We\u2019re trying to be the North!<\/p>\n
The Long Island Nets will kick off their second annual homestand in suburban Montreal on Thursday night with a showdown with the Wisconsin Herd. It\u2019s the first of a back-to-back and the first of four games this season at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, part of a partnership between Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and Groupe CH, owners of the Montreal Canadians.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no longer a canard, as the French Canadians might say. BSE, through their G League affiliate team, are trying to build an fan base in French-speaking Canada while Groupe CH is trying to prove that Montreal is an NBA city. So far, so good \u2026 very good.<\/p>\n
Last season, the Long Island drew nearly 40,000 fans over six games, selling out Place Bell \u2014 and all its custom \u201cLes Nets\u201d gear. This year, there\u2019ll be four, and Morgan Taylor, who runs the business side of things for both Long Island and the Liberty, has not ruled out the Quebec trip as a permanent feature of Long Island\u2019s schedule, though BSE is taking it one year at a time. Nor did she rule out Long Island playing elsewhere overseas\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want to bounce off of what we did last year,\u201d Taylor told ND exclusively about goals for this year. \u201cMake sure we\u2019re continuing to make it feel like a home game, not only for our players and our staff that are there, but for the CH Groupe, who are our partners in this, and the fans. Last year, we had a record-breaking attendance, with over 7,700 people there. We sold out all of our merchandise with \u2018Les Nets,\u2019 and we expect to see people coming back and cheering on our team as if it were a home game.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what kind of numbers she and the organization have in mind, Taylor said they\u2019re \u201cworking towards that number\u201d of 7,700 fans per game again. \u201cTo kind of meet what we did last year,\u201d Taylor continues. \u201cWe are playing on January 8 and 9, which is a Thursday and Friday. Then, we play on Super Bowl Sunday on February 8th. Although that might seem a death sentence for attendance in the U.S., it\u2019s not a big deal in French-speaking Canada.<\/p>\n
When asked if it\u2019s a permanent fixture, Taylor told ND the organization is \u201ccontinuing to take it one year at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited to be able to expand our game internationally, especially given the diverse roster that we have. It\u2019s really important for us to do so. The G League is very accommodating for teams to be able to play in other arenas, other countries. I\u2019m even hoping we get to play in Mexico City next year. So, we\u2019re taking it one year at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor said that although there will be two fewer games this season, there will be more community involvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, we plan to connect with the community more,\u201d Taylor said when asked what might may be different this year. \u201cWe already have another mascot visit to local Laval schools, which we weren\u2019t able to do last year. We\u2019ll also have a clinic during. We did it last year, and we\u2019ll have another clinic this year. The other thing that we\u2019re doing differently is continuing to have fans participate in our fan experiences during the games, the high-five tunnels, and post-game autograph sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if we might see Canadian citizen Joe Tsai in Montreal, Taylor replied with a smile that \u201cyou might not\u201d adding, \u201cWe\u2019ll have organizational leaders from Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment in general who will be there. You\u2019ll see other folks there from our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing that may be similar \u2014 we won\u2019t know till Thursday \u2014 is whether the Nets will have a native French speaker player on the court. Last season, it was Killian Hayes, this year it could be Nolan Traore. However, he played Wednesday night in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Last month. NetsDaily got to speak with Traore, before his call-up, on his potentially playing in French-speaking Canada, whether in January or their second homestand in February.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see them come and support the Long Island Nets,\u201d Traore said on potentially performing in front of his French-speaking crowd. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a good experience for them, and for us too.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Long Island head coach, Mfon Udofia, this will be his second consecutive year coaching in Canada. In December, ND spoke with Udofia about his return to Canada, not only for himself, but also for his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuper excited,\u201d Coach Udofia told ND. \u201cWe enjoyed it last year. Just the love and support that we get from the fans. The atmosphere was crazy, electric. It felt like a playoff game every game that we played there. So, we\u2019re super excited, and we\u2019re glad that we\u2019re able to go back there again.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for whether he\u2019s looking forward to doing anything new or something he didn\u2019t get to do last year, Udofia tells ND, \u201cgetting out a little bit more in the community.\u201d \u201cIt was so new to us last year that we were just focused on the game,\u201d Udofia continues. \u201cNow we feel a little more comfortable and familiar there now, that we have a little more to sightsee, and see more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking at the bigger picture, Tyson Etienne talked about what his mindset is heading into the trip: it\u2019s about the game of basketball and expanding it worldwide, even in places not seen as hoop havens.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a responsibility to continue to expand basketball in that region, in that area. Being someone who loves the game of basketball, I want to represent the game at a high level up there, and I want to represent our organization at a high level up there. It\u2019s a great partnership. The energy up there, you can tell they really want basketball up there. Every time we were up there, it was a home game for us. We play some of our best basketball up there, and the fans and the environment had a lot to do with that. But, we\u2019re just very excited to go back.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it\u2019s one of the main motivations and reasons why I play the game,\u201d Etienne told ND. \u201cI\u2019ve been playing the game my whole life. The game has brought me relationships, experiences, and new places that I couldn\u2019t have dreamed of going to. It\u2019s a part of my responsibility, and all hoopers to leave the game better than they found it. I just want to continue to contribute my art to it. Whatever I can bring to the game and bring to the fans, I want to leave it better than I found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The big picture with the Canada partnership is not necessarily growing the Nets brand; that\u2019s just a huge plus. It\u2019s to grow the game of basketball, and no NBA organization has been as internationally focused as Brooklyn, its last two owners being Russian and Chinese, both the first of their heritage to own an NBA team. The Nets franchise, dating back to its New Jersey days, has played 25 games overseas, more than any other NBA team.<\/p>\n
Now, the G League affiliate is doing the same, believing it can develop a fan base 370 miles from Brooklyn \u2026. and 335 miles from Toronto. Groupe CH, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment\u2019s partner, is trying to demonstrate to the NBA that Montreal is ready for an NBA franchise. Groupe CH, the owner of the Canadiens as well as Place Bell and Bell Center, an NBA-sized arena, would presumably have a role in any NBA franchise in Quebec.<\/p>\n
Whether they succeed or not, Groupe CH and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment will have proven that Montreal is yet another basketball-loving city, which, as Etienne said, is what the games are all about.<\/p>\n