CHRISTIAN ROHLEHR

The Montreal Alliance (1-3) are looking to build on the momentum of their first win of the season as they welcome in an Ottawa BlackJacks (0-3) team that’s still searching for its first victory in the 2024 campaign. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Verdun Auditorium, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+, RDS.ca, the RDS app, Courtside 1891 (outside of North America) and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be televised on TSN, RDS and NLSE in the United States. The Alliance managed to defeat the Brampton Honey Badgers Sunday, 95-77, despite being without leading scorer Jordan Bowden, who was placed on the injured list on May 30 with a lower-body injury. In his absence, fellow Alliance starters Chris Smith and Ahmed Hill chipped in with 23 and 19 points, respectively as Montreal routed Brampton. The 95 points Montreal put up Sunday was an encouraging step in the right direction for an offence that’s been inconsistent this season. In two of the Alliance’s four games thus far, they’ve been held to below 78 points, while in their other two contests, they’ve put up 90 and the 95 from Sunday’s outing. “Staying consistent in what we do,” said Alliance interim head coach Ryan Thorne Sunday. “Where we would fall short often times was we would play iso ball. … We [have] to trust each other, move the ball side to side, make the defence move to create greater opportunities.” Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr., who has been away from the team as he completed his obligations as head coach of Pioneros de Los Mochis of CIBACOPA in Mexico, will coach his first game with the club Wednesday. For Ottawa, the 0-3 start is the worst in franchise history. The team has been shorthanded to begin the year, with key starters from last season Deng Adel and Zena Edosomwan away completing their professional seasons overseas. With some key absences across the roster, there’s been a need for other players to step up for the BlackJacks, and American imports Brandon Sampson and Isaih Moore look to be those guys. Both are averaging 19 points per game in just their second and first CEBL seasons, respectively. If Ottawa is going to finally win a ball game this season, it’ll more than likely be because of the efforts of Sampson and Moore. Key matchup The battle between Montreal’s Smith and Ottawa’s Moore should be a fun one to watch. Both men are long, athletic bigs that can rim run with the best of them. Moore is listed to have an inch over Smith (6-foot-10 compared to 6-foot-9), so that might be a small advantage in favour of Moore. However, with both players doing such similar things on the floor and emerging as key contributors for their respective teams, it’ll be interesting to see who can get the better of the other – particularly because that could just be the deciding factor in the game. Milestone watch · Montreal’s Guillaume Payen-Boucard, of Montreal, Que., needs 12 points to reach 500 for his career, regular season only. · Montreal’s Ahmed Hill needs seven rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Ottawa’s Jermel Kennedy, of Malton, Ont., needs eight rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Montreal’s Guillaume Payen-Boucard, of Montreal, Que., needs two assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season only. · Ottawa’s Lloyd Pandi, of Ottawa, Ont., needs three assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate needs seven assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Montreal’s Ahmed Hill needs four steals to reach 50 for his career, regular season only. 2023 season series The Alliance finished their season series 2-1 against the Blackjacks last season. In the third and final matchup between the two sides in 2023, Hill drilled a three-pointer in Target Score Time to seal the win and the season series for Montreal.

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday its official training camp roster in preparation for the 2024 CEBL season. Led by General Manager and Head Coach James Derouin, and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Jevohn Shepherd, Ottawa’s current training camp roster consists of 16 players. Earlier today, the BlackJacks also announced the signing of six-foot-six forward Alonzo Walker, who just completed his fourth professional season in Slovakia. Walker has experience in the CEBL, having competed with the Niagara River Lions in 2022 and 2023. Highlights of the 2024 Ottawa BlackJacks roster include: Five players with NBA G League or NBA Summer League experience (Abu Kigab, Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson, Peter Jok, and Tyrrel Tate). Six players who have suited up for the BlackJacks in the past (Abu Kigab, Dragan Stajic, James Jean-Marie, Lloyd Pandi, Tyrrel Tate, and Yasiin Joseph). Seven players with ties to the nation’s capital (Dragan Stajic, JD Muila, Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Kevin Otoo, Lloyd Pandi, Michael Kelvin II, and Yasiin Joseph). Two American players (Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson). One Sudanese player (Peter Jok). Three players who have signed their first professional contract (Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Michael Kelvin II, Kevin Otoo). 10 players with CEBL experience. 11 NCAA Division I alumni. The Ottawa BlackJacks have previously announced the signing of American forward Jakeenan Gant, Canadian guard Javon Masters, and Canadian guard Keevan Veinot. These players have been placed on the club’s suspended list and will join the team upon the completion of their current international season. Training Camp is set to on Saturday, May 18, at Collège La Cité. Members of the media who are seeking accreditation for BlackJacks Media Day, training sessions and home games are invited to apply through the BlackJacks portal: https://www.theblackjacks.ca/media-accreditation . The BlackJacks will be responsible for the review process and delivery of the accreditation decisions. Further information will be sent to media once accreditation is approved. Ottawa BlackJacks 2024 Training Camp Roster

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Canadian forward James Jean-Marie has re-signed with the Club for the 2024 CEBL season. A six-foot-eight forward from Montreal, Quebec, Jean-Marie averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 20.3 minutes in 69 professional games across various leagues in Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Greece, and the CEBL. Jean-Marie joined the BlackJacks during the summer of 2023, where he averaged 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17 games played with the team. He scored a season-high of 13 points on July 5 against Saskatchewan and grabbed a season-high of eight rebounds on June 27 against Brampton. He is currently completing his winter season with Kaposvari KK in the Hungarian NBIA, averaging 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. He began the season with Okapi Aalstar in the BNXT league in Belgium and the Netherlands. After spending six years in the United States, the Portland State alumnus returned to his hometown in 2022 to debut his professional career with the Montreal Alliance of the CEBL. He scored in double digits twice, including a season-high of 11 points on July 24 against Newfoundland and 10 points on July 7 against Brampton. Jean-Marie played 67 games for three different NCAA first division teams, including Portland State (14), Hawaii (21) and San Diego (32). As a senior with the Vikings, he averaged 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds and recorded six double-doubles. Jean-Marie attended Jeanne-Mance Secondary School in Montreal and earned RSEQ MVP honours, before moving to Austin, Texas, to complete high school with Athlos Leadership Academy. The Ottawa BlackJacks 2024 home opener will take place at the Arena at TD Place on May 29. Fans can now purchase BlackJacks season seat memberships, Flex Packs and Voucher Packs at theblackjacks.ca/tickets . For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected] . Quotes: “I am excited to be back in Ottawa for another season. The BlackJacks organization is fantastic, and I can’t wait to continue building on what we’ve achieved as a team last year and make the Capital proud.” - James Jean-Marie, Forward, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club “James exemplifies a great attitude and work ethic. He will bring length and rebounding to the team we’re building. He is currently having a great season in Hungary and we’re happy to welcome him again in Ottawa this summer.” - James Derouin, General Manager and Head Coach, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club