2024 Eastern Conference Season Preview: Scarborough hungry for back-to-back titles

Season six for the Canadian Elite Basketball League tips off Tuesday and fans can expect even more nail-biting finishes, record-setting performances and premier Canadian talent on display.

It’ll all get underway May 21 with a battle of Alberta, as the Edmonton Stingers take on the Calgary Surge at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. local at Scotiabank Saddledome. Typically, home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the local landmark will host a roaring CEBL crowd on Tuesday night instead.

But before we dive into the action, let’s get a reminder of how last season went and what changes each Eastern Conference team made in their pursuit of earning a spot in Montréal for Championship Weekend 2024.

SCARBOROUGH SHOOTING STARS | 2023 Record: 11-9 | 3rd in East

With the offseason moves made by the defending champs, it’s pretty clear Scarborough has its sights set on joining Edmonton as the only other two-time CEBL champions. 

The Shooting Stars began by retaining the CEBL’s all-time leading scorer Cat Barber. The American was one of the league’s most productive players last season as his 20 points per game were fourth in the CEBL, his 4.8 assists were seventh, his 1.8 steals were third and he did it all while leading the league in total minutes played. Along with Barber, the Shooting Stars brought back a trio of forwards in Kalif Young, Danilo Djuricic and Kyree Walker. 

If that wasn’t enough, the new pieces Scarborough added makes them even more of a threat to represent the East at Championship Weekend for a third year in a row.

Arguably the biggest additions were Kadre Gray and Jackson Rowe from rival Ottawa. Gray, the 2023 Canadian Player of the Year averaged 16.3 points for the BlackJacks, which was 10th in the league, while leading the CEBL with 6.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Rowe was a CEBL All-Canadian last year as a two-way player who demonstrated hyper efficiency on offence. He was third on Ottawa in both scoring and rebounding. 

“Kadre and Jackson are both tremendous players,” first year head coach Devan Blair said when asked about the additions of the former BlackJacks. “I know Kadre is going to be a great floor general for us at the PG spot and be a great resource for me when running the team. Jackson brings great size and stretches the floor at an elite level and will fit perfectly into how we want to play … I’m thrilled we don’t have to game plan against them.”

And if not for the reasons above, both players will at the very least contribute by improving Scarborough’s perimeter efficiency. The Shooting Stars boasted a lowly 31 per cent conversion rate from beyond the arc in 2023 which was second-last in the league. In comparison, Both Gray and Rowe were top five three-point shooters in the CEBL for 2023 and were two of just six players to convert at a better than 40 per cent clip. 

Scarborough didn’t stop there though. They made their backcourt even more menacing by adding local products Devoe Joseph and Nick Lewis – both of whom bring a combined 23 years of pro experience. Joseph by his own admission feels the Shooting Stars can boast the “best backcourt in the league,” with the addition of himself and Lewis. The pair of guards are sure to be fan favourites as they’re itching to play in front of their friends and family. Neither has played on home soil since high school, so their debuts at Pan Am Sports Centre will be one to remember.

With all the new talent on the team, coach Blair knows he has a strong group to repeat, making that message known to the squad from the start. But he also made sure to impart some perspective on his team as well.

“I told the players on day one that our goal is to win the title,” said the rookie head coach. “But they don’t hand those things out because we ‘deserve it’. We have to attack each day and do everything to the best of our abilities. If we do that consistently over the course of the season then we will put ourselves in a great position to repeat at the end of the year.

“Get ready for an exciting year. We are going to play fast, and we are going to play hard. It will be a full-on assault for the entire game.”

BRAMPTON HONEY BADGERS | 2023 Record: 8-12 | 4th in East

The Honey Badgers are now two years removed from a title and are hoping to move past a lacklustre 2023 season. However, they’ll have to first overcome the obstacle that is finding a new backcourt. With the departures of Christian Vital and Koby McEwen, who made up Brampton’s backcourt for the last two years, it feels like a changing of the guard (literally) for the 2022 champs. 

Vital and McEwen have their names all over the Honey Badgers’ all-time leaderboards and recently elevated head coach Sheldon Cassimy acknowledges, “We definitely have big shoes to fill with (Christian) and Koby moving on.” Thankfully for fans making their way to the CAA Centre, the team’s loaded up on young, dynamic and locally produced talent in an effort to make up for the lost production. 

Callum Baker (University of Toronto), David Walker (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Cole Syllas (Queen’s University) are amongst the handful of guards Brampton is hoping can spark a bounce back campaign in 2024. All three are coming off successful U SPORTS runs and are returning for their second CEBL seasons. Each of whom has the pedigree to jump into a starting role, but for Cassimy it’s less about who gets a spot and more about who can keep it.

“Our guys are up to the challenge,” the former assistant coach said on the guard competition throughout training camp. “All of the guys are extreme competitors … we’ll see who earns those (starting) spots and continues to hold the spots throughout the season. Nothing is promised and the guys know that.”

Even with a new guard rotation on the horizon, Brampton will bring back some familiar faces. Along with Baker, the Honey Badgers retained Zane Waterman, Prince Oduro and Shamiel Stevenson. 

Waterman was one of the most productive wing players in the CEBL last season, averaging 12.8 points which was third on Brampton, and 7.2 rebounds, which was top-10 in the league. Meanwhile, fans can expect to see even more of Oduro this year. The big man spent 2023 as a backup, but with Jeremiah Tillmon Jr. not on this year’s roster it opens an opportunity for the Toronto native to step up. Oduro was a defensive anchor in his 22.3 minutes for Brampton last year as he averaged 1.1 blocks per game, fourth most in the CEBL.

OTTAWA BLACKJACKS | 2023 Record: 12-8 | 2nd in East

Meanwhile, Ottawa is hoping to replicate their success from last year with almost an entirely new cast. The BlackJacks were one of the top squads in the East in 2023, reeling off a league-best eight-game win streak at one point. 

A lot of those wins came thanks to the team’s impeccable three-point shooting. Ottawa led the CEBL in conversion rate from beyond the arc (38%) and it subsequently made them a top three offence (87.6 points per game). Yet, if they’re going to replicate their offensive production, they’ll have to do so with only three returning players from 2023 in Abu Kigab, James Jean-Marie and Tyrrel Tate, none of whom were amongst their top three scorers.

Fortunately, the team has added plenty of talent that can help them make up for the losses they incurred. Five players joining the BlackJacks bring NBA G League or Summer League experience, with 10 of their 16 training camp members having played in the CEBL previously. 

A player that checks both of those boxes and has a history of excelling north of the border is Brandon Sampson. In 2022, the import played 15 games with the now defunct Newfoundland Growlers and put up an impressive 20.5 points per game (second in the CEBL that year) on 52 per cent shooting from the field and 36.8 per cent from deep. 

Joining Sampson in the backcourt is local product Lloyd Pandi. The Ottawa native played for his hometown in 2020 and is rejoining the BlackJacks after spending his previous two CEBL seasons with the River Lions. Pandi was a hyper-efficient player with Niagara, averaging 8.9 points per game on a 55 per cent clip from the field and 46 per cent rate from beyond the arc. Despite his success with the East rival, Pandi knew he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to return home.

"I'm excited to return home and join my hometown CEBL team once again,” said the two-time CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year. “There's something truly special about playing in front of my friends and family, and I can't wait to get started and make the city proud.”

NIAGARA RIVER LIONS | 2023 Record: 13-7 | 1st in East

Niagara is coming off a second consecutive 13-win season that put them atop a tight Eastern Conference. And as impressive as that was, it’s par for the course for a River Lions franchise that’s finished with the best or second-best regular season record in four of the CEBL’s five seasons.

Part of their continued dominance was their offensive production. Niagara boasted the league’s top scoring offence, putting up 90.7 points per game. Which is why they felt comfortable bringing back the core that brought them so much success, retaining six players in Khalil Ahmad, Eddie Ekiyor, AJ Davis, Jahvon Blair, Kimbal Mackenzie and TJ Lall. 

Fans at the Meridian Centre will surely be excited to see the return of Ahmad, the reigning Clutch and Defensive Player of the Year. The import out of Corona, California had a standout 2023 for Niagara as his 18.9 points were fifth in the CEBL, his six assists were second and his 2.4 steals led the league.

However, even with Ahmad and a host of two-way players surrounding him, the River Lions weren’t able to translate their regular season dominance into postseason success. An outcome that’s become all too common for the River Lions. For all the wins Niagara has amassed through each of the last five regular seasons, the team has one finals appearance to show for it and has been bounced one-game shy of a title shot in back-to-back years.

Priority No. 1 for Niagara this year is going to be converting their regular season production into playoff success. And for what it’s worth, the team’s made plenty of moves in the offseason to try and make that happen.

Among their additions are forwards Nathan Cayo and Elijah Lufile, both of whom played in the CEBL last year. The River Lions were the league’s weakest rebounding team in 2023 and the frontcourt duo should change that immediately. Cayo was a workhorse for the Alliance last year as he led the team in minutes and games played while sitting top three for the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. Meanwhile, Lufile split his 2023 campaign between Calgary and Scarborough and built a reputation as one of the league’s headiest rebounders, finishing the season top 10 on the offensive glass.

Niagara also added depth to their backcourt by signing Omari Moore, a 6-foot-6 guard who’s coming off an NBA G League season with Raptors 905. The import guard averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists through 29 games played in the G League and what makes him a great option to pair with Ahmad is he knows how to play alongside high-usage players.

Moore spent much of his time with the 905 this year playing alongside two ball-dominant guards in Javon Freeman-Liberty and Marquis Nowell, and still found ways to be a contributor on both ends of the floor. By the end of the season, Moore was a consistent starter for the 905 and was running the show more often than not, making him an adaptable option to add to the River Lions backcourt.

MONTRÉAL ALLIANCE | 2023 Record: 7-13 | 5th in East

Rounding things out are the hosts of 2024 Championship Weekend. Montréal had a down year in 2023, largely due to injuries to some of their key players. Thankfully, the team enters this season with newfound optimism around the fact they’re going to qualify for their first postseason appearance, courtesy of host city privileges. 

Even with that excitement, Ahmed Hill, who averaged a team best 20.4 points per game (third in the league), knows the level of urgency to build good habits needs be high even with a playoff berth locked in.

“That starts now,” said Hill when asked how quickly his team needs to focus on avoiding complacency. “We want to be the best we can, and not just try and win games during Championship Weekend. We want to be at the top of the standings when the season ends, we want to be No. 1.” 

A major step Montreal can take to show they’re serious about competing in the East is bringing a stronger offensive game. The Alliance were the league’s second-lowest producing offence in 2023, averaging 82 points per game. And with three of their top four scorers from 2023 no longer on the roster, the squad will have to look for that production elsewhere. 

It could come from one of their four returning players in Hill, Bahaïde Haïdara, Elijah Ifejeh or Alain Louis. Louis, specifically, is primed to take a step up this season after filling in for the injured Blake Francis for much of last year. The hometown guard ended up starting in 11 of his 16 games for the Alliance in 2023 and averaged 9.3 points and 5.5 assists (fourth in the CEBL).

Meanwhile, Montréal also added depth from other CEBL squads bringing in two-way wing Maxime Boursiquot from Ottawa and Jahenns Manigat, who’ll be making his way home after a season with Vancouver. Other options to help spark the Alliance’s offence are NBA G League experienced imports Chris Smith and Jordan Bowen. Notably, Bowen is coming off a strong 2023-24 campaign averaging 13.6 points between the Maine Celtics and College Park Skyhawks.

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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 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. 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 with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.