2025 Rattlers Training Camp Roster Announced

May 7, 2025

Rattlers training camp roster includes a mix of NBA and CEBL experiences players

The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that their 2025 Training Camp Roster will get to work starting on Wednesday May 7th 2025 at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus ahead of their home opener on Thursday May 15th 2025 when they meet conference-rivals, the Vancouver. The Rattlers announced Friday May 2nd that the team will travel to Regina to complete two of their nine-days of CEBL Training Camp at the University of Regina campus.


The Regina portion of Rattlers Training Camp is proudly presented by Hoop Life, taking place on May 9th and 10th. An opportunity for fans to spectate for free will happen on Saturday May 10th from 1PM until 3PM at the University of Regina gymnasium. The Rattlers welcome media to attend with opportunity for Media Availability with Rattlers players and personnel happening on May 10th from 3PM until 4PM. 


During the Saskatoon portion of Rattlers Training Camp, media are welcome to attend Media Availability on Thursday May 8th at 11:45AM, and Tuesday May 13th at 11:45AM at Merlis Belsher Place.


“We have a relatively short period of time to try to develop some cohesion, so the focus throughout training camp will be giving the players evert opportunity to become familiarized with each other,” said Rattlers General Manager Barry Rawlyk. “We have a number of new faces that we are very excited about, and getting all of them on the same page will be very important. We already have a pretty good idea of what each player is capable of and what role they can fill, so getting each of those parts to work together is what we hope to accomplish.”


The Rattlers made noise around the league when signing to NBA-experienced players, Nate Pierre-Louis and Jamir Chaplin. As a rookie pro, Pierre-Louis joined the Lakers organization. In his rookie year with the South Bay Lakers, he appeared in the starting line-up 28 of the 32 games played while averaging 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 27.7 minutes. During three seasons with the Lakers, Pierre-Louis made appearances in NBA Summer League, and NBA Preseason. Most recently, he played with Valley Suns (Phoenix Suns affiliate) and helped lead them through playoffs in their inaugural year. Chaplin made his professional debut during the 2024 NBA Summer League with the Milwaukee Bucks which led to an NBA Exhibit-10 contract with the Dallas Mavericks.


Adding length to the front court, the Rattlers signed CEBL-experienced big Elijah Ifejeh and Australian forward Grant Anticevich. Ifejeh returns for his fourth season in the CEBL after playing three consecutive seasons with the Montreal Alliance where he ranks fifth all-time for points (301), second all-time for rebounds (207), and holds the all-time record for blocks (30). Ifejeh most recently played with the Manchester Giants in the BBL, where he played alongside Cody John. Anticevich holds the all-time games played record for University of California, Berkley (139), and appeared in three NBA preseason games with the New Zealand Breakers (NBL) against the Utah Jazz. As a rookie in the NBL, he appeared in the starting line-up in all 18 games averaging 14.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 33.4 minutes. Anticevich brings three years of professional experience playing with three teams in the NBL, BBL, and Lega A. 


The province of Saskatchewan will see the return of familiar faces with 2024 stand out player Cody John, and 2019 CEBL Champion Shane Osayande returning to the franchise. John returns after concluding his fifth season in the CEBL while ranked eighth all-time for most regular season games played in league history. He stepped up in his Rattlers debut in 2024 playing a huge role in the last half of the season averaging 16.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 33.0 minutes in 10 games. Osayande returns for his third season with the Rattlers and fifth in the CEBL. Osayande played a key role during the 2019 CEBL Championship final with 14 points, nine rebounds, and one steal in 27 minutes while shooting 45.5 per cent from the field.


Rattlers add two NCAA stars with experience from the Seton Hall program with Takal Molson and returning big Jaden Bediako. Molson will make his CEBL debut after playing 32 professional games averaging 18.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 35.7 minutes while shooting 51.6 per cent from the field over a two year span. The New York product was named All-Swiss SBL Player of the Year as a rookie pro. Molson played five seasons in the NCAA averaging collegiate career average of 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks and 27.3 minutes in 141 games. Bediako returns for his second season in the CEBL after playing six games with the Rattlers while averaging a team-best 2.0 blocks per game. Prior to his professional debut, he played five seasons in the NCAA averaging 6.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 20.1 minutes in 148 games.


Former Brandon Bobcats, Elisha Ampofo and returning Rattlers wing Anthony Tsegakele will reunite. Ampofo will be making his professional debut after joining the Winnipeg Sea Bears during the 2024 season for CEBL Training Camp, and continued to train with the team during the season. In his fourth and final season with the Bobcats, Ampofo averaged career highs in all stat categories with 13.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 34.0 minutes while shooting 48.5 per cent from the field and 47.6 from behind the arc. The 2023 Rattlers Defensive Player of the Year, Anthony Tsegakele returns for his fifth CEBL season after setting a record for all-time games played in franchise history with 57 games. The Brandon University-alumni was selected in the three CEBL Drafts, during his last three years with Brandon University, Tsegakele averaged 11.5 rebounds per game which was the top spot for the team, top two in all of Canada West, and top five in U Sports. He was named to ten individual season awards over his U Sports career; which includes 2023 Canada West Defensive Player of the Year. Anthony most recently represented the Gabon National Team.


