Montréal, QC – The Montréal Alliance announced Thursday that local forward James Jean-Marie signed a contract with the expansion team for the 2022 season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). 

The six-foot-eight Montrealer grew up in Anjou and played the past three seasons in the NCAA’s Division I with Portland State University (2021-2022), the University of Hawaii at Mānoa (2020-2021) and the University of San Diego (2019-2020). Jean-Marie recorded his best collegiate season this year in Portland, averaging 12.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 26.6 minutes per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the three-point line. The previous season, Jean-Marie averaged 12.2 points, 5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes in 21 games played with the University of Hawaii and shot a college career-best 54.3 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from the three-point line. In his first NCAA Division 1 season, Jean-Marie averaged 7.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 25.7 minutes per game while playing for the University of San Diego. 

“I am very proud to represent my city and show the youth of Anjou that hard work pays off,” Jean-Marie expressed. “It is an honour to be part of the Montréal Alliance and I would like to thank Joel Anthony, Annie Larouche, Ibrahim Appiah and Vincent Lavandier for this opportunity and for their trust. I am excited to connect with our fans. Get ready for a high level of competition in Montréal!”

Prior to making the jump to the NCAA’s Division I, Jean-Marie played two seasons in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with the Navarro College in Texas (2018-2019) and with the Indian Hills Community College in Iowa (2017-2018). In his two NJCAA seasons, the Montréal native averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Growing up in the Anjou area of Montréal, Jean-Marie attended école Saint-Joseph in elementary school and école Jeanne Mance in high school where he was notably named the 2016 RSEQ MVP. Jean-Marie completed his high school education in San Antonio, Texas at the Athlos Leadership Academy. 

Jean-Marie joins point guard Kemy Osse, shooting guard Isiah Osborne and small forward Dominic Green as the fourth player to sign a contract with the Canadian Elite Basketball League expansion franchise. Jean-Marie and the Montréal Alliance will begin training camp for the 2022 CEBL season May 16. Fans will have the opportunity to see the team play 10 times this summer at the new Verdun Auditorium. Visit https://www.alliancemontreal.ca/en-ca/season-memberships-2022 to get your season membership starting at $22.50 per game and for more information.

About the Montréal Alliance

The Montréal Alliance is a professional basketball team competing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The team will play all their home games at the newly renovated Verdun Auditorium. The Alliance opens their inaugural season May 25 against the Honey Badgers in Hamilton. The season, comprised of 10 home games and 10 road games, ends August 1 when the team faces the BlackJacks in Ottawa. Get your season membership and find more information about the team at www.alliancemontreal.ca and on our social media platforms, on Instagram (@alliancemontreal), Twitter (@mtl_alliance), LinkedIn and Facebook (Montréal Alliance). 

About the CEBL

The CEBL begins its fourth season in May. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, more than 75 percent of its players during the past three seasons were Canadian, the highest percentage of any professional league in the country. CEBL players bring experience from the NBA, the NBA G League, top NCAA programs, the Canadian National team program, top international leagues as well as U SPORTS. All CEBL regular season games will be broadcast live on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports mobile app and CEBL+. Additional information about the league is available at www.cebl.ca. 

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Media Contact:



Zachary Favreau

Manager, Communications & Community Relations

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