CEBL Finals Recap: Xavier Moon Propels Sea Bears to Long-Awaited CEBL Championship Victory

Following the cancellation of Game 1 of the 2026 CEBL Finals due to condensation on the court in Brampton, the Canadian Elite Basketball League has confirmed that the Finals will be decided in a single championship game. The Winnipeg Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers will meet for the 2026 CEBL Championship on Saturday, August 15 at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, the previously scheduled date and host venue for Game 2. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. CDT / 3:30 p.m. ET, with the game broadcast on CBC, TSN, TSN+, CBC Gem and CEBL+. The decision was made by the League in consultation with both clubs. With the best-of-three series unable to be completed within the scheduled window, a one-game championship was determined to be the fairest and most practical path to crowning a champion. It also returns the Finals to the format used from 2019 through 2025, when the CEBL Champion was decided in a single Championship Game. Additional ticketing details will be shared by the Winnipeg Sea Bears. Fans who held tickets to Game 1 in Brampton will be refunded as previously announced. The League will provide updates as necessary. Thank you for your understanding. About the Canadian Elite Basketball League The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada's professional basketball league, featuring 10 member clubs across six provinces. Powered by elite talent, a fast-paced game format, and deep community connections, the CEBL delivers high-level basketball and unforgettable summer experiences for fans nationwide. The league boasts the youngest fan base in Canadian professional sport, half under age 34, and one of the fastest-growing audiences in the country, now reaching nearly 4.1 million Canadians. This momentum reflects the CEBL's ability to deliver dynamic, thrilling gameplay while connecting deeply with a new generation of fans and expanding basketball's cultural footprint across Canada. Running from May through August, the CEBL's season is a showcase of top basketball talent and a summer hub for fast-paced, high-energy fan excitement.

Today's Canadian Elite Basketball League game between the Winnipeg Sea Bears and hosts Brampton Honey Badgers has been cancelled due to condensation on the court, which left the playing surface unsafe for competition. The decision was made in consultation with both clubs, game officials and venue staff. The safety of our players, officials and fans is the League's first priority. All tickets for today's game will be refunded. Further information will follow. The League will provide updates as necessary. Thank you for your understanding.  About the Canadian Elite Basketball League The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada's professional basketball league, featuring 10 member clubs across six provinces. Powered by elite talent, a fast-paced game format, and deep community connections, the CEBL delivers high-level basketball and unforgettable summer experiences for fans nationwide. The league boasts the youngest fan base in Canadian professional sport, half under age 34, and one of the fastest-growing audiences in the country, now reaching nearly 4.1 million Canadians. This momentum reflects the CEBL's ability to deliver dynamic, thrilling gameplay while connecting deeply with a new generation of fans and expanding basketball's cultural footprint across Canada. Running from May through August, the CEBL's season is a showcase of top basketball talent and a summer hub for fast-paced, high-energy fan excitement.

It all comes down to this. The Brampton Honey Badgers and Winnipeg Sea Bears will meet in the CEBL’s first-ever best-of-three Finals series beginning Wednesday to determine the champion of the league’s eighth season. Game 1 takes place in Brampton, while the rest of the series will go down in Winnipeg. Here’s everything you need to know: The schedule Game 1 – Wednesday, Aug. 12 – WPG at BHB – 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CDT – CAA Centre (CBC, TSN, CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) Game 2 – Saturday, Aug. 15 – BHB at WPG – 2:30 p.m. CDT / 3:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC, TSN, CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) *Game 3 – Sunday, Aug. 16 – BHB at WPG – 2:30 p.m. CDT / 3:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC, TSN, CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) -- if necessary How they got here Neither the Sea Bears nor Honey Badgers travelled the straightforward path to these Finals. The hype in Winnipeg began in the off-season, when it announced that it was bringing former MVPs Teddy Allen and Xavier Moon back to the CEBL to play under new head coach Mike Raimbault. Allen and Moon promised to form a formidable duo, one capable of bringing Winnipeg its first-ever championship and righting the wrong of last year’s semifinal loss at home. Turns out, the MVPs only played five games together, and the team went just 2-3 in that span. Moon’s arrival was delayed due to a FIBA issue. Allen, meanwhile, shouldered the load, leading the league