MONTREAL – Barely arrived in Bell County, four-season NBA veteran Trayvon Graham, a new addition to the Montreal Alliance, seems to have already understood the linguistic reality in Quebec.
Born in Washington, D.C., Graham has an unparalleled background among the active and former members of the Montreal Club of the Elite Canadian Basketball League (LECB). He played in Charlotte, Brooklyn, Minneapolis and Atlanta in the NBA and even represented the United States in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Through his many adventures in professional basketball, Graham learned the advantages of Montreal and quickly understood the importance of getting Molière in the French-speaking capital of North America.
“Everything I know about Montreal, I learned from my teammates that I’ve worked with in the past,” he said during the Alliance’s pre-season press conference. They told me it was a wonderful city. This is my first time here and so far everything is fine.”
“One thing I want to do is learn French. I feel bad that I don’t speak this language and that people have to change to adapt to me. I will learn as much as I can while I am here.”
Image credit: Thierry Laforce/QMI Agency
Same story with newcomer Ahmed Hill, who spent last season with the Guelph Nighthawks.
He revealed, “I took French lessons in high school and university.” I would like to refresh my memory and brush up on my French.”
Graham and Hill may not understand the scale of the task of learning French, but we can’t help but applaud their preparation, especially since the LECB season only lasts a few months. Moreover, the replacement of French-speaking Vincent Lavandier by American Derek Alston as head coach would not contribute to the use of French in the team.
“Montréal, it is supposé être une ville qui parle Anglais et français, a toutefois nuancé the Québécois Alain Louis, one of the three days that he will return to after the end of the 2022 season. the majority [du vestiaire] He speaks English. It won’t be a problem for us.”
No love for losers
First and foremost, Montreal fans showed they spoke the language of basketball during the inaugural season. The coalition has attracted more followers than any other LECB formation in 2022, and has announced that it has passed the 1,000 sign-up mark for the current campaign.
Once again, the team built by General Manager Joel Anthony set a new mark in the Canadian League. However, for the madness to continue, the Alliance would have no choice but to do better than to score four wins and 16 losses.
“In the first year, people get curious and come,” explained the club’s vice president of operations, Annie Laroche. But they have to like it, or they won’t come back. We have to maintain a high level.”
“We know: Montreal doesn’t like losers.”
“Evil thinker. Music scholar. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon geek. Amateur internet enthusiast. Introvert.”