Alliance and Honey Badgers Battle for Final Playoff Spot in Eastern Conference

July 23, 2023
Dillon White

The final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference remains up for grabs and the two teams grappling for it will meet Sunday afternoon.


The Montréal Alliance (-133) will host the Brampton Honey Badgers (-105) at Verdun Auditorium at 4 p.m. ET in their final home game of the season. 


The game will be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.


The Alliance have lost two in a row but enter the contest ahead in the standings at 7-11 in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Montréal is coming off back-to-back losses to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in a home-and-home earlier in the week. They lost by three at home on Wednesday before falling by 10 points in Scarborough on Friday. 


Meanwhile, the Honey Badgers enter in fifth place in the East at 6-10 but have two more games remaining than Montréal. The defending champs’ fate is in their own hands. If they win their final four games, then the Honey Badgers will make the CEBL Playoffs.  They will come into the clash well-rested after losing 86-84 to the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Monday.


Brampton won the previous two meetings with Montréal this season early in June. The Honey Badgers came to Québec and defeated the Alliance 94-82 on June 4, powered by 28 points from Koby McEwen. Four other Brampton players reached double-digit points in the victory. 


Meanwhile, Montréal was led by 25 points from Blake Francis who suffered an injury later in the season and was released by the club. Ahmed Hill, the other Alliance star, went down with an injury in that game after just over 15 minutes of action.


Hill missed the following game against Brampton on June 7 and Montréal missed him. The Honey Badgers outscored the Alliance 23-8 in the fourth quarter on their way to an 89-65 win. McEwen led the team in scoring again with 17 points to go along with six assists. 


However, Brampton will have to find a way to contain Hill on Sunday. He has since returned to the lineup and has been one of the league’s most effective scorers this summer. In Friday’s loss to the Shooting Stars, Hill dropped a game-high 27 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists. He leads the Alliance in scoring this season with 20.2 points per game – which is tied for fourth in the CEBL with Brampton’s Christian Vital. 


Vital also ranks in the league’s top 10 in minutes per game, assists per game and steals per game. In the loss to Saskatchewan on Monday, he secured a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.


He’s supported in the Honey Badgers’ lineup by McEwen, Jeremiah Tilmon Jr., Zane Waterman and Prince Oduro. McEwen is putting up 13.8 points per game and 5.7 assists per game in a starting role this season. Meanwhile, Waterman is averaging 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds and coming off an outstanding performance against the Rattlers. He matched Vital with 22 points while snagging 17 rebounds against Saskatchewan. Oduro also had a huge double-double in the loss with 15 points and 14 rebounds. 


On the other side, Montréal receives consistent contributions from former NBA player Treveon Graham and homegrown big man Nathan Cayo, in addition to Hill. Graham is nearly averaging a double-double with 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds this season – which ranks second in the league. Meanwhile, Cayo is scoring 14.9 per game and hauling in 5.9 rebounds per game. He will look to bounce back from just seven points in Montréal’s loss to Scarborough on Friday. 


Following Sunday’s contest, the Alliance will head to Meridian Centre on Friday (July 28) for their regular season finale against the Niagara River Lions. Brampton will play a home-and-home with Scarborough before they also finish their season against Niagara next weekend. 


All games are available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.


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 71 per cent of its 2022 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. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August.  More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on
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February 26, 2026
Les BlackJacks d'Ottawa de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB) ont annoncé aujourd’hui que l’équipe a conclu une entente avec l’ailier Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré en vue de la saison 2026. Il effectue un retour avec les BlackJacks pour une troisième campagne, après avoir été sélectionné par Ottawa lors des deux derniers repêchages de la CEBL. Il s’agira de sa première saison sous contrat standard, plutôt que sous contrat de joueur en développement. Originaire de Gatineau (Québec), Ndjock-Tadjoré dispute présentement sa première saison avec BK Ogre, dans la Estonian-Latvian Basketball League. Il occupe présentement le deuxième rang de l’équipe aux rebonds (7,8), aux blocs (0,8) et aux vols de ballon (0,8) par match, en plus de se classer quatrième pour les minutes jouées (27,9 par match) et quatrième au chapitre des points (13,2 par match). Lors de la saison 2025 de la CEBL, l’ailier de 6 pi 7 po a maintenu des moyennes de 4,3 points et 2,3 rebonds en 15 matchs de saison régulière. Il a notamment signé un sommet personnel dans la CEBL avec 19 points le 10 août contre Vancouver. « Annoncer Justin aujourd’hui représente un moment dont nous sommes très fiers comme organisation. Ça souligne notre engagement envers le développement des joueurs — prendre un talent local d’élite issu du niveau U SPORTS et l’aider à faire le saut vers le basketball professionnel », a déclaré le directeur général des BlackJacks d’Ottawa, James Derouin. « Après une solide première saison outremer, Justin revient à la maison en joueur plus expérimenté et polyvalent. Ses atouts physiques et son intensité sont exactement ce dont nous aurons besoin cet été, et nous avons hâte de le voir franchir une autre étape importante dans sa carrière chez nous. » Diplômé de l’Université d’Ottawa, il a aidé les Gee-Gees à remporter une médaille de bronze U SPORTS lors de chacune de ses deux saisons avec l’équipe. Il s’est joint au programme après un transfert de St. Bonaventure University (NCAA), où il a disputé 13 matchs en deux saisons avec les Bonnies. Ottawa lancera sa saison à The Arena à la Place TD, le mardi 12 mai à 19 h 30, face aux champions en titre de la Conférence de l’Ouest, le Calgary Surge. Des forfaits de billets flexibles et des expériences de groupe sont actuellement en vente en visitant theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/tickets , ou rendez-vous sur theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/season-seat-memberships pour vous joindre à nous lors de tous les matchs à domicile de la saison 2026. ### À propos des BlackJacks d'Ottawa Première franchise d'expansion de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), les BlackJacks d’Ottawa sont une équipe professionnelle masculine de basketball qui évolue à l'Aréna de la Place TD. Le club est engagé envers l’excellence tant sur le terrain qu’en dehors, et vise à inspirer la fierté communautaire, à encourager le développement de la relève et à offrir une expérience inégalée à ses partisans. Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca .
February 26, 2026
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today that the club has signed forward Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré ahead of the 2026 season. He returns to the BlackJacks for his third campaign with the club after previously being selected by Ottawa in each of the last two CEBL Drafts. This will be Ndjock-Tadjoré's first season under a standard player contract as opposed to a developmental contract. A native of Gatineau, Que., Ndjock-Tadjoré is currently participating in his first season for BK Ogre of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League where he currently ranks second on the team in rebounds (7.8), blocks (0.8) and steals (0.8) per-game, fourth in minutes (27.9 mpg) and fourth in scoring (13.2 ppg) The 2025 CEBL season saw the 6'7" forward average 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15 regular season games. The year was highlighted by a CEBL career-high 19 points on Aug. 10 vs. Vancouver. “Announcing Justin today is a proud moment for our program. It highlights the commitment to the development player process – taking elite local talent from the U SPORTS level and helping them bridge the gap to the professional game," said Ottawa BlackJacks general manager, James Derouin. “After finishing a strong first year overseas, Justin returns home as a more seasoned, versatile player. His physical tools and high motor are exactly what we need this summer and we're eager to see him take the next big step in his career with us.” A graduate of the University of Ottawa, he helped the Gee-Gees to a U SPORTS bronze medal in each of his two seasons with the team. He joined the club after transferring from St. Bonaventure University (NCAA) where he appeared 13 times for the Bonnies across two campaigns. Ottawa opens the season at The Arena at TD Place on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. against the defending Western Conference champion, Calgary Surge. Flexible ticket packages and group experiences are currently available to purchase by visiting theblackjacks.ca/tickets or visit theblackjacks.ca/season-seat-memberships to become a 2026 season seat member. ### About the Ottawa BlackJacks The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks are a professional men’s basketball team competing out of The Arena at TD Place. The club is committed to excellence on-and-off the court and aims to inspire community pride, foster grassroots development and deliver an unparalleled fan experience. For more information, visit theblackjacks.ca .
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The Winnipeg Sea Bears today announce the signing of Canadian guard David Walker. Walker most recently appeared for the Ottawa BlackJacks in the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League season, where on Aug. 16 2025, in a playoff game, he had a standout performance, scoring 19 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and recording 3 steals in 25 minutes. Prior to his time in Ottawa, he suited up for the Scarborough Shooting Stars in 2025. Walker was also recognized as a finalist for the 2024 CEBL Developmental Player of the Year award. In addition, Walker was a finalist for the 2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year award, recognizing his outstanding performance at the university level and cementing his reputation as one of Canada’s top basketball talents. Over his CEBL career, playing for Brampton Honey Badgers, Scarborough Shooting Stars, and Ottawa BlackJacks, Walker has averaged 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. “David fits the identity we’re building. He’s a tough, physical Canadian guard with league experience who strengthens our Canadian depth,” said Lead Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager Alex Campbell. “He defends with purpose, plays hard, and gets downhill offensively. We believe he has tremendous upside, and I think Sea Bears Nation is going to appreciate the way he competes and works every single day.” Walker was originally selected 22nd overall in the 2024 CEBL Draft and began his professional career with the Brampton Honey Badgers, where he averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16 games during the 2024 season. Before turning professional, Walker starred at Toronto Metropolitan University, averaging 16.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists during the 2023–24 season. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the Sea Bears,” said Walker. “Winnipeg has built something special, and I’m coming in ready to bring toughness, versatility, and a winning mindset every time I step on the floor.” ###
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The Vancouver Bandits, BC’s professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), are committed to making a positive impact through basketball and growing the game across British Columbia, and this dedication was highlighted this past week in Kelowna and the Okanagan area. Coming off the recent announcement of Kelowna HOOPFEST, a brand-new basketball festival featuring a CEBL neutral-site home game in partnership with the City of Kelowna, Bandits head coach Kyle Julius spent time at five Okanagan-area secondary schools and both of Kelowna’s post-secondary men’s basketball teams, as part of the Vancouver Bandits third-annual Bandits School Tour. Julius and Bandits staff visited Mount Boucherie Secondary School, Immaculata Regional High School, Okanagan Mission Secondary, Rutland Secondary School and Kelowna Secondary, as well as the men’s basketball teams at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, providing dedicated and tailored practices along with motivational talks and training materials. Launched in 2023, the Bandits School Tour is supported by the Bandits Community Foundation, Preston Chevrolet and Envision Financial and offers a unique opportunity for student-athletes and volunteer coaches to learn directly from BC’s only professional basketball coach. “What stood out most during our visit was the impact basketball can have when it is rooted in mentorship and connection; it is clear how vibrant the basketball and business ecosystem is in the Okanagan,” said Bandits team president Dylan Kular. “We are thankful to the Okanagan and Kelowna communities for welcoming us so openly, and this is only the beginning. We are committed to being present and intentional in the lead-up to Kelowna HOOPFEST from June 5th to 7th.” In addition to the Bandits School Tour, Julius and members of Bandits staff had the opportunity to connect with various Okanagan business, media and community leaders, including attending the 51st annual Western Canada Tournament at Kelowna Secondary and a Kelowna Rockets hockey game. ###
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Montréal native and team captain returns after a standout 2025 season with the Alliance
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