in both points (27.8 per game) and steals (two per game) before an injury on the eve of the playoffs prevented him from participating in the opening two rounds. It is unclear whether he will be available for the Finals. Even still, the Sea Bears fought the Vancouver Bandits for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference all season, with the two clubs emerging in a tier of their own. The Bandits seemed to gain the upper hand with a pair of blowout wins in the season’s final weeks, but it was the Sea Bears who got the last laugh, punching their Finals ticket with a victory over Vancouver in the conference final. Like Winnipeg, Brampton also enjoyed a superlative off-season, transforming the franchise top-down with new front-office leadership, a new coach in Alex Cerda and a new star player in Sean East II. The moves paid off immediately as the Honey Badgers rolled to a 7-1 start, threatening the Scarborough Shooting Stars atop the East. Then, however, things went sideways. Brampton undid its strong start with an immediate 1-7 stretch to fall back to .500, then limped to the finish line and just barely squeaked into the playoffs despite an 11-13 record. Frustration boiled over in the regular-season finale, when a brawl with the Shooting Stars led to multiple player suspensions on both sides, but it only seemed to bring the Honey Badgers closer “together” — their team motto — before playoff wins over the Ottawa BlackJacks and two-time defending champion Niagara River Lions. The stakes Winnipeg has never so much as reached the CEBL Finals in its existence, maxing out with last year’s semis. The Sea Bears’ massive fanbase is hoping this year’s squad can be the one to break through — and to do it at home, no less. Brampton, meanwhile, has one championship under its belt from 2022, but that was back when the team was located in Hamilton, and it hadn’t so much as won a single playoff game since until this season. Players to watch In Winnipeg, Moon has stepped up in Allen’s absence during the post-season, leading the team with 22 points per game including a perfect 10-for-10 mark from the free-throw line. The three-time league MVP could become just the second player in CEBL history with three titles if he can finish the job in his first season in Winnipeg. Helping him will be Canadian big man Simon Hildebrandt, who has stepped up in the absence of Emmanuel Akot, who left the team for overseas opportunities. Hildebrandt, 23, put up 24 points in the win over the Bandits in a head-to-head matchup with Vancouver superstar Mitch Creek. He’s made six-of-14 three-point attempts in the post-season while tacking on 11 rebounds. The Sea Bears’ x-factor could be Jelani Watson-Gayle, who exploded for 27 points in the conference semifinal and has made more than half of his three-pointers in the playoffs. If he goes on another scoring binge in the Finals, he could easily tilt a game in Winnipeg’s favour. On the other side, the Honey Badgers will continue to be powered by East II, who’s led the team with 25.5 points per game in these playoffs while dishing 17 assists and collecting 12 rebounds. It would not be a surprise to see the do-it-all guard emerge as Finals MVP if the Honey Badgers hoist the trophy in Winnipeg. He’ll have help in the form of scorers Trentyn Flowers, who has 45 total points in the playoffs, and Tyrese Hunter, who went five-for-six from beyond the arc against the River Lions, including the Target Score Winner. East II said after that victory that their presence transformed the Honey Badgers down the stretch, allowing them to break through as East champions. Down low, Canadian big man Matthew Moncrieffe has gobbled up 20 playoff rebounds, including a putback game-winner against the BlackJacks. A force in the post, Moncrieffe has also added 17 points and will be a load to handle for Winnipeg big men Hildebrandt and DJ Burns.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Sunday the individual award nominees for the 2026 CEBL Awards, ahead of the first-ever best-of-three CEBL Finals, which run August 12–16 between the Brampton Honey Badgers and Winnipeg Sea Bears. Most Valuable Player finalists Myles Powell of the Scarborough Shooting Stars and Teddy Allen of the Winnipeg Sea Bears headline the list of nominees revealed across five player award categories. 2026 CEBL Award Finalists  Most Valuable Player: Myles Powell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Teddy Allen (Winnipeg Sea Bears) Canadian Player of the Year: Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Tyrese Samuel (Vancouver Bandits) Sixth Man of the Year: Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Stanley Davis Jr. (Edmonton Stingers) Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Fudge (Ottawa BlackJacks), Kellen Tynes (Scarborough Shooting Stars) Developmental Player of the Year: Easton Thimm (Saskatchewan Mamba), Mohamed Mahadhi (Saskatchewan Mamba) Additional 2026 CEBL Awards, including Coach of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year, the Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award, and the All-CEBL First, Second, and All-Canadian teams, will also be announced next week following the conclusion of the CEBL Finals. Powell was the driving force behind a league and franchise-record 20-win season in Scarborough, averaging 22.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 21 games while draining 3.8 three-pointers per game, tied for the league's best. He led the Shooting Stars in scoring, assists and threes made, finished third in the CEBL in scoring, and drained a team-record nine three-pointers in a single game, tied for second-most in a game league-wide. He also led the CEBL with nine Target Score Winners, four more than any other player. Allen led the CEBL in scoring with 667 total points in 2026, setting a new single-season league record, and also set the CEBL single-game scoring record with 54 points against Montreal on July 19. The Winnipeg guard topped the Sea Bears in points per game (27.8), steals (2.0), rebounds (7.5) and threes made per game (3.0), and twice matched a team record of six steals in a game while setting a team mark with nine three-pointers made in a single contest. Frank Mitchell earned a double nomination, up for both Sixth Man of the Year and Canadian Player of the Year after a record-setting season for Scarborough. Mitchell set a new CEBL single-game record with 22 rebounds on June 27 against Brampton and led the league in rebounding at 10.5 per game while coming off the bench, averaging a double-double of 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds. He ranked third on the Shooting Stars in both scoring and assists (58), tied for third in blocked shots (15), and finished second on the team in field goal percentage (51.5%) as Scarborough set a league record with 20 wins. Samuel returns as the reigning Canadian Player of the Year, up for the award for a second consecutive season. The Montreal, Quebec native ranked third in the CEBL in rebounding at 8.7 per game and led Vancouver in rebounds (8.7), blocked shots (1.1) and field goal percentage (53.5%), while finishing second on the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Nominated for Sixth Man of the Year, Davis Jr. was a steady two-way presence for Edmonton, ranking second on the Stingers in scoring (13.7 points per game) and third in both assists (3.5) and steals (1.5) across 20 games, while shooting 47 per cent from the field. Fudge and Tynes headline the Defensive Player of the Year finalists after standout seasons with their respective franchises. Fudge finished second in the league in blocks per game (1.7) and led the CEBL with 40 total blocks in 24 games for Ottawa, while also pacing the BlackJacks in steals per game (1.1) and tying for the team lead with 25 total steals. Tynes led the league outright in both steals per game (2.0) and total steals (49) across 24 games for Scarborough. Thimm (University of Saskatchewan) and Mahadhi (University of Saskatchewan) were nominated for the CEBL's Developmental Player of the Year award after strong seasons with the Mamba. Thimm averaged 3.3 points on 52.4 per cent shooting to go with 2.9 rebounds across 18 games, arriving in Saskatchewan as the third-leading rebounder in program history (622). Mahadhi, his Mamba teammate, averaged 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds over 14 games after a standout collegiate career of his own at the University of Saskatchewan. Award nominees and winners are determined by votes cast by the league's head coaches, general managers, assistant coaches, select league broadcasters, and media personnel. Team representatives are prohibited from voting for a player or head coach from their own team. CEBL Finals Set for August 12–16 The CEBL is gearing up for its first-ever best-of-three Finals series, starting August 12, after the Winnipeg Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers punched their tickets with wins in Saturday's Conference Finals. Lower-seeded Brampton hosts Game 1 at CAA Centre on Wednesday starting at 7 p.m.ET, before the series shifts to Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre for Game 2 on Saturday, August 15 and, if necessary, Game 3 on Sunday, August 16. Both games in Winnipeg will tipoff at 2:30 p.m. CDT / 3:30 p.m. ET. All three games will air nationally on CBC and TSN, with streaming available on TSN+, CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, YouTube and CEBL+. Tickets are available now at CEBL.ca/tickets. About the Canadian Elite Basketball League The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada's professional basketball league, featuring 10 member clubs across six provinces. Powered by elite talent, a fast-paced game format, and deep community connections, the CEBL delivers high-level basketball and unforgettable summer experiences for fans nationwide. The league boasts the youngest fan base in Canadian professional sport, half under age 34, and one of the fastest-growing audiences in the country, now reaching nearly 4.1 million Canadians. This momentum reflects the CEBL's ability to deliver dynamic, thrilling gameplay while connecting deeply with a new generation of fans and expanding basketball's cultural footprint across Canada. Running from May through August, the CEBL's season is a showcase of top basketball talent and a summer hub for fast-paced, high-energy fan excitement.

