Ottawa BlackJacks Sign Local Forward JD Muila for Upcoming Season

March 7, 2024

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Canadian forward JD Muila has signed with the Club for the 2024 CEBL season.


A six-foot-eight forward from Ottawa, Muila began his professional career with Froya Basket in the Norwegian BLNO in 2023 after spending two years with the Southern Illinois University Salukis in NCAA Division I.


Muila is currently completing the winter season with Froya Basket, averaging 19.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 33.8 minutes in 28 games played. He has recorded 23 double-doubles, including one on February 3 against Ammerud when he posted a season-high 33 points, shooting 14-for-16 from the field, along with 13 rebounds, seven assists, a season-high four blocks, and six steals.


After missing his first year with the Salukis because of an injury, Muila averaged 3.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in the following two seasons. He tipped off his collegiate career with Indian Hills Community College in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in 2018, where he helped Indian Hills to a 57-10 record over two years and a 39-2 home record. In the 2019-20 season, he averaged 6.5 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game for the 30-3 Warriors, who were the second seed at the NJCAA Tournament before it was canceled because of the pandemic.


In 2017-18, Muila competed with Canada Topflight Academy in Ottawa, where he helped the team win back-to-back NPA national championships.


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 Voucher Packs 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 am extremely excited to join the BlackJacks organization. I am beyond grateful for this amazing opportunity as it has always been a dream of mine to play and represent the city where I'm from.”

- JD Muila, Forward, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club


"JD is a disciplined player who works really hard, and he's been having a great season this winter, putting up impressive stats for Froya Basket in France. He left Ottawa years ago to play in college, so we're excited to welcome him back to the Capital.”

- James Derouin, General Manager and Head Coach, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club


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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.

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