Montreal Toundra cancels its upcoming pro basketball season

Professional basketball team the Montreal Toundra announced it is foregoing its upcoming season, set to begin in three weeks. 

The team's general manager and founder Juan Mendez debriefed the players Saturday morning, some of whom had traveled from abroad to partake in the Basketball Super League (BSL.) They were supposed to play in the team's tryouts this weekend.

"It was one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life, but I think it was the right thing to do, at least talk to them face to face," said Mendez. 

He wouldn't elaborate on the reasons behind the decision beyond saying the team's experiencing a contract dispute with the league. A statement posted on the Montreal Toundra's website and Instagram page says the team "couldn't reach the agreements necessary to meet the standards for our organization."

"Clearly there's some things I can't really talk about at this point in time," said Mendez.

Point guard Vincent Friederici learned about the news on his way off the plane from Germany.

"I was crazy excited," said the 23-year-old who had already purchased a return ticket for the end of the season.     

He says his next steps aren't entirely clear at this stage.

Tchumsy Wright, another point guard, shares that same feeling of uncertainty. This was supposed to be his first pro season.

"This has been my dream since being a child," said the American player. "It's going to take a while to get used to and try to figure out something next because I don't really have no next steps planned out."

Mendez says he's hoping to bring back the team for the 2025-2026 season. 

"We're taking a quick pause," he said. "This is growing pains of having a franchise or doing anything in life."

The VP of marketing and promotions for BSL, Audley Stephenson, said the announcement weeks before the start of the season is "disappointing, however we're fully understanding of the position they're taking on this."

"As a league we would be ecstatic for the return of the Toundra," he said, looking ahead to next year. "They have a claim in BSL history that very few can make and they were and they are one of the founding teams in our league."

Stephenson says the Glass City Wranglers from Toledo, Ohio, will assume the Montreal Toundra's schedule in the league.

The Montreal Toundra was first introduced to the city two years ago. It never made the playoffs and had a combined record of 19 wins and 30 losses.

It is now just the latest in a long history of professional basketball teams struggling to stay afloat in Montreal. The Montreal Dragons played in 1993 and failed to complete a single season before disbanding. The Montreal Matrix played for three years, folding in 2008, while the Montreal Jazz played for a single season in 2012-2013.

The Alliance, Montreal's other professional basketball team is still operating. That team plays in The Canadian Elite Basketball League, a spring-summer league, and is heading into its fourth season.