When Bradd Arseneau walked into his mother's classroom at Bathurst High School earlier this month, he was just looking for lunch money.

Less than a week later, the 17-year-old son of Randy Arseneau and Peggy O'Neil Arseneau was en route to Toronto to join some of the biggest names in sport in a national advertising campaign for Gatorade.

"He walks into my class looking for his lunch money," laughed his mother, who teaches at the school where her son is a Grade 12 student. "And I said, 'I have some good news for you.'"

The makers of the Gatorade sports drink wanted to know if the BHS basketball player wanted to to be part of a major advertising campaign. He'd be appearing with the likes of National Hockey League legend Gordie Howe, Caissie Campbell, the Olympic gold-medal winning hockey player; and mixed martial arts star George St. Pierre.

"I kind of didn't believe it," said Arseneau of the news that came with his lunch money. "I thought it would just be an interview type of thing."

According to PepsiCo Canada, the licensee for Gatorade in Canada, "'G' represents the heart, hustle, and soul of athleticism and will become a badge of pride for any Canadian who sweats, no matter where they're active."

Also chosen for the campaign were wheelchair racer Chantal Peticlerc, who won five gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games; and long distance runner Ray Zahab, who made history in 2007 by running across the Sahara Desert.

"(These are) some of our nation's most influential and inspiring athletes," said Dale Hooper, vice-president of marketing for Gatorade in Canada in the press release. "These athletes represent Canada's best while also serving as motivation to any Canadian who sweats."

One of four survivors of a tragic highway accident on Jan. 12, 2008 that took the lives of seven members of the BHS boys basketball team and their coach's wife, Arseneau was the lone returning player on this year's varsity squad.

He went on to be named the most valuable player of the provincial final in Fredericton last month, when BHS put away Campobello High 82-50 to win the AA title. Arseneau scored 25 points and hauled down a remarkable 21 rebounds while playing every second of the game.

"Some of the people that work with Gatorade had seen and followed the story," said his mom, explaing how her son was tagged for the advertising campaign.

Arseneau and his parents arrived in Toronto on March 19, the day before he was scheduled to shoot his part in the television commercial. After being driven to their hotel by a chauffeur, they were invited to visit the studio and meet the athletes that were being filmed that day.

"We got to meet George St. Pierre and Cassie Campbell," said Arseneau. "They were nice people."

That afternoon, a marketing representative for Gatorade asked his parents if they thought their son would like to have breakfast with Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh in his condo the next day.

Arseneau was driven to the building where Bosh lived and taken up to the Raptor's condo where he was met by the professional basketball player's private chef.

"He was the only one up," said Arseneau, who noted he arrived a little earlier than expected. "Then his cousin, who is also his manager, came and went and woke him up."

The breakfast lasted for about an hour before Bosh had to leave to go to a morning practice, prior to that night's game.

"I didn't really tour the whole condo, I just stayed in two rooms," said Arseneau of the visit. "One of the rooms was like his games room and he had all of his awards up on the wall and a trophy case in the corner. He had a pool table, a poker table and a big TV. Other than that, I was just in his kitchen, (which had) a great view of the lake. We just ate and talked. He was nice."

"Since it was a game day, what the personal chef usually makes him is a type of porridge with oats in it, because oats are one of the best sources of energy he was telling me," he continued. "We had that to start off, and there was fresh fruit in it, and that was good. After that he asked Chris if he wanted anything else...so we had some bacon, an omellette and toast. Then he made a drink which was pure freshly squeezed juice which was really good."

Bosh also gave Arseneau a few gifts before the pair headed down the elevator and out of the building together. Those gifts included a pair of Bosh's limited edition personalized sneakers, called CB4's for his initials and jersey number; a Raptors jersey, t-shirt, sweater, hoodie and a Raptors headband.

After returning to his hotel for about an hour, Arseneau and his parents were driven to the studio to film his part in the commercial where he wore his BHS Phantoms basketball uniform and his new CB4 sneakers.

"I was by myself in the shoot and they got me to do a bunch of different things, because they want selection when they are picking what they are going to use," he explained. "They got me to do things like play with the basketball, pass it behind my back, smile, be serious. Things like that."

Producers also asked Arseneau a series of questions, but he does not know what will wind up in the final commercial. Similar ads released in the United States during last February's Superbowl show a series of photos of athletes winding their way across the screen while an announcer describes the meaning of "G", while in another version those same athletes say what "G" means to them.

"We are waiting to find out when the ad will be launched," concluded Bradd's proud mother. "We don't know what they are going to use, so we don't want to speculate. That is what we are excited for is to see what it is going to look like."