Opening tip '09-10: No. 16 UQAM Citadins

• Top 100 returnee: F Gregory St-Amand (69th)
  
• Other key returnees: G Adil El Makssoud, G Arthaud Plessius, F-G Éric Côté-Kougnima, F Jules Diagne (pending medical clearance), G Thierry Justin
  
• Newcomers: PG Rasheed Nguinambaye, G Kevin Bitondo (transfer, Concordia), G Kevin Levy
  
• Coach: Olga Hrycak (seventh season)
  
• Offence and defence: 87, 93 (-6)
  
• Last year's results: 13-14, 20th in RPI
  
• Looking ahead: A lot will depend on how much the 6-foot-6 Diagne, a QUBL all-star last season, is able to play. The Citadins' cornerstone contracted an illness during a summer visit to Thailand and it's hoped he'll able to play soon. If he's back, Hrycak's team has 70% of its scoring back and some exciting pieces, such as a big-time scorer, El Makssoud, a double-double threat in St-Amand (who seems like classic "might be 6-foot-4, but plays 6-7" type) and a three-point ace in Justin.
  
  Their Achilles heel last year was that they turned the ball over way, way way too much; they created the most, true, but committed the most. UQAM is an up-tempo team which will throw various kind of presses at teams and see what happens. That works against an overmatched team, but good ones will break it and force turnovers. If UQAM takes better care of the ball, they could challenge in the Q.
  

Rob's explanation of Top 100 players by Player Efficiency Ratings (see last year's PER) and Net Efficiency may be found in the women's preview.

(Special thanks to Alexandre Tourigny of RDS.)