Stingers Sean East II Nominated for CEBL Player of the Year
CEBL Edmonton Stingers

Stingers Sean East II Nominated for CEBL Player of the Year

Published on August 13, 2025 under Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Edmonton Stingers News Release


Edmonton Stingers guard Sean East II
Edmonton Stingers guard Sean East II
(Edmonton Stingers)

(Edmonton, AB) - The Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that three of their players have been nominated for CEBL Awards. Sean East II, who broke the single season scoring record with 546 points, headlines the group after being nominated for CEBL Player of the Year. Chris Smith was nominated for CEBL Sixth Man of the Year while Aaron Rhooms was nominated for CEBL Developmental Player of the Year

East II had a standout year for the Stingers, leading the team in scoring at 22.8 points per game, a mark good for third in the league, while also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 50/40/90 shooting. In their final regular season game of the year last Sunday, East II set the CEBL's single season scoring record with a pair of free throws to reach 546 points, breaking Teddy Allen's total of 544 set in 2023. Starting all 24 games this season, East II surpassed 20 points on 17 occasions, and 30 on three, including a season high 35 on July 1st vs Montreal. He led the CEBL in both field goals made (202) and minutes played (741.5), ranked second in steals per game (2.0) and free throw percentage (90.7%), and finished third in scoring with 22.8 points per game. He also made 54 three-pointers, the fourth-highest total in the league this season.

"Sean has been exceptional for us all season long. He appeared in all 24 games and broke the CEBL single season scoring record, while shooting at an exceptionally efficient 50/40/90 pace," said Stingers head coach and general manager Jordan Baker. "He has also grown as a leader and as a distributor, and he is a massive part of why our team was so successful this summer. Sean has been in the MVP conversation all season, and is certainly a deserving finalist."

The 6'2" point guard is the first Stingers player since Xavier Moon to be nominated as CEBL Player of the Year. Moon, whose namesake the trophy is designed after, took home the award in three straight seasons from 2019-2021. East II, a Louisville, KY native, was nominated for CEBL Player of the Year alongside the Vancouver Bandit's Mitch Creek.

Nominated alongside East II is 6'7" forward Chris Smith for Sixth Man of the Year. In his first season with the Stingers, the American put up 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in just 15.4 minutes per game off the bench. Smith reached double-digit scoring on 8 occasions, setting a season high with 14 points on June 29th vs Scarborough.

"Chris is such a dynamic playmaker at both ends of the floor," said Baker. "For him to be a 6th Man of the Year finalist is not only a testament to his talent and versatility, but also to his selfless, team-first attitude. He led our second unit all season long, and was a huge reason why our season turned around after a slow start. Chris consistently impacts winning and was almost immediately a crowd favorite here in Edmonton."

Second year Stingers forward Aaron Rhooms rounded out the nominees, being selected for CEBL Developmental Player of the Year. The 2024-25 OUA Player of the Year out of Toronto Metropolitan University appeared in 19 games for the Stingers, averaging 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. He set a season and professional career high with 19 points on May 28th vs Brampton and shot 45.5% from three on the season.

"Aaron has been a fantastic spark off the bench for us this summer," said Baker. "His ability to immediately impact the game as a U SPORTS development player is a luxury for our coaching staff. He is still young in his career, but in the two years he has been in Edmonton we have seen his confidence and talent grow tremendously."

Award nominees and winners are determined by votes cast by the league's head coaches, general managers, assistant coaches, select league broadcasters, and internal media personnel. Team representatives are prohibited from voting for a player or head coach from their own team.

The Stingers will start the single elimination playoffs taking on the Calgary Surge in the CEBL's Western Conference Play-In Game this Thursday at 7:30 PM in Calgary. The winner will then travel to Vancouver to face the top-seeded Bandits on Saturday, with the winner advancing to Winnipeg for CEBL Championship Weekend August 21-24th. Fans can tune into all playoff games on TSN, or watch free on CEBL+.




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Edmonton Stingers guard Sean East II
Edmonton Stingers guard Sean East II
   



Canadian Elite Basketball League Stories from August 13, 2025


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