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Second-year Mountie James French didn’t travel far from home to attend Mount Allison and continue his basketball career. From Moncton, NB, French says the close proximity was a deciding factor in choosing a university.

“Being close to home was a big thing for me,” he says. “My parents could still come and see my games and I could continue playing basketball with friends I grew up playing with and against.”

Head coach Steve Chapman also coached French in high school at Bernice MacNaughton, which only strengthened his ties to Mount Allison and the basketball program.

French played for the Moncton Hawks program in middle school and then for Bernice MacNaughton. Each summer he played for Team New Brunswick. In his senior year of high school, he experienced one of his most memorable sporting moments at the Hoop Classic in Moncton, which annually features high school teams from across the Maritimes.

“In my senior year, we won the Hoop Classic for the first time, which was a really big moment for all of us, especially being from Moncton.”

French says his most memorable basketball experience at Mount Allison to date was the team’s trip to Ottawa earlier this year.

“It was great to go on a trip with all of my best friends,” he says. “We had time to explore the city and we also won all of our games, with some great come-from-behind wins.”

A dual-sport athlete in both volleyball and basketball in high school, French says he enjoys basketball because of its fast pace and all the different aspects of the game.

“It’s a great team game and there is such a supportive basketball community around here,” he says.

A Bachelor of Science student majoring in psychology, French keeps a busy schedule, but believes his commitment to the sport keeps him focused both on and off the court. It has also helped him build a solid network of friends.

After graduation he plans to continue pursuing psychology at the graduate level.