Game 1 tips off Wednesday, August 12 in Brampton, with all three games airing nationally on CBC and TSN

A four-game slate to open this season’s CEBL playoffs promised to be a doozy and boy, did it ever deliver. From Brampton to B.C., there were massive buckets, huge momentum swings, one significant upset and, of course, four game-winners. Now, four teams remain to duke it out in one-game knockouts for a spot in the first-ever best-of-three CEBL championship series. Here’s the tale of the tape for the Saturday showdowns: Eastern Conference Final: Niagara River Lions at Brampton Honey Badgers 1 p.m. ET – CAA Centre – CBC, TSN, CBC GEM, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+ Well, this isn’t quite the game we expected. For the first portion of the season, the Brampton Honey Badgers were neck-and-neck with the Scarborough Shooting Stars for top spot in the East. Then, the Honey Badgers fell off, eventually sliding below .500. Meanwhile, the Shooting Stars rocketed to a CEBL-record 20 wins. Yet like the record-setting 2016 Golden State Warriors, their historic season will not end in a title because the most clutch player in league history did it yet again. Niagara River Lions star Khalil Ahmad sent the Shooting Stars packing for the second straight season, draining a deep game-winning three-pointer to book the two-time defending champions a ticket in the conference final. Ahmad’s troops will now head to Brampton for a duel with the Honey Badgers, who squeaked out a dramatic win of their own over the Ottawa BlackJacks, avoiding a near-collapse in the process. Just three weeks ago, these teams met in a crucial home-and-home with both unsure of their playoff status, and the River Lions won both relatively handily. There was, however, one crucial caveat: Honey Badgers star Sean East II did not play in either game. And in Brampton’s playoff opener, all East II did was put up 29 points and 13 assists, combining with fellow scoring guard Trentyn Flowers (who had 25 points himself) to power the Honey Badgers to victory. East II and Flowers form a fearsome backcourt duo that promises to wear out Ahmad and Keonte Kennedy on the defensive end. Down low, longtime River Lion and three-time CEBL champion Elijah Lufile will go to battle with Canadian big man Matthew Moncrieffe, whose putback was the Target Score Winner against Ottawa. In the bigger picture, a return to the Finals would give Niagara a shot at becoming the first franchise with three championships and have done it in a three-peat, no less. Brampton, meanwhile, could join Niagara and the Edmonton Stingers as the only teams with two if it emerges victorious. Neither squad had quite the regular season it envisioned when the ball tipped off in May. Now, one will be headed to the championship. Western Conference Final: Winnipeg Sea Bears at Vancouver Bandits 12:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. CDT / 3:30 p.m. ET – Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre – CBC, TSN, CBC GEM, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+ Unlike the East, this West final is the game CEBL fans have waited all season for. Throughout 24 regular-season contests, the Sea Bears and Bandits duked it out for the No. 1 spot in the West. It all came down to the regular-season finale between the teams on Sunday in Vancouver, when the Bandits rolled to a 24-point win just 10 days after beating the Sea Bears by 15 on the road. Now, Winnipeg is eyeing revenge, but it may have to do it without some key players: leading scorer Teddy Allen missed Round 1 with a “significant” injury and could be unavailable against the Bandits while Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. and Emmanuel Akot have both left the team to pursue overseas opportunities. It’s a good thing, then, that the Sea Bears brought in three-time MVP Xavier Moon for a return to the CEBL after five years. Moon shone in the playoff win over the Saskatoon Mamba with a near double-double of 20 points and nine assists while fellow guard Jelani Watson-Gayle, who averaged just 4.6 points in five regular-season games, exploded for 27, including six three-pointers. The Sea Bears will require similar performances against the Bandits, whose Mitch Creek-Tyrese Samuel frontcourt each had double-doubles in their win over the Edmonton Stingers while guards Shamar Givance and Tevin Brown provided the bulk of the scoring. Vancouver experienced some turmoil earlier this season when head coach Kyle Julius departed, but have enjoyed relative consistency, outside of the welcome late return of reigning MVP Creek, ever since. Perhaps no team is hungrier for a title shot than the Bandits after years of regular-season success without a championship ring. Then again, Winnipeg has never even reached the Finals. It all sets up for what should be a fascinating next chapter of the Western Conference’s fiercest rivalry.

