Smart Leads BlackJacks to Third Straight Win

Les gagnants seront couronnés lors de la remise des prix de la LECB, le 21 août à Winnipeg

Winners to be crowned at CEBL Awards on August 21 in Winnipeg

L’Alliance de Montréal annonce la signature de l’ailier Abdullah Shittu pour les séries éliminatoires 2025 de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB).  Natif d’Edmonton, l’ailier de 6’8” rejoint l’équipe avant le match de barrage de l’Association Est contre Scarborough jeudi soir, ajoutant de la profondeur à la formation de l’Alliance en vue des séries éliminatoires. Âgé de 25 ans, Shittu avait initialement signé avec l’Alliance avant la saison 2025 et avait disputé sept matchs, compilant des moyennes de 2,6 points et 1,3 rebonds en 8,7 minutes de jeu par match. Sa meilleure performance de la saison est survenue le 3 juillet face aux Rattlers de la Saskatchewan, récoltant 11 points, quatre rebonds et quatre passes décisives dans une victoire de l’Alliance 82-80. Shittu apporte avec lui une vaste expérience internationale après des passages en Slovaquie, en Mongolie et au Portugal, ainsi qu’une solide formation universitaire à l’Université d'Alberta où il a moyenné 10,6 points et 5,7 rebonds sur 49 matchs. Shittu sera disponible pour le match de barrage de jeudi contre les Shooting Stars de Scarborough au Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre à 19h00 HE, diffusé sur RDS et TSN. -REPMTL-

The Montréal Alliance announce the signing of forward Abdullah Shittu ahead of the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) playoffs. The 6’8” forward from Edmonton rejoins the team ahead of Thursday night’s Eastern Conference Play-In game against Scarborough, adding depth to the Alliance roster heading into the playoffs. Shittu, 25, had originally signed with the Alliance prior to the 2025 season and appeared in seven games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game. His best performance of the season came on July 3 against Saskatchewan, scoring 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in an 82-80 Alliance victory. The Edmonton native brings extensive international experience following stints in Slovakia, Mongolia and Portugal, along with a solid collegiate background at the University of Alberta where he averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds over 49 games.  Shittu will be available for Thursday’s Play-In game against the Scarborough Shooting Stars at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at 7:00 PM ET, broadcast on RDS and TSN. -REPMTL-

