe that there is material to forge a longer relationship.
There hadn’t been professional basketball in Quebec since the Kebs left in 2012. Obviously, there was an appetite for the Duel de la LECB, won by the score of 107 to 102 by the team of the West.
The caliber of play is high with a good part of the players present who have tasted the G League, the antechamber of the NBA. The target audience is definitely young, with some stylistic differences from the NBA. This can be seen, for example, in the music that resounds from the beginning to the end of the game, except for rare moments of silence at free throws. The quarters are also 10 minutes rather than 12 and the end of the game is decided on a target score.
“We are super happy. We were eager to see people’s reaction and what we see is that they appreciated it. People are smiling. It’s as if professional basketball was missing in Quebec. I think there is a place for that,” said Quebecor Sports and Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Martin Tremblay.
A great atmosphere reigned at the Videotron Center for the Duel de la LECB, in front of 6,000 spectators. Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
Five Quebecers were in action, including former Rouge et Or Marc-André Fortin, who was added to the Eastern roster at the last moment, after a withdrawal.
“I was really excited when I got the call. It’s crazy to see that it was so full! It bodes well for a team in Quebec,” he noted.
Close to an agreement?
After the game, LECB commissioner Mike Morreale had an easy smile.
“I’m impressed with how many people showed up here for a league they didn’t know and knowing they don’t have a team. It makes me dream of what basketball could be like here, ”he raved, adding that there would be only a few details to settle to formalize the arrival of Quebec as the 11th market.
“Pretty much whatever needed to be done to convince [Martin Tremblay] was done. We still have to finalize,” he said.
Several players had wings at the Videotron Center. Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
no press
Even if the tone is positive all along the line, both among the public and within the LECB, Martin Tremblay nevertheless continues to insist that Quebecor will not embark on the adventure of basketball with its eyes closed. The market study which is in progress should continue until the second week of September.
“We will not make a decision on a corner of the table. We will not rush to miss our shot. If we embark on this, it is in the long term”, he specified.
Wind of enthusiasm at the Alliance
Several representatives of the Alliance de Montréal were there, including Quebecer Nathan Cayo. Didier Debusschere / Le Journal de Quebec
The enthusiasm for the project of a team in Quebec is particularly palpable in the organization of the Alliance of Montreal, which salivates at the idea of living another chapter of the Quebec-Montreal rivalry, this time in the LECB.
Charles Dubé-Brais, Alliance assistant coach and general manager of Western training at the Videotron Centre, was delighted that 6,000 fans answered the call.
“It’s great because Quebec is one of the big Canadian markets that doesn’t have a team right now. The fact that there are so many people responding when it’s not even a local team playing shows how much interest people have in basketball.
“With what it has given in Winnipeg, which is a market with a similar population and an amphitheater that looks like here with 6,000 people per game this year, there is reason to believe that it can work in Quebec. Quebec is this kind of city where sports from different leagues work very well,” he commented.
Not like the Kebs
The latter lived the epic of the Kebs in Quebec as head coach and he ensures that the two products should not be compared.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with it. We are talking about a league that is doing very well and that is supported by Basketball Canada. There are a lot of national team players who come to play, as well as former NBA players. This league and what’s been here before, it’s not even close to comparing, “he said.
For her part, the president of the Alliance, Annie Larouche, continues to believe that the team can be born in the short term in Quebec.
“I think it’s realistic for 2024. There have been discussions for some time and there is interest from Quebec. Everything is possible when you think that the creation of the Alliance was announced in October 2021 and that we started in May 2022. In Quebec, everything is already in place with the Videotron Center and the staff. It is easily achievable,” she confided earlier this week.
2023-08-27 00:38:50
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