T he Calgary Surge have signed six-foot-eight forward Gabe Osabuohien fo r the 2024 season, the team announced Wednesday. Osabuohien recently played with the Cleveland Charge of the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League where he averaged 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 15.1 minutes in 52 games played. “We are thrilled to welcome Gabe Osabuohien to our team. He is young, eager to learn and will be a force on the defensive end,” said Surge General Manager, Shane James. “I have no doubt he can help us win.” The six-foot-eight forward from Toronto, Ontario graduated from West Virginia University where he averaged 4.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 18.1 minutes in 31 games played. Prior to his time in West Virginia, he played with the University of Arkansas Razorbacks where he averaged 3.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 18.5 minutes in 28 games played. “I am very excited to be a part of the team this season as this is my first time playing in the CEBL and visiting Calgary,” said Osabuohien. “I am thankful for the opportunity and excited to get to work. Let’s bring a championship to Calgary!” Fans can now purchase tickets to the 2024 Season Opener at the Scotiabank Saddledome at www.calgarysurge.ca/surge2thedome .  About the Calgary Surge The Calgary Surge tipped off their inaugural season at WinSport Event Centre in May 2023, after originating the Guelph Nighthawks, one of the founding members of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). From day one, the Surge have been committed to being the Home Team for Calgary and a space where everyone is welcome. The Calgary Surge are active members of the community and have participated in a few hundred events (and counting) around the city that connect the team with diverse communities through sport and entertainment. In their inaugural season, the Surge finished 1st overall in the Western Conference and were crowned Western Conference Champions in the playoffs. For more information, visit www.calgarysurge.ca . About the Canadian Elite Basketball League A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U S PORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Monday that Chris Exilus has been promoted to Vice President and Senior Advisor. Exilus, a 2023 CEBL Champion, led the Shooting Stars to the CEBL’s Championship Game in back-to-back seasons. “I am very excited about my new promotion into this role,” said Exilus. “As our franchise continues to evolve, the growth opportunity and platform to use all of my abilities is what I am looking forward to the most. This season is going to be great, we can’t wait to get started”. The Shooting Stars open their season on May 24 at the Canada Life Centre where they will take on the Winnipeg Sea Bears. The team welcomes the Niagara River Lions to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on June 1 for their home opener and championship banner drop. For more information on the team, tickets and schedule visit scarboroughshootingstars.ca .

T he Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Monday they have signed Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, a Winnipegger who has garnered major accolades overseas. Most recently, the skilled guard averaged 18.9 points per game for Tsmoki-Minsk, good for third in the VTB United League, often considered one of the top five international leagues. This past winter, he also became the seventh player in VTB United history to score more than 600 points in a season. Ogungbemi-Jackson’s roots trace back to Winnipeg, where he led his Garden City Collegiate Gophers to back-to-back provincial titles. The humble and hard-working guard established a standard for work ethic while bussing to the school hours before the morning bell to get hundreds of shots up each day. “I am estatic to be joining the Winnipeg Sea Bears this season! Playing professionally in my hometown where I was born and raised is a dream come true and something I never knew would be possible. I can’t wait to play in front of my friends and family and this amazing fanbase. I plan to bring my leadership, my talent and competitiveness to help us compete at the highest level every night,” said Ogungbemi-Jackson. Ogungbemi-Jackson played his post-secondary ball with the Calgary Dinos, where his coach described his impact as “ridiculous.” The team-first workhorse still holds the record for steals in program history with 197 and ranks third all-time in points (1799). From there, the 5-foot-10 guard launched into a successful pro career, using his dedication, work ethic and high IQ to rocket him through several top-tier European leagues. Ogungbemi-Jackson was named Guard of the Year in the Portuguese LPB, his first pro league, in just his second season. He went on to average 17.8 points per game in back-to-back seasons from 2019-2021, first in the Finnish league Korisliiga then in the Dutch Basketball League in the Netherlands. In the latter year, he was named the league’s Import Player of the Year. The following season, he scooped up an All-Star nod at the FIBA Europe Cup while playing for the Bakken Bears before helping his team win the Danish Basketball League championship. “When we talk Winnipeg basketball and the best players the city has produced, one name consistently pops up: Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson. After playing all over the world, we are thrilled that Jarred will join our Sea Bears organization and have the chance to play in front of family and friends in Winnipeg, his hometown,” said Mike Taylor, head coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Sea Bears. “Jarred brings outstanding point guard play, excellent three-point shooting and tremendous experience to our team. Just as important, Jarred is a homegrown talent who can inspire the next generation of Winnipeg players to pursue their basketball dreams. Jarred is a big part of making the Sea Bears Winnipeg's team.” Ogungbemi-Jackson is now the seventh professional player and sixth Canadian signed by the Sea Bears this season, after Chad Posthumus , Alex Campbell , Mason Bourcier , and Shane Osayande . The team signed 2023 CEBL MVP, import Teddy Allen on Feb. 7 and drafted developmental players Simon Hildebrandt, Tyler Sagl and Shawn Maranan on April 11. MEDIA: The Sea Bears open training camp Monday, May 13 at Sport Manitoba in Winnipeg before they head to Saskatchewan to take on the Rattlers on May 22. The team’s home opener is slated for May 24 at Canada Life Centre against the defending CEBL champions, the Scarborough Shooting Stars.  About the Winnipeg Sea Bears The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. In the team’s inaugural season, it placed second in the Western Conference and set new records for CEBL attendance on three occasions. The organization became the first in CEBL history to win four major awards: MVP (Teddy Allen), Sixth Man of the Year (Jelani Watson-Gayle), U SPORTS Player of the Year (Simon Hildebrandt) and Coach of the Year. The front office subsequently was awarded the 2023 CEBL Franchise of the Year. More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram , X , TikTok , LinkedIn & Facebook . About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