Over the course of a 20-minute conversation, Sean East II’s eyes light up over two topics: the CEBL scoring title — and hot yoga. In fact, the Edmonton Stingers star guard says the two are closely related. “I'm a big yoga guy. Been there for about two or three years now. I think that went into my three-point percentage, my game going up a different level for sure. Just being with my body in certain situations, places that maybe others can't,” East II explains. Whatever East II is doing during his rookie season, it’s working. The 25-year-old from Louisville, Kent., smashed the single-season scored record by pouring in 546 points while playing all 24 games this year. Now, he’s set to lead the Stingers back to the playoffs as the franchise looks to capture its first championship since going back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. Edmonton visits the Calgary Surge in the Western Conference Play-In on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. MT / 9:30 p.m. ET, with the winner moving on to face the Vancouver Bandits in the conference semifinals on Saturday. “All these close games we've been having throughout the season, ups and downs, it's all for the playoffs and hopefully we can just take it one game at a time and shock the world,” East II said. East II’s journey to the CEBL began when he was just two years old. During Christmas that year, his mom bought him a Fisher-Price children’s hoop. He immediately started working on his jump-shooting form, someone in the room made sure to snap a picture and the rest is history. “Ever since then, it's just been basketball, basketball, basketball,” East II said. After he graduated from Fisher-Price, East II moved onto a high school in New Albany, Ind., where he starred on a team with future NBA lottery pick Romeo Langford. It’s there where East II understood that basketball could become more than a recreational activity. “[Langford's] Batman. I'm Robin. At that point, it's like, ‘OK, I know I'm not there yet, but you know, I can get there.’ And probably by my senior year of high school, I was like, ‘OK, I think I can do something with this.’ It was always a dream, but like really understanding that I could was probably like senior year,” East II said. His NCAA career, however, wasn’t so linear. He attended three school over four years, spending one each at the University of Massachusetts and Bradley before transferring for two years to the University of Missouri. East II competed once in March Madness during the 2023 tournament, scoring 16 points over two games as his Tigers were eliminated by 15th-seeded Princeton. During the season, East II was more of a role player at 23.4 minutes per game while shooting just 22.1 per cent from three-point range. He also averaged 7.3 points and 2.6 assists per contest. But those numbers jumped in his senior year as East II doubled his three-point mark to 45.8 per cent while his scoring average rose to 17.9 points per game. He credits coaches Dennis Gates and Charlton Young for working with him to improve, though the increased opportunity also played a role. After going undrafted in 2024, East II signed on with the South Bay Lakers of the G League, where he played alongside Bronny James. He spent the final three months of the season playing professionally in Romania. “I've learned so much in this whole past year, but just understanding the business side more of things and just how everything operates and the hierarchies and it's just a whole bunch of things that have nothing to do with basketball,” East II said. While in Romania, his agent connected him with Stingers head coach Jordan Baker. “And ever since he FaceTimed me, he's been telling me his vision and I respected how he played. He won some championships and he's just adamant about trying to bring one back. And he seemed like a good dude,” East II said. “Once I knew that, I knew it was a no-brainer to come and hopefully give me a better shot for whatever's next in my career.” He said he initially didn’t know what to expect from the CEBL, but now, following a successful regular season, he’s happy with his choice to come to Canada. “I maybe heard a little bit about the league, but I mean, ever since I got here it's just been nothing but great. Just as far as the fans in each arena, the media coverage behind it all, it's definitely something great to be a part of,” he said. For his part, Baker’s been happy to have East II on his squad. “He’s a guy where sometimes we’re a little stagnant offensively and he can create his own shot. … His ability to mature into that point guard that we’ve been looking for has been tremendous,” he said. Championship Weekend could provide the perfect stage for East II as he looks to advance his basketball career. The Stingers face a tall task to get there as a team — though, as a mid-season winning streak proved, they are more than capable. East II, however, may get there all on his own. He is among the leading candidates in a strong MVP race after averaging 23 points per game to go with 4.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and a 43.1 per cent mark from three. The awards gala is slated to take place in Winnipeg alongside the final three games of the year. “It's not often that you put work in and you get rewards from it. Sometimes the work goes unseen. It's hard that sometimes, you gotta do blind work. You wake up, you put in effort every day and you might not see [any] results,” East II said. “So for that to happen [to win MVP], it would be like, ‘Dang, I finally got something from the work that I put in.’” The last Stingers player to win MVP was Xavier Moon, who did it three times before landing a contract with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. East II said he’s been in touch with Moon, who spent two weeks in Edmonton earlier this season. “We both have kind of the underdog story and the same kind of mental space. … I'm a sponge. So I immediately went to ask him about a whole bunch of things. So it's just, I appreciate him,” East II said. For now, however, East II has team goals to focus on as the playoffs begin before he can worry about individual honours. From Louisville to Indiana to Los Angeles to Romania, his basketball journey landed him in Edmonton — and a championship could be the crowning achievement. But he’s not looking too far ahead. “You can't take it for granted or think you're missing out on something,” East II said of his path. “You just gotta be where your feet are and enjoy the moment.” Spoken like a true yogi. - CEBL -

Niagara et Winnipeg attendent de connaître leurs adversaires pour le week-end du Championnat 2025

