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CEBL Canadian Elite Basketball League

Season Four Set to be the Biggest CEBL Season Yet

May 25, 2022 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) News Release


Fraser Valley Bandits take on the Niagara River Lions in CEBL action
Fraser Valley Bandits take on the Niagara River Lions in CEBL action
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The 2022 CEBL Season gets underway on May 25 when the Hamilton Honey Badgers host the Montréal Alliance at the FirstOntario Centre at 7 p.m. ET followed by the Ottawa BlackJacks taking on the Fraser Valley Bandits at the TD Place Arena in the nation's capital starting at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Niagara River Lions flying out to Saskatoon where they play the Saskatchewan Rattlers at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Day two, May 26, will see the Guelph Nighthawks host the Scarborough Shooting Stars at 7 p.m. ET. The back-to-back CEBL Champion Edmonton Stingers take on the Niagara River Lions at 7 p.m. MT on Friday May 27 while the Hamilton Honey Badgers host the Fraser Valley Bandits at 7 p.m. ET in Hamilton.

With three expansion teams entering the league, competition is greater than ever. Over the next three and a half months, ten teams will compete in games for an eventual bid into the playoffs and the 2022 Championship Weekend being held between August 12-14 in the nation's capital, Ottawa.

Expanding into New Markets Across Canada

Scarborough, Montréal and Newfoundland were the three new teams added to the CEBL this off-season. The Scarborough Shooting Stars have added talent like JV Mukama who previously played for the Hamilton Honey Badgers, Olu Famutimi of the Guelph Nighthawks and Arkansas Men's program, Kalif Young also formerly of the Hamilton Honey Badgers, and most recently J Cole who spent time in the Basketball Africa League.

The Montréal Alliance have recruited local with 10 players from Quebec on their roster. Carleton Ravens guard and U SPORTS National Champion Alain Louis joins the team for their inaugural season following his time with the Ottawa BlackJacks. Another Ravens alumni and U SPORTS National Champion, Isiah Osborne will suit up for the Alliance when they take the court on May 25 in Hamilton.

The Growlers out of Newfoundland coached by Patrick Ewing Jr. have brought over Junior Cadougan, a standout guard from Toronto who played at Marquette University during his Collegiate years and had strong showings with the Ottawa BlackJacks in 2021. Playing alongside Cadougan in their rookie season is Gage Sabean from the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Cole Long and CEBL veteran Shaquille Keith.

The expansion teams wasted no time during the offseason, and they have built three formidable rosters going into the 2022 CEBL season.

Growing Pathways

The composition of training camp rosters also revealed that the CEBL continues to become a popular destination for players who carry experience in some of the world's top collegiate and professional basketball leagues.

The CEBL features one hundred and four players from NCAA rosters as the fourth season begins, a number that continues to grow as the high quality of basketball is shown to the world.

Along with providing NCAA athletes an avenue to develop their game, the CEBL has focused on growing and developing Canadians, and giving them an option to stay home. Entering the 2022 season, CEBL rosters hold sixty three U SPORTS athletes.

The CEBL takes care of its players and graduated five of them to the NBA this off-season. Players like Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native Lindell Wigginton came from Iowa State University, and after time with the Hamilton Honey Badgers, wound up on the Milwaukee Bucks roster for the end of the season and their playoff run. Three-time CEBL Player Of The Year, Xavier Moon from the Edmonton Stingers signed three 10-day contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers throughout the season and was converted to a two-way NBA contract with the team and their G League Affiliate the Auga Aliente Clippers. Xavier Sneed of the Niagara River Lions went on to play under a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz after two games with the Memphis Grizzlies and eighteen games with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League. Javin DeLaurier of the Niagara River Lions became the first CEBL'er to graduate to the NBA after he signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks

One hundred and four players from NCAA Division I schools, six players with NBA experience and a record 37 players that have played in the NBA G League. The CEBL is always growing and has become one of the top destinations for talent across the world.

Road To The Chip

When the Hamilton Honey Badgers kickoff their 2022 season against the Montréal Alliance, it will start the season long campaign, Road To The Chip which is being run by the Ottawa BlackJacks. Throughout the season, stories will be told as the game of basketball in Canada is shown to be the unifying sport it is. Through high level basketball and enjoyable fan experiences, the game of basketball will bring people together, all culminating in the 2022 Championship Weekend which takes place August 12-14.

Watch the 2022 CEBL season live on CEBL+ and CBC Gem and don't miss a minute of the action. Find the schedule and any related news on the CEBL website.




Images from this story

Fraser Valley Bandits take on the Niagara River Lions in CEBL action
Fraser Valley Bandits take on the Niagara River Lions in CEBL action
   



Canadian Elite Basketball League Stories from May 25, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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