SHERBROOKE, Que. – The Bishop's Gaiters men's basketball team will bring a high-scoring offence into the 2017-18 season, as they look to end their two-year playoff drought. Rod Gilpin's squad, which was almost completely rebuilt after their 2015 conference title, has 10 returning players, including five who are going into their third year.
 
The Gaiters (0-8) have averaged 76.8 points per game in non-conference play, and have gone over the 80-point mark four times this year, including dropping 92 points on each of UBC and Laurier.
 
The projected starting lineup for Bishop's includes David Belanger (Sherbrooke, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert), the last remaining member of the Gaiters' 2015 championship squad, as well as third years Abdul Kamane (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) and Alex Boissé, sophomore guard Joany Castor Thadal (Saint-Leonard, Que./Champlain-St. Lambert) and rookie forward Harvey Matou (Paris, France/Cegep de Thetford).
 
Belanger averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in an injury-shortened 2016-17 season. So far this year, he has averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in eight non-conference games.
 
Kamane, the 2016 RSEQ rookie of the year, has led the Gaiters in non-conference play with 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in seven games. Last year, he finished fourth in the conference with 13.0 points and sixth with 6.4 rebounds per game.
 
Boissé takes over at point guard for the Gaiters, replacing Jona Bermillo (Montreal, Que./Vanier College), who graduated last year. Boisse has scored 9.3 points per game and averaged 2.6 assists per game so far in non-conference play. The former Champlain Cougar put up a career-high 22 points in the Gaiters' last non-conference game, Oct. 20 at home to Laurier.
 
Joining Boissé in the backcourt is Castor Thadal, fresh off a season that saw him named to the RSEQ all-rookie team after averaging 8.6 points per game and leading the Gaiters with a 0.383 three-point percentage. So far, this year, he has averaged 12.4 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting 43.8 per cent from long range.
 
At centre, newcomer Harvey Matou (Paris, France/Cegep de Thetford) has made four starts so far this season. The 6-6 Parisian comes to Bishop's via Thetford Mines, and has averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20.8 minutes so far this season.
 
First of the bench for the Gaiters will be third year forward Yassin Naji (Lunel, France/Lycée Pothier Orleans). The Frenchman has made three starts and averaged 8.1 points and 2.5 rebounds so far this year. Last year, he started 12 regular-season games, averaging 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
 
A pair of Ontarians, 6-5 forward Duncan Lambert (Kingston, Ont./Regiopolis-Notre Dame C.S.S.) and 6-6 forward Andrew Howarth (Oakville, Ont./Thomas A. Blacklock H.S.), will also see significant minutes off the bench this year. Lambert has averaged 16.1 minutes this year, and scored 4.4 points and grabbed 2.0 rebounds per game. Last year, he played 15 conference games, averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds. Howarth, for his part, has averaged three points and 2.6 rebounds so far this year, while playing 10.6 minutes per game. Last year, he played 10 league games, starting five, and averaged 2.4 points per contest.
 
Also back in the fold for the Gaiters is 6-11 centre Jonah Fogg (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont./Korah C.V.S.). The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native was limited to just two games last season. This year in non-conference play, he has played 6.8 minutes per game and averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
 
The Gaiters backcourt has one newcomer in David Bohoussou (Longueuil, Que./Cegep de Thetford). A Longueuil, Que., and another Thetford product, he has seen limited action in non-conference play, scoring six points in 19 minutes overall.
 
The Gaiters' 16-game RSEQ schedule starts on Saturday when they host the UQAM Citadins at the Mitchell Gym. Bishop's will play all four league opponents once before Christmas. After a pair of home non-conference games against the UNB Varsity Reds on Dec. 29-30, they start the winter portion of the schedule on Jan. 5, 2018 at Laval.
 
The RSEQ Final 4 is set for March 2-3 in Montreal, with the conference champion advancing to the U Sports championship following a week later in Halifax, N.S.