Lowdown

Does a AA provincial championship prepare you to take on the best that the AAA league has to offer?

We'll all find out this year, as Ahuntsic becomes the first team in years to move up to Quebec's top collegiate division. 

Les Indiens have a host of new players, a new coach, and a long journey ahead of them in the rough AAA waters.

Guards

Two AA transfers will key. 6-1 scorer Edelin Theofil played for Vanier AA a couple of seasons back and he'll bring scoring and explosiveness. But he'll be ineligible 
for the first semester. 

So for now, guard Arthaud Plesius of Montmorency AA and returning guard Alain Mugisha will be asked to handle the backcourt duties. Plesius averaged 13.8 points and one made three-pointer per game. Mugisha was a double-figure scorer for Ahuntsic last year.

Coach: Jean-Manuel Raposo, 1st year.

2003-2004 (AA): 13-3. First Place. Beat Dawson to win AA provincial championship.

Key Players
- Karl Valerius, 6-3 forward.
Played for Laval Nobel in 2002-2003 season, then took a year off.
- Arthaud Plesius, 6-2 guard (13.8 pts).
Transfer from Montmorency AA. Played in AA All-Star Game.
- Edelin Theofil, 6-1 guard (Ineligible first semester).
Former member of Vanier AA team.
- Amine Zouhair, 6-5 forward (8.8 pts, 83.0 ft%).
Returns from last year's provincial champions.

Other Players
Alain Mugisha, 6-0 guard (10.6 pts, 89.6 ft%).
Returning veteran from AA team.

- Fredrice Bernard, 5-10 guard (6.0 ppg).
Another former Laval Nobel player. Played Vanier AA last season.

Recruits

- Davidson Sanélus, 6-3 forward, Collège Louis-Riel (Ottawa).
Getting D-II interest. Jumps out of the gym.
- Kenny Pierre, 5-11 guard.
Top scorer on 2003 Laval Nobel provincial champs.
- Hendy Mata, 6-1 guard, Pagé-Concordia.
Played for MBL champs.

Forwards

Three guys to watch are Karl Valerius, Amine Zouhair and Ottawa rookie Davidson Sanélus. Sanélus, a 6-3 super-athlete, has received the most publicity because of his stellar play for Louis-Riel High School in Ottawa last year. He has received attention from D-II schools.

Zouhair is 6-5 and has a nice touch. Valerius is 6-3 and brings experience from Coach Jean-Manuel Raposo's provincial-champion Laval Nobel team.

Coach 

Coach Raposo was chosen from a host of talented contenders. His years with the strong Laval Nobel program of the Montreal Basketball league included a provincial championship in 2003. No fewer than four players on Ahuntsic played for that champion Nobel team.

Outlook

There will be plenty of growing pains this season, and coach Raposo expects there to be some rough times. But as one of only two French-language AAA CEGEPs in the Montreal area, Coach Raposo will have ample recruiting opportunities, as he proved by signing Sanélus.