Samsung's True North Tunes platform will integrate emerging Canadian artists into every 2026 CEBL Playoff game, from pre-game playlists to Halftime Performances

It’s been a wild CEBL season. Key records fell, the standings never stayed static and Target Score Time provided its usual heaping of excitement. Now, it’s all set to get ramped up even further as the playoffs begin with the conference semifinals on Thursday. Here’s what you should know about each of the four matchups: No. 1 Scarborough Shooting Stars vs. No. 4 Niagara River Lions The two-time defending champion River Lions squeaked into the post-season on the strength of a tiebreaker and then caught a huge break with their Round 1 opponent. Niagara will visit Scarborough, which will be without Canadian big man Frank Mitchell as well as guards Terquavion Smith and Javan Johnson, who were each suspended for their roles in a brawl against the Brampton Honey Badgers in their regular-season finale. The Shooting Stars, who finished with a CEBL record 20 wins and ran away with the East, will now be even more reliant on leading scorer Myles Powell, who has paced the team from the guard position all season. Still, the key question will be how coach Tyrell Vernon adjusts to the absences, especially in a revenge game against the River Lions, who beat the Shooting Stars by just two points in last season’s Eastern final. The River Lions counter with experience and continuity, led by two-time Finals MVP Khalil Ahmad and coach Kimbal Mackenzie, a point guard on both championship-winning teams. It hasn’t been Ahmad’s best season, but everyone knows the playoffs are when he shines brightest. With a vulnerable Shooting Stars squad in Round 1, despite a lacklustre regular season, Ahmad has title No. 3 squarely in sight. No. 2 Brampton Honey Badgers vs. No. 3 Ottawa BlackJacks In the off-season, the Honey Badgers completely remade themselves from top-down. Through eight games, when the team was 7-1, it seemed like every move was the right one. But Brampton struggled the rest of the season and finished under .500 at 11-13. Its fortunes seemed tied to sharpshooter Cameron Tyson, who had perhaps the hottest shooting stretch in league history to start the season but struggled in the second half. Tyson shot 2-of-14 from beyond the arc in the season finale as he looked to regain his groove. More consistent has been Sean East II, part of the off-season rebuild as a marquee free-agent import from the Edmonton Stingers. He’s lived up to that billing, leading the team in points and assists, and seeking his first title in his sophomore season. He’ll face another strong point guard, however, in BlackJacks star Javonte Smart, who sat second leaguewide in both points (24.4) and assists (6.7) per game. Smart had a similarly stout season last year but was forced to miss the BlackJacks’ playoff opener. Now, he’ll be in the mix and out to prove that his regular-season success can translate. Ottawa lost four of its last five games before the playoffs. No. 1 Vancouver Bandits vs. No. 4 Edmonton Stingers The Bandits led the West for much of the season and clinched it against the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Sunday. They now have reigning MVP Mitch Creek back in the fold. The big Aussie returned for that win over the Sea Bears without missing a beat, putting up 28 points, six rebounds and six assists while hitting the game-winner. Combined with Canadian Tyrese Samuel in the frontcourt, the Bandits will be a difficult team to stop. Indeed, it will be a tall task for the Stingers, who won just two of their final 10 contests down the stretch and nearly coughed up their playoff spot entirely to a streaking Calgary Surge squad, which fell short by one game. Still, like Niagara, Edmonton comes equipped with experience thanks to the likes of head coach Jordan Baker and forward Nick Hornsby. Perhaps Creek is rusty after just one game. Some ingredients are there for what would be the biggest upset of the first round. No. 2 Winnipeg Sea Bears vs. No. 3 Saskatoon Mamba Xavier Moon’s CEBL return may have been worth the wait for Winnipeg. After the three-time MVP’s season debut was delayed due to a FIBA issue, he returned with five games left and was right back to his old self, averaging 20.8 points, 7.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Now, with MVP frontrunner Teddy Allen out due to injury, Moon will step back into the lead role as he looks to collect a third CEBL title in his first season with Winnipeg. But the Mamba are no easy out. Saskatoon quietly finished the season on a three-game winning streak led by shifty point guard Tavian Dunn-Martin, who enjoyed an especially strong closing stretch and led the league with 80 three-pointers. Saskatoon began its season with four straight losses but still finished above .500 at 13-11, including wins in six of its final seven games. The Mamba, looking for their first title since the inaugural CEBL season, may just be getting hot at the exact right time. Schedule (Four games) Game #121 – Thursday, Aug. 6 – OTT at BHB – 7 p.m. ET – CAA Centre (CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #122 – Thursday, Aug. 6 – NRL at SSS – 7:30 p.m. ET – Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TSN, CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #123 – Thursday, Aug. 6 – SSK at WPG – 7:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. CST / 8:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #124 – Thursday, Aug. 6 – EDM at VAN – 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT / 10 p.m. ET – Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre (TSN, CBC Gem, TSN+, YouTube, CEBL+) For the full 2026 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games .

Justin Mazzulla has had no shortage of coaching role models in his life. His dad, Daniel Mazzulla Jr., coached boys and girls high-school teams growing up in Johnston, R.I. His brother, Joe Mazzulla, won the 2024 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics. Justin also played for multiple coaches in his career on the court, which spanned NCAA stops at George Washington and Vermont before moving onto the sidelines as a video co-ordinator with the Utah Jazz. Yet despite the bevy of potential idols, it’s a legendary hockey coach from whom Mazzulla takes inspiration. “I like Herb Brooks' coaching style,” Mazzulla said. “It's a great movie, obviously, with the end, but I just like the team and the journey of the team.” Mazzulla is referring to the movie Miracle, which depicts the Brooks-led 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s underdog triumph over the Soviet Union in Salt Lake City. He said he watches the film often as motivation. Now in his first head-coaching stint as leader of the Ottawa BlackJacks, it wouldn’t be classified as miraculous if Mazzulla got his hands on the championship trophy next month. But the BlackJacks do sit in the middle of a dogged Eastern Conference playoff race as the season enters its final games, and it would be considered an upset of sorts for any team other than the conference-leading Scarborough Shooting Stars to represent the East in the Finals. Mazzulla said his team isn’t paying close attention to the standings. “Whether we have a solidified spot in first or second or third or fourth, we're still competing for the playoffs and then pushing towards the championship. So managing expectations in that journey is super important,” he said. When Mazzulla was hired by the BlackJacks in January, he became the youngest head coach in CEBL history at 27 years, 26 days at the time of his appointment. It’s a role the December baby said he has envisioned and manifested for his whole life, taking over the bench of a professional basketball team. The end game, if all goes to plan, is to be an NBA head coach. “But I think right now, just my ultimate goal is to help others be the best version of themselves and to learn from everybody. To learn and to serve,” Mazzulla said. Even though he played, Mazzulla always knew his ultimate destiny in basketball would be on the sidelines. After finishing his NCAA career, he took on a role as a graduate assistant at the University of Rhode Island before joining the Jazz as assistant video co-ordinator and their G League squad as assistant coach. “I always just wanted to be a coach. I think as a player, I was a player's coach. I'm a coach's son. So it kind of was helping people be the best version of themselves and I tried it on the court and it always stuck and I always wanted to do it,” he said. For Mazzulla, then, it made sense to spend a summer in Canada’s capital, where he could take the reins for the first time in a league full of players who are just trying to be better. That’s his why, after all. In Ottawa, he specifically mentioned helping U Sports player Justin Ndjock-Tadjore understand and grow into his role while challenging star guard Javonte Smart to become more of a vocal leader. “Everyone has a skill and everyone has something to bring to the table. The best part is helping that person find that skill or that talent and helping the person see it all come together with a team and taking one person, helping them see the best version of themselves and applying it from a holistic standpoint,” Mazzulla said. “So kind of like doing a puzzle, just trying to help someone see the beauty in there and what they have and then putting it in to see a bigger picture.” Still, as a rookie coach, he reached out to brother Joe for some advice before taking over the BlackJacks. While the Celtics boss didn’t offer him all the solutions, he did provide a different kind of guidance. “In terms of timeout usage, game management, substitution patterns, offensive execution patterns — instead of him speaking his philosophy, he more was like, ‘If you find this situation, you could maybe try and go about it this way, but it always doesn't mean it leads to something that you may like,’” Justin said. Besides, Joe has never coached in the CEBL, which is a whole different animal than the NBA when considering the FIBA rules, Canadian lineups and Target Score Time. Justin said the latter has been his biggest adjustment: “the importance of executing and how you can get your team to in crucial moments work together to get the best shot and not fall in love with hunting nine points.” He said his offensive tactics with the clock off have evolved drastically from the beginning of the season. It’s all part of the learning experience. “You build relationships with tons of different people and you just gain different experiences and see different things each and every game,” he said. And perhaps, if things go to plan for the BlackJacks the next few weeks, he’ll have his own ‘Miracle on Hardwood.’