Niagara, Winnipeg await matchups for 2025 Championship Weekend

The Calgary Surge made sure to end their regular season on a high note, picking up a 94-76 win over the defending champion Niagara River Lions on Sunday night. Calgary’s victory in the storied Scotiabank Saddledome improved the squad to 17-7 on the year and sent the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed into the playoffs on a four-game win streak. Leading that charge was Olumide Adelodun, who finished with a game-high 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting from distance to go with eight rebounds. Behind him was DJ Jackson with 15 points off the bench and Javonté Brown, who put up 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Rounding out the Surge’s double-digit scoring efforts were Evan Gilyard II with 13 points and eight assists and Jameer Nelson Jr. with 10 points. All of this was made more impressive by the fact that Calgary was without two regular starters in Gabe Osabuohien and Sean Miller-Moore. “We came to the game with an intense mentality,” Brown said after his double-double effort. “We came to play, came to win and (our secondary players) stepped up today.” On the other side, the loss dropped the River Lions to 14-10 on the season as they capped off their year on a five-game skid. Curtis Hollis led the River Lions’ effort on Sunday with 15 points off the pine to go with 10 rebounds and two steals. Khalil Ahmad wasn’t far behind as he added 13 points while Kimbal Mackenzie and Ahmed Hill scored 12 points each. While it wasn’t an ideal outcome for Hill’s squad, the game marked a milestone night for the CEBL veteran. It was his 100th appearance (regular season + playoffs), making Hill one of just three players (Alex Campbell, Malcolm Duvivier) in league history to reach the triple-digit mark for games played all-time. Meanwhile, entering Sunday, it was clear both teams were after the same thing to end the regular season before heading into the playoffs: momentum. For the Surge, it was about maintaining it as they were in the midst of a win streak and looking to finish the season with a strong 9-3 home record. Meanwhile, the River Lions were hoping to snatch some of that momentum as they rode into Calgary amid a season-worst skid and 5-6 road record despite holding onto the No. 1 seed out East and a bye into the Conference Final. Given that both teams had the same goal, it wasn’t a surprise that the ball game remained tightly contested throughout the opening frame. Niagara eked out a 24-22 lead by the end of the first thanks to a quarter-ending 5-0 run. A spark that helped the defending champs capture some of that momentum they were so desperately after, as the River Lions went on a 16-2 charge between the end of the first and start of the second to lead by as many as 16 points before halftime. That lead was short-lived, however, as the Surge answered back before the break. The home team ended the first half on a 7-2 run, including a buzzer-beating layup by Nelson that cut the deficit back to single digits, 47-39. What underscored Niagara’s halftime lead was an uncharacteristically strong showing from beyond the arc. Despite entering the night tied last in three-point makes per game (8.5) and second last in percentage (30.5), the River Lions knocked down seven triples (plus-four) through the first 20 minutes on an impressive 43 per cent clip. Yet it was Calgary’s effectiveness from deep that defined the second half. After going 3-of-14 on threes before the break, the Surge went 10-of-17 through the second half as they outscored the River Lions by 26 points (55-29). Meanwhile, Niagara did little to help itself in that regard, cooling off to the tune of just five makes on its final 19 attempts. Calgary went 5-for-9 from distance in the third, including back-to-back triples from Adelodun and Kyri Thomas at the 4:47 mark, giving the Surge the lead back for the first time since the opening frame. They ended up outscoring the River Lions 31-17 in the third quarter, turning an eight-point halftime deficit into a 70-64 lead. The Surge then pushed their advantage to 12 points by the start of Target Score Time when the long ball, once again, had the most to say. Back-to-back triples from Gilyard and Jackson were sandwiched between makes at the rim by Brown as Calgary capped off its regular season with an emphatic victory. Aside from the Surge’s production from distance, it was the squad’s trademark defensive tenacity that proved to be a catalyst in the win. While Calgary forced 18 turnovers to Niagara’s 15, the home team capitalizing on those freebies is what made the difference. The Surge finished with a 28-16 (plus-12) edge on points off turnovers. All the while, Calgary's defence has held opponents to an average of 83.8 points through its four-game win streak, beating teams by a margin of 18.8 points during that span. “It feels good,” Brown said. “Just to know that our (secondary players) can compete with one of the best teams in the whole CEBL, it gives us a lot of confidence. But we put in a lot of work, so I’m not even surprised to be honest.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600681 Next CEBL action With the regular season wrapped up, CEBL basketball will return on Thursday for Play-In action. First, the Montreal Alliance will visit the Scarborough Shooting Stars out East, followed by the Surge hosting the Edmonton Stingers in a playoff Battle of Alberta in the West. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

