Rising Quebec CEGEP Basketball Stars to Watch in 2025-26: St-Pierre & Lalonde

Written by: J.M. Poulard

The wonderful province of Quebec is home to a lot of great basketball talent, and it’s starting to get a bit of national acclaim as more of its players join the Canadian prep leagues. On the flipside, there are numerous gems playing in the RSEQ CEGEP league that tend to fly under the radar, and today, I will introduce two of them.

Guillaume St-Pierre

One of these gems is Guillaume St-Pierre, who plays for Sherbrooke CEGEP. The 6’6 guard is fresh off CCAA All-Canadian (league) and 1st Team All-RSEQ (conference) honors from the 2024-25 season and is my favourite to land the coveted league MVP award for the 2025-26 campaign.

Guillaume vacillates between 2-guard, small forward, and power forward; but his position at the next level will likely be at the 3.

As he heads into his senior season, Guillaume is perhaps the most lethal shooter in the league from long range. He does it on deep catches (be prepared to contest his shot once he reaches the parking lot) and off the dribble as well, if he is provided with enough space to launch.

What makes him such a unique matchup is his size. This class of 2026 product isn’t overly athletic, but he uses his first step to create an advantage and his strong frame to keep it. St-Pierre has a good touch from the midrange, and when guarded by smaller defenders, he takes them to the free-throw line area where he converts midrange jumpers. What’s more, he’s smart and mature enough to understand his own shot profile and always looks for his spots and finds ways to get to them.

St-Pierre is more than a scorer, though. He’s quick to fire a bullet pass to a cutting teammate headed to the hoop and will anticipate coverages every now and then. He has a strong knack for pulling down rebounds, and he’s a good enough decision-maker to start the break on his own and push the ball up the floor.

On the defensive end, the Sherbrooke forward mostly defends interior players and does a good job of following game plans and screaming out coverages to his teammates to ensure they are all on the same page. At the next level, Guillaume will have to defend more athletic forwards with shot-making capabilities. I’d bank on his ability to eventually adapt thanks to his IQ and game plan discipline, but it is nonetheless an area worth monitoring moving forward.

With that said, I firmly expect St-Pierre to make a lot of noise in his final season with Sherbrooke as he leverages his post game, shooting mechanics, and first step to take and make a lot of shots. He’s definitely a name worth keeping an eye on.

Additional info: As they say, players and fans love highlights, while coaches crave game film. Because we are a serious operation over here, we give you both (Guillaume is #11):

Highlights:

Game Film:

Jeremy Lalonde

Other than St-Pierre, Jeremy Lalonde from Vanier CEGEP is the lone returning player heading into the 2025-26 season to receive RSEQ honors (Second Team). One recurring theme that keeps popping up about the 6’4 point guard: his teams win. Vanier won their conference two years ago and earned a trip to the CCAA nationals with Lalonde as a rotation player; and last season, Vanier participated again as a host and finished fourth nationally with the help of their starting point guard.

Lalonde was crowned a CCAA All-Canadian Championship All-Star (honor bestowed to the top five performers) during the nationals by virtue of his scoring prowess and playmaking wizardry. He mostly floated under the radar from a national standpoint after the season, but folks caught a glimpse of him with his Hoopville AAU squad during the Brookwood Elite Invitational championship game and during the CNIT playoff rounds.

Lalonde plays both guard spots and flows with the requirements of the game, shifting from passer to scorer and vice versa depending on his team’s needs.

As he heads into his senior season, an argument could be made that the class of 2026 guard is perhaps the best at his position in the CEGEP league. He has sneaky athleticism that he uses to attack and finish in the paint, but his bread and butter is much more of an old relic: midrange jumpers and floaters. Lalonde is great in the open court, where he typically either finishes at the rim or sets up a teammate for a score.

Part of what makes Lalonde such an intriguing prospect when projecting him at the next level is his height. If his defender is somewhat undersized, the Vanier guard will take him to the low post and create a quality look. Whenever teams opt to send a little extra or early help, Lalonde has been more than willing to spread the wealth and look for his teammates. Talk to coaches around the league, and there seems to be a bit of a consensus that he can be too passive at times.

Defensively, Lalonde will be matched up against guards and big wings at times. The attention to detail, height, and ability to adhere to game plans allow Lalonde to mostly be in the right spots and make life difficult for opponents. Looking ahead, he will have to bulk up a bit to defend university-level players, but Lalonde clearly has the physical and mental tools to become an impressive talent at the next level.

Lalonde will be an important piece for a Vanier Cheetahs team looking to make a third straight appearance at the nationals during the 2025-26 campaign, and it should be fun to track him.

Additional info: As they say, players and fans love highlights, while coaches crave game film. Because we are a serious operation over here, we give you both (Jeremy is #7):

Highlights:

Game Film: