Ottawa BlackJacks Complete Its Basketball Operations Staff for the 2021 CEBL Season
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday the completion of its basketball operations staff for the 2021 CEBL season. Joining General Manager Jevohn Shepherd, Assistant General Manager Andy Rautins, Head Coach Charles Dubé-Brais and the other members of the BlackJacks basketball operations team, are: Skill Development and Video Coordinators Michael L’Africain and Vincent Plante; Player Development Coach Jamil Abiad; and Strength and Conditioning Coach Joey Kwasniewski.
Playing two seasons as a pro in some of the top leagues in Europe and earning the highest U SPORTS and OUA awards during his collegiate career, Michael L’Africain has been the lead assistant coach for the Ottawa Gee-Gees men’s basketball team since 2018, working alongside Gee-Gees Head Coach and BlackJacks Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics, James Derouin. Moving to Ottawa from his native Oakville, Ontario, in 2011, the six-foot-one point guard brought the Ottawa Gee-Gees to the national tournament for four consecutive seasons and left uOttawa as the team’s all-time leader in assists (406) and ranked fourth all-time in points (1,272).
Born and raised in Quebec City, Vincent Plante has been the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Cegep de Sainte-Foy, Quebec, since 2019. Prior to joining the Dynamiques, he spent six years (2013-19) with the Laval University men’s basketball team as the lead assistant coach and spent the 2011 summer with the Quebec U17 provincial team as an assistant coach. While completing a bachelor’s degree in Sports Coaching and a Master of Business Administration, Plante had a five-year football career in one of the most successful programs in Canadian collegiate football history, Laval University Rouge et Or. He helped his team win three Vanier Cups (2010, 2012, 2013) and served as a team captain and starting free safety during his last two years with Laval.
Following a two-year professional basketball career in Lebanon and five collegiate seasons with the Bishop University Gaitors, Jamil Abiad dedicated his time to growing the game of basketball in the nation’s capital, where he created various initiatives to provide more resources and visibility to local basketball talents. He is the founder and head coach of Team Believe U17 & U19, a competitive boys basketball team located in Ottawa. He also founded NL Fitness, a basketball training company offering private and group trainings for athletes from ages six to the pros. Abiad is currently a mentor for National Basketball Youth Mentorship Program (NBYMP) and the head coach for Louis Riel Jr boys’ basketball team.
Lead performance coach with the University of Ottawa, founder of Titan Performance Centre, and lead strength coach for the REDBLACKS, Joey Kwasniewski has been working in the fitness industry for more than 15 years. During this time, he has been working in private and public sectors, training high performance athletes of all ages. He currently oversees the training of more than 900 University of Ottawa Gee-Gees varsity and club athletes. Kwasniewski also served as the lead strength coach for the Ottawa REDBLACKS of the CFL from 2014-16 and as the assistant strength coach with the Calgary Stampeders from 2006-12.
Last week, The Ottawa BlackJacks, in collaboration with the CEBL, announced its 2021 regular season 14-game schedule, opening up with a game on the road versus Hamilton on Saturday June 5 at 7pm. After starting the campaign on a three-game road trip, Ottawa will play its first home game in franchise history on Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. versus the Niagara River Lions.
CBC is the premier media partner of the CEBL and will broadcast nationally televised games on seven consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5. The BlackJacks will appear three times on national television and all regular season games will also be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app and on a new OTT streaming platform the CEBL will unveil this spring.
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 following the success of this past year's CEBL Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ontario, which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country.
Quotes:
“I am happy to welcome Mike, Vincent, Jamil and Joey to the BlackJacks family. With different experiences and backgrounds, they will be bringing very unique skill sets and perspectives to the team. Their passion for their craft and involvement within the community represent our organization’s values on and off the court, and will help us reach the highest heights.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“We are privileged to add Mike, a University of Ottawa star, to our staff! His success as a player and his experience as a professional will be invaluable to our team. Furthermore, he has proven to be a top-level assistant on James Derouin’s staff for the last two seasons. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on as a growing force in the Canadian coaching landscape, since his passion for the game and appetite for learning are second to none.”
- Charles Dubé-Brais, Head Coach, on the appointment of L’Africain as Skill Development and Video Coordinator
“It is an honour to join my colleague and friend, James Derouin, as well as the rest of the BlackJacks organization in this exciting challenge. It is a special feeling to be able to pursue my passion for coaching at the pro level in a city that has supported me since I moved here to play for the Gee-Gees.”
- Michael L’Africain
Skill Development and Video Coordinator, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“I’m really excited to bring Vincent to the group for the 2021 season. One of the up-and-coming coaches in the province of Quebec, he has proven to be a champion over his playing and coaching careers, thanks to his meticulous attention to detail and ability to lead and prepare teams at the highest level. He will be a great asset when it comes to designing game plans, as well as building the strongest player development system in the CEBL.”
- Charles Dubé-Brais, head coach, on the appointment of Plante as Skill Development and Video Coordinator
“I am eager to move to the nation’s capital for the CEBL season as I’ve heard great things about the Ottawa/Gatineau community. I am thankful for the opportunity to start my professional career alongside Charles Dubé-Brais, a long-time friend who I have the utmost respect for and can’t wait to connect in person with the rest of the basketball operations staff.”
- Vincent Plante
Skill Development and Video Coordinator, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“Jamil has been well-recognized for his player-development coaching acumen in Ottawa for some time now, so it’s only logical to add him to our staff, as we are trying to build the best player-development system in the league. He has been extremely successful in several professional basketball-related endeavors, which demonstrates his work-ethic and willingness to be creative in order to help players improve.”
- Charles Dubé-Brais, head coach, on the appointment of Abiad as Player Development Coach
“As basketball in the country continues to grow, I am looking forward to continuing being a helping hand in giving more opportunities to players to grow and reach their goals and dreams. Being an ex-professional player, I would have loved to have played in a league like the CEBL. This is an amazing opportunity for players all around the world, but especially Canadians. I can’t wait to get started and help the next generation of athletes.”
- Jamil Abiad
Player Development Coach, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“We are thrilled to have Joey, a well-known figure in the Ottawa community, back as our strength and conditioning coach for the 2021 season. His experience with professional athletes is a tremendous asset for our organization. Working with Joey will help our players perform to the best of their ability, which is such an important component to achieve success on the court.”
- Charles Dubé-Brais, head coach, on the appointment of Kwasniewski as Strength & Conditioning coach
“I had the opportunity to work with the team last year during training camp and throughout the CEBL Summer Series; it was a great experience. I’m happy to come back this season as their strength and conditioning coach and I am looking forward to working with the players to make sure they are ready to compete at the best of their abilities during the 2021 CEBL season.”
- Joey Kwasniewski
Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
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About the Ottawa BlackJacks
The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks will showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. In its inaugural campaign, the BlackJacks earned a semifinal appearance at the 2020 CEBL Summer Series. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by general manager Jevohn Shepherd, assistant general manager Andy Rautins and head coach Charles Dubé-Brais, Ottawa will play its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. For more information visit www.theblackjacks.ca.
About Canadian Elite Basketball League
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to more information on CEBL.ca or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Linkedin, Facebook & YouTube. (@cebleague)
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Contact:
Marika Guérin
Manager, Communications and Community
Ottawa BlackJacks Professional Basketball Club