THE STORY

Hernst Laroche, son of Joseph Laroche and Jeanne Pierre, was born in Montreal, Canada. He lived most of his life in Parc-Extension and Montreal North, where he grew up with his two older brothers and younger sister. Hernst was inspired by his older brother to play basketball in the fourth grade. His passion grew for the game of basketball as he participated in open gym basketball runs at the William Hingston gym in Montreal.Hernst Laroche is currently the captain of the Montreal Alliance in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.He was the first scorer in the history of the fanchise.

The first tournament I participated in was a tournament in Dunton with my primary school Barclay. We played in a city schools’ tournament and won the chanpionship. Afterwards, I went on to Lucien Page, a famous school with a strong basketball culture. Many pros and D1 athletes came out of it, primarily being Samuel Dalembert, Thierry Lindor, Manix Auriantal, Hennessey Auriantal, Dimitri, Steve Alexandre, Hamza Ruhamzamigo, Holando Meus, Evens Laroche, Richard Addai, Winshell Noelvil, Lugentz Dort. During my 5 years at Page we won multiple trophies such the MBL City Leagues 3 times, Provincial Championship 2 times, and the Canadian Championship. I was recognized as the best player 3 times as a Bantam, Midget, and Juvenile. Moreover, I was named all-star every year as Page player. My last year we won the finals in a triple-overtime contest against Dawson Blues, who rostered Kris Joseph, who’d eventually be drafted by the Boston Celtics as the 51st pick in 2012.

After my high school career, I participated in the Canadian U17 championship in the summer representing Quebec colors. I ended up being part of the 2nd all Canadian team. I went to the famous Vanier Cheetahs from 2006 to 2008. Studied social sciences in my tenure. First-year(2006) we lost in the quarterfinals to Montmorency. In that year I won rookie of the year honors. That summer I represented the color of the most coveted AAU team in Montreal which is called Brookwood Elite. Second-year (2007) we lost again in the quarterfinals and was part of the first team all CEGEP team. During that year I was receiving scholarship offers to Universities in the States. I did an official visit to my first D1 school at Fairleigh Dickinson. Then visited Wisconsin Green Bay. And my 3rd visit went to New Mexico State where I felt it was the best opportunity for me to excel as a basketball player and grow as a man.

My first year at New Mexico State University was definitely exciting. It was something I always dreamed of. Playing Division 1 basketball was something very special. Marvin Menzies, head coach, and with Paul Weir, Assistant coach, were the head of this army. Two wonderful men who taught me the game of life. We were playing in the WAC conference, a very competitive league with many NBA prospects in each of the teams. Nevada had Luke Babbit and Armon Johnson, Louisiana Tech had Magnum Roll and Olu Ashaolu, Fresno State had Paul Georges and Greg Smith, Utah State had Wilkinson & Jarred Quayle. This year we lost in the semi-finals to Utah State with a last-second shot that got them the win by 1. It was the most crushing defeat ever. That prompted me and my teammates to work even harder. We wanted to replace that pain and misery with joy. We put the extra hours in the gym and classroom, film sessions and in the weight room to gain an advantage on the court. That 2nd year came along and we were ready. Our first game was against Utah state and we won the game in a close contest. We ended up finishing that regular season as 3rd behind our arch-rivals Nevada and Utah state. We played against Nevada in the semi-finals and won off the buzzer with Jahmar Young hitting that go-ahead shot. Then a rematch against Utah State and we won that matchup. We were crowned WAC champions and punched our ticket to the March Madness. We played against Michigan State where we lost by 3 against Draymond Green. Then I went for a summer tour in Montreal where I played in front of family and friends. That 3rd year I was named captain. We lost in the semi-finals that year against Boise State. In my 4th year we ended up finishing 2nd in the regular season to Nevada. Then in the WAC tournament, we played Hawaii in the semi-finals, scored more than 20 points with the win. Then we went all the way to the final against Louisiana Tech where we won by more than 20 points to punch our ticket to the march madness. We played against Indiana in the march madness in Portland but lost to Victor Olapido & Tyler Zeller. That year I ended up being honored as 2nd team all WAC and made the all-tournament team.

In July 2012 I signed my first pro contract to BC Odessa. It was my first experience as a pro and my first time in Europe. It was a great league where I played with Dario Hunt and Justin Love. I ended up finishing the season In Switzerland where we lost in the first round of the playoff. My 2nd year happened in the Czech Republic where I played for Jindrichuv Hradec. It was a great experience I was in the top10 scorer and, finish the season being player of the week twice with an honorable mention. That 3rd year I stayed another year in the Czech Republic and signed with Usti Nad Labem. We made it to the playoff as a 6th seed and lost in the first round of the playoff. In my 4th year I played in Sopron where we played the FIBA Europe Cup. We ended up winning the bronze medal in the Hungarian Cup. And we finish 4th in the regular season. WE lost in the first round in 5. My 5th year I signed in France Pro B in Saint Quentin. It was a tough year where we battled every game. Then the year after I played for Rio Gallegos Hispano Americano in Argentina. That same summer I joined the Haiti National Team where we took part in the FIBA Caribbean where we won all our games. We were coached by Houston Rockets assistant coach Matt Brase one of the better coaches I had in my career. He guided us to all wins where the averaged wins were by 20+. The following year played in Tunisia where we finished fourth and lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion.