Creating his own path: Ryan Regault’s rise with the Axemen

Two years into his time wearing the Axemen jersey, Ryan Regault has already established himself as one of the conference’s brightest young guards. Named to the 2024–25 U SPORTS All-Rookie Team, Regault was also recognized as the Atlantic University Sport Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Axemen to receive the honour since Ben Miller in 2014–15, while earning a place on the AUS All-Rookie Team. Now in his second season, Regault reflects on the path that brought him from Scarborough to Wolfville, the people who shaped him, and the purpose that continues to drive him on and off the court.

I’m from Scarborough, Ontario, and something unique about my hometown that shaped who I am today is the tight-knit community.

I feel like Scarborough has a lot of diversity, and being able to find like-minded people in the Scarborough community helped shape who I am today.

By finding hard-working people with the same goals as me, it was easier to achieve my dream of playing university basketball.

And I have to give a shoutout to Trinidad and Tobago - that’s my roots right there.

My dad, grandma, and grandpa are all from Trinidad, and I have to say the country and culture have had a big influence on me growing up.

How basketball became the path

What first got me started in sports was my parents. They put me in various sports as a kid - basketball, track and field, soccer - but ultimately, I stuck with basketball.

I wanted to be like that one day too, and playing outside on the playground during recess and for my school team was where I got started on my basketball journey.

Choosing my own way

To me, wearing the Axemen jersey means creating my own legacy.

My siblings and parents never played university sports, so I feel like I’m on my own path right now.

And choosing to go out east instead of staying at home is different from the rest of my friends, so I feel like wearing the Axemen jersey is just creating my own identity, making my own path, and writing my own story.

Why Acadia made sense

I chose Acadia as a university because on my visit here, everyone was very supportive. They were all guiding me through the process of recruitment, and I feel like they made my process easier.

And because they had the Law and Society program as well.

Law and Society was an interest of mine, and I hope to one day become a lawyer. So, having that program sets me apart from others in learning about the law and different government institutions.

I chose to play sports at Acadia because of Coach Mike and Coach Igor and their trust in me throughout recruitment.

In recruiting me in high school, they pretty much told me that if I stayed committed and trusted in them, I would help the team out and find good minutes.

From last season, I feel like I accomplished just that. Being named rookie of the year and having a good role on the team put me in a good place to grow as a player.

Life as an Axeman

My typical day in Wolfville would look like going to my classes and working on some assignments. Making sure all my work is done.

Then, I’ll complete a small group, individual session with some of my teammates. Coach Igor usually runs those sessions.

After that, we have practice later in the afternoon. Practice is always challenging and gets us ready for the games.

Coach does a great job at making sure practice pushes us to our limits. I feel like practice is the highlight of my day in Wolfville.

And after practice, I usually cook dinner, and watch TV with my roommates.

Family at the centre of everything

The biggest influence on my athletic and academic journey has to be my parents because everything I’m doing is for them.

Everything I’m accomplishing, on and off the court, in the classroom, in the weight room, on the practice court, during the game - it’s all for them.

They sacrificed so much for me to be here and always drove me to practice, took me to games, and took me to tournaments in the States that were six hours away.

They never complained about it once.

They always wanted me to fulfill my dreams and do what makes me happy. They influenced me to just go hard and push until I can’t anymore - just to make them happy.

I owe that to them.

It means a lot for me to know that they would do anything to help me out, so I need to return the favour and work as hard as I can.

Moments that changed perspective

My most memorable moment was being named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team and being Rookie of the Year in the AUS conference.

That just showed my hard work and determination throughout the years coming together, and being awarded that was special.

My coaches, teammates, my mom, my dad - they all know how hard I work, and that just showed the work paying off.

One lesson I’ll carry beyond sport was having dinner with members of the Acadia basketball team that just got inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in October.

We had dinner with them at Joe’s, and they were telling us about their experiences at Acadia and their basketball experience.

I took some time to think about it and noticed that eventually, the ball does stop bouncing.

You need to be grateful that you’re in this position and cherish your experience here.

Go all out because, at the end of the day, it’s just a sport, and it does end.

Community, competition, and how I want to be seen

What I enjoy most about being part of the Wolfville and Valley community is just the support they bring.

From all our home games - we feel them, we hear them, and we see them in the crowd.

That support goes a long way, especially with us being first right now in the conference. I feel like without that support of the community, that wouldn’t be the case.

And I think we have one of the best fan bases in the AUS, and that just helps us go all out and play for them.

I hope the fans and younger athletes see the way I compete, the intensity I bring on the court, and just my will to win.

Now, more than ever, I’ve had this will to win. I don’t want to lose games. I hate losing games.

And I hope they just see how hungry we are to win. I hope they know they can talk to me about anything, really.

They can ask questions, I can sign autographs, and we can talk.

No one’s too big for a conversation, so I hope they know that anything they want to ask, they can.

Looking ahead

My goals in basketball at the U SPORTS level are to be an All-Canadian and win a U SPORTS championship.

That’s every U SPORTS player’s dream - winning a U SPORTS championship.

After college, I want to play professional basketball. That’s been a goal of mine for a long time, and I’m hoping to achieve that.

The little kid inside me would definitely be happy about that.

Beyond basketball, if it doesn’t work out and I don’t play professional, I’d want to pursue law and work in entertainment.

And I love to run in my free time. I’m hoping to run a half marathon in Toronto this year!

Our weekly student-athlete features share the stories of Axemen and Axewomen in their own words. From why they chose Acadia, to how they found their sport, to the people and moments that have shaped their journey, these first-person pieces highlight the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of Acadia’s student-athletes on and off the field.