AUS Champions Deon Ejim and Dondre Reddick will reunite after the St. Francis Xavier alumni won the 2023 AUS Championship and finished in second place during the 2024 U SPORTS National Final. Both Ejim and Reddick played with the Calgary Surge. Reddick made his international debut in 2024 playing with Tkibuli Orbi in Georgian Super Liga averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 33.8 minutes while shooting 44.3% from the field. Deon Ejim joining the Rattlers is celebrated as the third Ejim brother to join the Rattlers in franchise history; Ryan Ejim won a CEBL Championship in 2019, and Kenny Ejim played during the CEBL Summer Series in 2020. Prior to playing with St. Francis Xavier, Ejim played three seasons in the NCAA.


Rounding out the team with high-level talent from U Sports programs – Declan Peterson, Easton Thimm, and returning Isaac Simon. Declan Peterson from University of Calgary, Canada West Conference Champion was the third pick overall. He made his U SPORTS debut with the Dinos playing in 22 games he averaged 8.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 18.8 minutes with 21 starts. Declan ranked first on the team for rebounds per game (7.2), field goal percentage (67.5%), and total blocks (44). With the eighth pick in the second round, the Rattlers chose to welcome back Regina-product Isaac Simon of University of Alberta for his third season. In his most recent season with the Golden Bears, he set a new career high of 34 points. During his collegiate career, he has been named to University of Alberta Male Rookie of the Year, Canada West All-Rookie Team, and 2025 Canada West Second Team All-Star. With the third pick in the third round, Easton Thimm from Saskatoon, SK was selected from the University of Saskatchewan after two successful seasons with the Huskies. Over two years with the Huskies, he averaged 11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 26.6 minutes starting in all 39 games. As a rookie, he was named to U SPORTS All-Rookie Team and named Canada West Rookie of the Year.


Under the leadership of Rawlyk, the newly promoted all-prairie based coaching will get to work. Head Coach Eric Magdanz was promoted this spring in his fourth season with the Rattlers. The Saskatoon-local joined the Rattlers coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season helping lead the Rattlers to a quarterfinal berth, the deepest playoff run the Rattlers have seen since their 2019 inaugural Championship. Under Magdanz’ leadership the Rattlers look to return to Championship Weekend with their main goal being a second championship for the franchise. Prior to the Rattlers, he was assistant coach of the Edmonton Stingers in 2019, assistant coach of University of Alberta, head coach of MacEwan University for seven seasons, and played with McMaster University.


For his second year with the club, Steve Burrows was promoted to Associate Head Coach. The Regina, Saskatchewan-native Steve Burrows grew up playing high school basketball which led him to play at the U SPORTS level at University of Regina. He has served as Head Coach of the University of Regina Cougars since the 2013-14 season. Under Coach Burrows, the Cougars have competed in a Canada West Final Four (2022) and they advanced to the conference quarterfinals in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022.


Celebrating his third season with the Rattlers, Rob Lovelace was promoted to Lead Assistant Coach. Prior to joining the Rattlers Coaching Staff, Lovelace worked alongside the Rattlers and the CEBL as part of the Broadcast Team. He served as assistant coach of University of Saskatchewan for two seasons after playing for the team for five. Lovelace is the current President of Basketball Saskatchewan. Rounding out the coaching staff in his CEBL debut, Anthony Skepple was named Apprentice Coach. Skepple brings experience as the current head coach of the Briercrest Women’s basketball program since 2020. During his time with Briercrest, he’s helped lead them to two ACAC bronze medal finishes, three ACAC Final Four appearances, while being named 2023 ACAC South Coach of the Year.


The full 2025 Rattlers schedule has been released, which features a new 24-game slate. The 2025 CEBL Playoffs are scheduled to begin Thursday, August 14 with the Conference Play-In games, followed by the Conference Semifinals on Saturday, August 16. The winners will advance to CW25 to join the Winnipeg Sea Bears (host team) and the top-ranked team from the Eastern Conference who are automatically seeded into the Conference Finals. The full playoff schedule with tipoff times will be announced at a later date.


General public and returning season ticket members can claim their seats for the entire Rattlers 2025 season by using Account Manager. Season tickets starting at $235 in the bronze. All tickets can also be purchased through the Rattlers Front Office (306) 244-2181, Saskatchewan Rattlers website, or via Ticketmaster. The Holiday Pack can be purchased online or at the Rattlers Front Office, which features four-tickets in any section with a bonus gift card. Single game tickets will be available later this spring. For more seating options, suites, and group rates; fans can contact an account executive.


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About the Saskatchewan Rattlers

The Saskatchewan Rattlers are Saskatchewan’s professional basketball team, one of the six

original teams in the CEBL – the Rattlers won the 2019 inaugural season championship. Playing out of SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – the Rattlers offer an entertainment-focused environment surrounded by some of the world’s top professional athletes. The Rattlers are a community-first organization and take pride in their ability to bring communities together while making sport more accessible to the province.

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Any casual observer of the Fraser Valley-Trinity Western U SPORTS men’s basketball game on Feb. 14 would not have noticed anything amiss. They would have watched as the Spartans withstood a late Cascades charge to win an overtime thriller. They would have seen – though, probably not paid any mind to – Ukrainian referee Andrii Babyk. But they could not have known that, just days earlier, Andrii’s brother, Viktor, was killed in war. “For my dad, basketball helps him to not think about anything,” explained Bogdan, Babyk’s 13-year-old son. Andrii continued: “When I have a game, it's two hours in the game, one hour in pre-game and one hour in post-game. These four hours, I think just for basketball in this time. And after again, I think about this situation. I'm calling my mom, my father, and we talk a lot. 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Instead, he played his way on, convincing a coach to let him try out and earning twice-weekly practices. Quickly, two became five. Eventually, Babyk played on his high school team, won a provincial championship, then continued down the basketball path until a hard fall damaged his shoulders. “I have a problem three months, I can't move my shoulders and I understand I can't play after this, but I love basketball, what I can do the next step?” Babyk wondered. “I said, OK, I'm trying to ref.” Babyk showed up to his first game as a referee without a whistle – luckily, an older ref had an extra one and gave it to Babyk. He still remembers that first whistle, though 27 years later, it’s no longer in use. Meanwhile, Babyk also took up a position as general manager of the Ukraine women’s 3x3 team, which won silver at the world championships in China in 2016. Six years later, Russia invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, basketball suddenly took a back seat. The Babyks — who owned house, a store and two cars — suddenly had nothing. “We had everything. That's why I have three kids. I can give my kids what I want, you know? But when the war started, we lost this all,” Babyk said. Iulia, Bogdan and Ieva fled to Bulgaria, then to Vancouver, where they were welcomed by a host family. Andrii and Dima stayed behind in Kiev in an underground bunker for eight months. When they finally arrived in Vancouver, Ieva, then just two years old, did not recognize her dad. “She forgot my face, she doesn't know who I am. It's really heavy because [on FaceTime] she sees me and it's different when she sees me in life. And we cried, me, my kids. It's really heavy,” Babyk said. Iulia questioned her husband for not fighting in the war. “My wife asked me, ‘what are you doing? 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Mike Thomson, a member of the CEBL Referee Advisory Team, said it didn’t take much longer than 10 minutes to recognize Babyk’s talent after he first saw him at a training camp. “You're always looking for somebody that can be adaptable, can be flexible and can learn very quickly,” Thomson explained. On the court, Babyk demonstrated a knack for discerning between contact with consequence and run-of-the-mill in-game physicality, Thomson said. “Andrii's game didn't need to get better. Andrii just needed to be comfortable in an environment that was culturally different,” Thomson said. “As a referee on the floor, he may not be able to respond as quickly and concisely verbally as somebody that, English is their first language. So he has to do it by demonstrating that he has a deep understanding of the game and earn respect immediately by showing that he understands the game.” Apparently, Babyk’s talents are genetic, too. Dima has also taken a liking to the ref stripes – he will work some CEBL games this season at the scorer’s table. But Thomson has higher aspirations for Dima. “There are no more than a small handful of officials in Canada that have the level of potential that Dima has. When you see Dima on the floor, you immediately go, that guy's a referee. Dima actually has the ‘it factor’ with him. He carries himself like a referee,” Thomson said. Babyk had a slightly different take on Dima. “I'm really critical father. Because Canada is really different culture. For me, when Dima have a mistake, I tell him. You need to do [this], need to do that. ‘Father, why you tell me that?’ Because I want to help.” Babyk worked his first CEBL game during pre-season last year. “I realized that this is a chance for me to show my boys Dima and Bogdan by my example — everything in life is possible — I CAN BE IN BASKETBALL - I CAN BE PART OF CANADIAN BASKETBALL AND BENEFIT AS A REFEREE,” he said in a text message. "If you were given a chance — then use it. And most importantly, never forget in your life how and when you got your first chance — APPRECIATE IT ALL YOUR LIFE. My credo in life — Where there's a will, there's a way." Indeed, Babyk’s background and story are undoubtedly unique among Canadian referees. Think back to that game at Fraser Valley now. “You talk about resilience — when I saw him that particular night out at Fraser Valley, it blew me away that he could go on the floor and completely compartmentalize that and referee the game without that on his mind,” Thomson said. You never would have known.

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