Saskatchewan Rattlers’ big man Jaden Bediako made CEBL history on Sunday (Aug. 10) in a 96-85 victory over the Brampton Honey Badgers at SaskTel Centre. In the season finale for both teams, Bediako’s five blocks pushed him to 49 on the campaign, surpassing the single-season blocks record of 46 set by EJ Onu with the Niagara River Lions in 2022. Bediako, a Brampton native, also secured a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead his team to victory. “All of us know it's been a rough season but we've all been together, and … it's good to get a win, especially against my hometown team,” Bediako said. Rattlers veterans Devonté Bandoo and Anthony Tsegakele were also major contributors to the win. Bandoo dropped a game-high 22 points while Tsegakele set a new career-high with 18 points, including a series of highlight dunks and the game-winner. Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz said it was great to see Tsegakele end the season with a big game. “He's a fan favourite. He's a guy who does anything we ask of him, and most of the time that's asking him to pick up defensive assignments,” Magdanz said. “To see him do a great job defensively tonight but also be rewarded with the ball going through the hoop is a great thing to see.” Tevian Jones notched a double-double as well with 16 points and 10 assists, and Isaac Simon was the fifth Rattler to score in double figures with 11 off the bench. Brampton also had five players reach at least 10 points on Sunday. Ankit Choudhary paced the offence with 17 points off the bench, while Yaw Obeng-Mensah led all starters with 16 points. Mike Demagus was lethal from long range with 15 points in the loss, Prince Oduro added 14, and Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 11 points before an ejection in the second quarter. A trio of rookies also scored their first pro buckets on Sunday, including Easton Timm for Saskatchewan and Conner Landell and Malik Grant for Brampton. Choudhary said providing maximum effort was the mindset coming into the final game of the season. “I feel like that's what we did,” Choudhary said. “Maybe at times, we may have just rushed a bit … and I feel like coach did a great job of putting us in a position to be successful. We had some good looks and we just missed … that's just how the game goes sometimes.” Brampton head coach Sheldon Cassimy was proud of his team’s effort despite a roster that hasn’t played many minutes together. “I feel like all the guys that played hard and played through to the end of the game … they all played well. They were able to showcase what they could do,” Cassimy said. Early in the contest, Tsegakele came off the bench firing. He began the game with back-to-back dunks and continued to attack the paint with eight points in the first quarter. Brampton trailed for the majority of the opening frame and entered the second down 30-24. Weatherspoon carried the offence for the Honey Badgers for the bulk of the first half with 11 points, but picked up a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter that ended his day. Despite the absence of Weatherspoon, Brampton hung tight and headed into the locker room down six after 20 minutes. In the third quarter, Bediako was a paint beast for Saskatchewan. He blocked shots, dominated the glass and scored six points for the Rattlers. However, Obeng-Mensah was active inside for Brampton as well, leading the Honey Badgers on a run to tie the game at 62. Jones quickly regained the lead for the Rattlers in the third, and Saskatchewan answered with a run of its own to head into the final frame with a 73-65 advantage. The squads traded buckets to start the fourth before Landell and Obeng-Mensah pulled the Honey Badgers closer with back-to-back finishes before Target Score Time. Brampton continued to roll as the teams raced to 96 with Oduro and Demagus slicing to the hoop for layups and cutting the deficit to four points. But the Rattlers buckled in for the final stretch with strong takes from Bediako and Tsegakele. The longtime Rattler Tsegakele ended the season on a high note for the home fans, banking in the game winner from inside the elbow on Fan Appreciation Day. With the season now over for Brampton and Saskatchewan, both coaches said there are lessons to be learned from the summer. Magdanz said he’ll be looking back at some of the Rattlers’ close losses. “That was due to our level of compete and something that we're very proud of. But we got to get over the hump, and we got to win some of the more close games. So for me, it's going to be finding ways that I can put guys in successful positions so that when we do get into those Target Times, we feel confident to come up with victory,” he said. Meanwhile, Cassimy said a focus moving forward is managing the ups and downs and the highs and lows of the season. “[It’s] just trying to navigate when you have to make those adjustments and hopefully I'll have another opportunity where I'll be able to implement the things that I've learned,” he said. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600683 Next CEBL action The CEBL postseason tips off on Thursday (Aug. 14) with Montréal facing Scarborough in the Eastern Conference play-in and Calgary hosting Edmonton in the Western Conference play-in. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -