Montreal Alliance

Lore & Background

The Montreal Alliance were announced in February 2021 as a CEBL expansion team set to begin play in 2022. The team name and branding were revealed on October 27, 2021. Joel Anthony was named the inaugural general manager the following month, and Vincent Lavandier was introduced as the first head coach on March 8, 2022. The team's early years saw coaching changes: Lavandier served in 2022, Derrick Alston, Sr. from 2023 to 2025, and Jermaine Small took over in 2025.

On January 20, 2025, the Alliance were purchased from the CEBL by Alli–Oop Investments, a group led by Joel Anthony and including Weeve CEO and founder Léo Bouisson and pharmacy owner Ian-Philip Paul-Hus. This made the Alliance the seventh privately owned team in the CEBL.

Reader's Guide

The Montreal Alliance represent a significant step in the growth of professional basketball in Canada, particularly in Quebec. As a CEBL franchise founded in 2021, they filled a gap left by the Montreal Jazz, which played only the 2012–13 season in the National Basketball League of Canada before folding. The Alliance's move to private ownership in 2025 under a group led by general manager Joel Anthony signaled increased investment and stability. Their attempt to host the first outdoor professional five-on-five basketball game in Canadian history, though ultimately cancelled due to weather, highlighted the league's ambition to innovate and expand the sport's reach. The team's presence in Montreal, a major Canadian city, helps grow the CEBL's national footprint and provides a professional basketball outlet for local fans and players.

Did You Know?

• The Montreal Alliance were founded in 2021 and began play in the CEBL in 2022.
• Their mascot is named 'Alli-Oop'.
• On January 20, 2025, the team was purchased from the CEBL by Alli–Oop Investments, becoming the seventh privately owned team in the league.

Birth of a Franchise

The Montreal Alliance emerged as a new chapter in the city's professional basketball story. In February 2021, the Canadian Elite Basketball League confirmed that a Montreal-based squad would enter the competition for the 2022 season. Just under nine months later, on October 27, 2021, the organization unveiled its name and visual identity to the public. The team settled into the Verdun Auditorium as its home court, giving the eastern borough a dedicated professional basketball venue. The franchise's playful mascot, a character named Alli-Oop, was designed to energize crowds and give young fans a friendly face to rally behind. The name itself, blending Alliance with the city's French heritage as Alliance de Montréal, signals a commitment to the bilingual character of the metropolis. Competing in the CEBL, the Alliance joined a league building momentum across Canada, and the team's arrival brought much-needed professional basketball back to a city that had previously lost its NBL Canada franchise. Honours already on the shelf, including a CEBL Second All Star selection and a CEBL All Canadian Team nod, show the franchise quickly established itself as a competitive force.

Coaching Lineage and Front-Office Foundation

The Alliance has cycled through three head coaches in just a few short seasons, reflecting both the growth pains of an expansion franchise and the league's evolving competitive landscape. Vincent Lavandier was named the inaugural head coach on March 8, 2022, tasked with building a roster and culture from scratch for the team's debut campaign. His tenure lasted through the 2022 season. Derrick Alston, Sr. then took the helm for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, guiding the squad through its formative years. By 2025, Jermaine Small assumed the head coaching role and continues in that position. On the front-office side, Joel Anthony was appointed the inaugural general manager in November 2021, just weeks after the team's branding was revealed. His role was pivotal in assembling the initial roster and establishing the franchise's operational foundation. The rapid succession of coaches, three in roughly three years, underscores the challenges of a young CEBL expansion team trying to find its identity while competing against established rosters.

From League Ownership to Private Hands

Montreal's professional basketball history carries a cautionary tale of ownership instability. The city's previous team, the Montreal Jazz, played a single season in the National Basketball League of Canada during 2012–13. They failed to secure a new ownership group for the following campaign and disappeared, leaving a void that lingered for nearly a decade. When the CEBL announced a Montreal expansion team in 2021, the franchise was initially owned by the league itself rather than by private investors. That arrangement changed on January 20, 2025, when Alli-Oop Investments, a group led by General Manager Joel Anthony alongside Weeve CEO and founder Léo Bouisson and pharmacy owner Ian-Philip Paul-Hus, purchased the team from the CEBL. The acquisition made the Alliance the seventh privately owned franchise in the league. Naming the investment group after the team's mascot is a charming touch that ties the business side to the fan-facing identity, and the transition marks a significant maturity milestone for the franchise.

A Rain-Soaked Bid for History

On May 23, 2025, the Montreal Alliance set out to etch their name into Canadian sports history. The team was scheduled to host the Ottawa Blackjacks in a CEBL regular-season contest at IGA Stadium, an outdoor venue. The league described the event as the first professional five-on-five basketball game ever played outdoors in Canada. The ambition was clear: take a professional basketball game beyond the confines of an indoor arena and into the open air of a major stadium. However, nature had other plans. Inclement weather in the forecast forced a two-day postponement. When the game finally took the court, rain and oppressive humidity rendered the playing surface dangerously slick for the athletes. The contest was ultimately called midway through, with player safety taking priority over the historic milestone. The episode, while frustrating, highlighted the Alliance's willingness to push boundaries and create memorable moments for fans, leaving the first-of-its-kind record still unwritten.

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