Billings Blazers: An Unbeatable Basketball Team!

Twenty undefeated games in the pre-season, regular season, playoffs and tournament; this is the feat achieved this year by the Howard S. Billings High School Cadet D3  basketball team in Châteauguay.  

Translation Amanda Bennett

The only thing left for the D3 Blazers to conclude a perfect season is win the provincial championship which will be held in Montreal in mid-April.

"I've been watching the other teams and it won't be a walk in the park. Many are as good and undefeated as we are this season," explains Max Audette, the physical education teacher who is also the team's coach.

But he has confidence in this exceptional team.

You don't often see teams with so much talent," adds the long-serving coach. In my career, I remember another team this good in 2015. Players went on to play in the NCAA (American university level). But I think the 2022-2023 edition is even better. They have a great future."

Audette attributes the Blazers' success to their talent, but also to their hard work and discipline.

"The players put their hearts into it and practiced twice a week before classes. It's not easy in the winter with the darkness. It shows great commitment on their part and they have reaped the rewards of their efforts," he observed.

He believes that basketball has probably been really beneficial for some students, according to Audette, allowing them to channel their energy in a positive way and avoid misbehaviour.

A core group of four or five parents who drove the players to games was also critical to the Blazers' success, the coach said.

Continued success

The D3 Cadet Blazers are playing in the Greater Montreal Athletic Association (GMAA), but they have beaten D2 and D1 teams in pre-season games. They will move up to the juvenile level next year, as well as in 2025.

"My game plan is to keep them together," says the coach, who is two years away from retirement and is happy to finish on such a high note.