LANGLEY, B.C. , April 12, 2024 – The Vancouver Bandits announced Friday that the club has re-signed 2024 U SPORTS most valuable player Diego Maffia for the club’s upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC). Maffia appeared in 14 contests (four starts) with the Bandits last summer and averaged 7.1 points, 2.4 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 15.2 minutes per game in his first season of professional basketball. In his first pro career start on June 3, 2023, Maffia recorded a double-double and the game-winning basket as part of a 15-point, 11-assist performance against the Calgary Surge. This will be the Bandits’ sixth season and Maffia’s second with the club. A native of Victoria, B.C., and an alumnus of Oak Bay Secondary, Maffia returns to Vancouver on a ‘developmental contract,’ which allows the 22-year-old guard to retain his eligibility for a fifth year at the University of Victoria, where he has starred for the Vikes since 2019. Prior to the 2023-24 U SPORTS season, Maffia spent last summer with the Bandits after being drafted sixth overall in the first round of the 2023 CEBL Draft. “After a great experience last summer, I knew that I wanted to run it back. We have some unfinished business to take care of and I can’t wait to do it in front of the best fanbase in the country!” Maffia said. Maffia has enjoyed a decorated U SPORTS career to date. He has been named a first team all-Canadian and Canada West player of the year twice in consecutive years (2022-23 and 23-24), and has led the Vikes to three straight Canada West championships and U SPORTS Final 8 appearances. Over the course of four seasons at Victoria, Maffia is averaging 28.3 minutes, 20.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 3.4 three-pointers made per game on 34.8 per cent shooting from long range across 75 games played (56 starts). “I felt it was important to sign and announce Diego as a standard player. He will have a development contract to maintain his eligibility but I view him as a high level pro who has earned a proper roster spot with us. Diego has proven he belongs in this league and we are excited about working with him again this summer,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. Tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ highly anticipated home opener on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. against the Montréal Alliance are on sale now at this link . Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montréal on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT. All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ , and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of tickets are invited to consider a flex pack or season tickets . More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing [email protected] . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter . About the Vancouver Bandits The Vancouver Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC). About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

Thirty Canadian student-athletes from U SPORTS, CCAA selected over three rounds

Canada’s biggest annual basketball celebration heads to Winnipeg for first time in August 2025

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday the signing of Canadian Guard Keevan Veinot for the upcoming 2024 CEBL season. A six-foot-four guard from Port Williams, Nova Scotia, Veinot averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 22.8 minutes in 87 professional games played in Canada, in Belgium, and in the Netherlands. Veinot is currently wrapping up his 2023-24 season with the Port of Antwerp Giants in BNXT, the highest professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. Across 25 games played, he has maintained an average of 8.9 points. On November 17 against Limburg United, Veinot scored a season-high 20 points, including two three-pointers, and contributing two rebounds, five assists, and four steals. In the preceding season, he played for LWD Aris Leeuwarden in the same league, where he averaged 17.0 points per game. One of his standout performances occurred on February 18 against Donar Groningen, where he scored a season-high 33 points, hitting all five of his three-point attempts and going four-for-four from the free-throw line.  Veinot, selected in the first round by the Honey Badgers in the 2021 CEBL U SPORTS Draft, tipped off his professional basketball journey in the CEBL. Returning for a second season with the Honey Badgers in 2022, he averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists over 21 games. He posted eight multi-assist games and five double-digit scoring games. With a decorated collegiate career, Veinot represented Dalhousie University from 2017 to 2022, accumulating numerous accolades. These include being named Atlantic University Sports (AUS) First Team All-Star in 2019-20 and 2021-22, First Team All-Canadian in 2019-20, and AUS All Rookie Team in 2017-18, among others. In 2019-20, he secured the AUS Men’s Basketball MVP, a first in Dalhousie University's history. He led his team in scoring average (15.6), minutes played (30.3), rebounding (5.2), assists (5.5), and steals (2.3) that season. Veinot's basketball roots run deep in his family. His twin sister, Jayda Veinot, played for the University of New Brunswick (2022-24) and Acadia (2018-22). His father, Kevin Veinot, was an all-star at Acadia, notably contributing to the 1987-88 team that reached the national final. His mother, Jennifer Hale, achieved success as a two-time provincial high school champion at Cobequid Education Centre and as an AUAA MVP at the University of New Brunswick. The Ottawa BlackJacks 2024 home opener will take place at the Arena at TD Place on May 29. Fans can now purchase BlackJacks season seat memberships, Flex Packs, and group tickets at theblackjacks.ca/tickets . For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected] . Quotes: “I'm very excited to be back in the CEBL and join the BlackJacks organization. I have a long-lasting relationship with Coach Derouin and I look forward to playing for him. Ottawa’s fanbase and basketball experience is one that I am familiar with as an opponent, and I can't wait to embrace it as a BlackJacks player.” - Keevan Veinot, Guard, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club “Keevan is a versatile and multi-faceted point guard who can play all three guard positions. He has a high IQ, and he is a high character player. He checks all the boxes for the Ottawa BlackJacks culture and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Ottawa. - James Derouin, General Manager and Head Coach, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club About the Ottawa BlackJacks The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by General Manager and Head Coach James Derouin, Ottawa plays its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. The anticipation is building for the upcoming 2024 season, slated to tip off at home on May 29 against the Edmonton Stingers. For more information, visit www.theblackjacks.ca. About Canadian Elite Basketball League A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .