Brampton to Open Training Camp Thursday at Humber Collage
The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday their roster ahead of the first day of training camp on Thursday at Humber College North Campus in Etobicoke.
This year’s 15-man training camp roster brings a mix of experienced veterans and players in the early stages of their professional careers. Greek forward Petros Melissaratos leads the Honey Badgers with 12 years of professional basketball experience, while 22-year-old Ayub Nurrussion recently completed his junior season at Ontario Tech University.
Familiar faces returning to Brampton this summer include Prince Oduro, Zane Waterman, Shamiel Stevenson, and Callum Baker. The four players combined for 100 games played for the Honey Badgers entering opening night on May 24 at the CAA Centre.
“We have an incredibly talented group in Brampton this summer, but more importantly some amazing people and role models in the community,” said Sheldon Cassimy, head coach and assistant general manager for the Brampton Honey Badgers. “I can’t wait to get to work this week and get the season going.”
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Javonte Cooke arrives in Brampton following a second season with the Iowa Wolves, the NBA G League affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed with the Timberwolves on October 20 and was released the following day and assigned to Iowa where he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 33.1 minutes in 48 games.
In April, the Honey Badgers selected Callum Baker (2nd overall), Cole Syllas (19th overall), and David Walker (22nd overall) in the 2024 CEBL Draft. All three players will look to build off their first professional campaign in the CEBL last summer. Syllas appeared in 10 games with the Ottawa BlackJacks last season, while Walker averaged 10.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in nine contests with the Scarborough Shooting Stars.
| NO. | NAME | POS | HT | WT | DOB | PREVIOUS TEAM | HOME TOWN | NATION | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LJ Thorpe (I) | G | 6-5 | 220 | 05/13/1999 | Siauliali (Lithuania) | West Palm Beach, FL | USA | UNC Asheville '22 |
| 6 | David Walker | G | 6-4 | 210 | 09/29/1999 | Toronto Metropolitan University (U SPORTS) | Toronto, ON | CAN | TMU '24 |
| 8 | Prince Oduro | F | 6-8 | 250 | 08/27/1998 | Korihait (Finland) | Toronto, ON | CAN | Detroit Mercy '22 |
| 10 | Yaw Obeng-Mensah | F | 6-7 | 215 | 06/15/2000 | Niagara University (NCAA) | Toronto, ON | CAN | Niagara '24 |
| 11 | Callum Baker | G | 6-2 | 160 | 12/08/2000 | University of Toronto (U SPORTS) | Oakville, ON | CAN | Toronto '24 |
| 13 | Lincoln Rosebush | F | 6-11 | 230 | 09/09/1999 | Toronto Metropolitan University (U SPORTS) | Guelph, ON | CAN | TMU '24 |
| 14 | Javonte Cooke (l) | G | 6-6 | 190 | 07/11/1999 | Iowa (NBA G League) | Columbia, SC | CAN | Winston-Salem '22 |
| 15 | Kevin Kangu | G | 6-4 | 185 | 04/27/1998 | Sloga KR (Serbia) | Burlington, ON | CAN | Lenoir-Rhyne '22 |
| 17 | Ayub Nurhussien | F | 6-10 | 190 | 12/14/2002 | Ontario Tech University (U SPORTS) | Hamilton, ON | CAN | Ontario Tech '25 |
| 20 | Cole Syllas (U) | G | 6-5 | 210 | 08/01/2000 | Queen's University (U SPORTS) | Kingston, ON | CAN | Queen's '24 |
| 21 | Jevon Brown | G | 6-5 | 200 | 05/30/1998 | Brock University (U SPORTS) | Toronto, ON | CAN | Brock '24 |
| 22 | Shamiel Stevenson | F | 6-6 | 245 | 04/24/1998 | Targu Jiu (Romania) | Toronto, ON | CAN | Nebraska '21 |
| 24 | Zane Waterman (l) | F | 6-8 | 220 | 10/12/1995 | Apollon (Cyprus) | Winston-Salem, NC | CAN | Manhattan '18 |
| 32 | Akeem Clarke | F | 6-11 | 255 | 11/26/1998 | Toronto Metropolitan University (U SPORTS) | Toronto, ON | CAN | TMU '24 |
| 34 | Petros Melissaratos | F | 6-9 | 270 | 04/10/1993 | Milonas (Greece) | Athens, Greece | GRE | N/A |
Notable highlights include:
- Comprised of seven guards and eight forwards
- Features 12 Canadians and three Americans
- All of the Canadian players are from Ontario, including six from Toronto
- Six players with prior CEBL experience
- Five players looking to make their professional debut this summer; Jevon Brown, Akeem Clarke, Ayub Nurhussien, Yaw Obeng-Mensah, and Lincoln Rosebush
- Two players with 5+ years of professional experience; Zane Waterman (6) and Petros Melissaratos (12)
- Two players with NBA G League experience; Javonte Cooke and Kevin Kangu
The Honey Badgers open the 2024 campaign at home against the Niagara River Lions as part of Home Opener Weekend at the CAA Centre. Season tickets, ultimate voucher packages, and single game tickets are available now to witness the best of Canadian professional basketball this summer. For more information contact a Honey Badgers representative at [email protected] or visit www.honeybadgers.ca/tickets.
About the Brampton Honey Badgers
One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca.
About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (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 71 percent of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. TSN, Canada's sports leader, is the official broadcast partner of the league. 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 Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
