Everything you need to know about the Award Races in the CEBL

As the CEBL’s regular season inches closer to its conclusion, and teams gear up for playoff basketball, conversations around hardware have started to get louder. With a season where parity seems more prevalent than ever, it’s only fitting that awards races have the same feeling.

Candidates for the league’s major awards have come from teams all over the league, as players have made an impact in all sorts of ways. These are some of the frontrunners in each category – according to me – and what fans need to know about their seasons. 

Canadian Player of the Year

Kadre Gray – Ottawa BlackJacks

The Laurentian University product has been one of the league’s most consistent players on one of the strongest teams this season. His 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.3 steals a night have helped the BlackJacks – at the time of writing this – to a league best 10-5 record and the CEBL’s longest win streak (six games). In his third CEBL campaign, Gray has not only been a great facilitator, leading the league in dimes, he’s also been one of the most efficient scorers. The Toronto, Ontario, native is top-10 for three-point and free throw percentage, averaging 42 and 78 per cent a game, and is also top-20 with his 50 per cent shooting from the field. 

To put his numbers into context even further, Gray has also been the only mainstay at guard for Ottawa’s starting lineup. While other players have fluctuated up and down the roster, he’s been asked to take on a majority of the playmaking responsibilities in his 32 minutes of action, also top 10 in the league.

Simi Shittu – Calgary Surge

The Surge’s big man has helped the relocated franchise to the second-best record in the West and one of the top defenses in the league. One of the only players in the CEBL averaging a double-double, the Burlington, Ontario, native has been putting up 15.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, and a block a game. He’s also been the league’s leader in both total and average rebounds, the only player in the CEBL currently averaging double-digit boards a night.

Calgary started the season 3-0 with the help of Shittu, and currently hold a 7-7 record, taking wins off the top teams in both conferences.

Koby McEwen – Brampton Honey Badgers

The league’s current Sixth Man of the Year has taken on a greater role for the defending champion Honey Badgers and his impact on the court has reflected that. In his second CEBL season the Toronto, Ontario, native has been putting up 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists a night, a year-over-year increase across the board. The guard has also been top-10 in assists, minutes (32), and free throw percentage (85.7).

His team has struggled for parts of the season, currently holding a 5-8 record but the guard has been one of the constants for the squad as McEwen leads the team in games played, assists, and, minutes, as they look to fight back into the post-season to defend their title. 

Honourable mentions: Sean Miller-Moore (CLG), Nathan Cayo (MTL), Thomas Kennedy (SCR), and Eddy Ekiyor (NIA)

U Sports Player of the Year

Diego Maffia – Vancouver Bandits

The sixth overall pick in the 2023 CEBL U Sports draft, Maffia has been making strides for his hometown Bandits all season. He’s started in four of his nine games played this season and, in those contests, Maffia has averaged 7.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on 17 minutes of action.

Despite being a rookie, the University of Victoria product has been integral for his team’s campaign. He’s top five on the Bandits in points, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and assists. He’s put up double-digits in four games this year, with his best performance coming against the conference leading Winnipeg Sea Bears when he put up 20 points and three assists on over 50 per cent shooting from the field and 40 per cent from distance.

Simon Hildebrandt – Winnipeg Sea Bears

Also playing for his hometown team, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the first overall pick in the 2023 U Sports draft has been a steady contributor in his role off the bench. Hildebrandt has played in all 14 of the Sea Bears’ games, notching a solid 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds for the conference leading Sea Bears.

The forward’s best game of the season just happened on July 8, against the Edmonton Stingers when he put up 19 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

Elijah Miller – Edmonton Stingers

Despite leaving the Stingers most-recent game with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury, Miller has been one of the brightest young players this season. The Toronto, Ontario, native has played in 14 games till this point and started in nine of them for Edmonton, playing around 20 minutes a night.

In his first real season playing in the CEBL, after playing in just two games a year ago, Miller is averaging 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, three assists, and a steal per game. Before going down, the University of Prince Edward Island product had been playing some of his best basketball all season. He hit double figures in six of his last eight games and put up a season high stat-line of 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on July 1, against the Vancouver Bandits.

Coach of the Year

James Derouin – Ottawa BlackJacks

After serving as interim head coach for the BlackJacks since June of last year, Derouin took over the role permanently for this season. A native of Ottawa, he’s helped build the squad into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. The BlackJacks are top-three in the league in points, field goal and three-point percentage, and assists, making them the first team this year to reach 10 wins.

Sitting with an impressive 10-5 record at this point, it might’ve seemed hard to believe three weeks ago when the team was just 4-5 and fighting at the bottom of the conference. Derouin has completely turned the team’s fortunes around, building a team around his two stars in Kadre Gray and Deng Adel, filling the rest of the lineup with shooters, and creating a team built for modern basketball.

Mike Taylor – Winnipeg Sea Bears

In the team’s first season, as the newest expansion franchise to join the CEBL, head coach Taylor has led the squad to a roaring start. His team currently has a 9-5 record, earning sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. Despite having no continuity with roster, or coaching staff, with it being their first year, Taylor has established one of the best offenses in the league and helped unlock a star in Teddy Allen. 

The Sea Bears are the second-best scoring team in the league (90.1 PPG), and one of just two squads averaging over 90 points a game. They’re also top-three in three-point percentage, rebounding, and the CEBL’s most disciplined squad with the lowest turnover rate by any team at 11.4 a game. The Sea Bears are the only team this season to have two separate win streaks lasting at least three games, as they’ve remained at the top of the conference the entire campaign.

Derrick Alston Sr. – Montréal Alliance

Alston Sr.’s case for the award is more unique in that his team hasn’t had a dominant record like some of the other candidates. However, he has taken an Alliance squad that won just four games in their first season a year ago, and he’s led them to a higher win total through seven less games as they currently have a 6-7 record.

The NBA experienced coach has also kept his team afloat despite a myriad of injuries to key contributors. He’s lost four players to injuries, three of which were starters, and none more notable than Blake Francis. The guard was a top-five scorer in the league, putting up over 20 points in four of his seven games played prior to injury and was carrying much of the team’s load offensively. He led the team with 35 minutes of action a night, and after losing Francis, Alston Sr. has still been able to find a way for his team to succeed. They’ve been 4-2 since, pushing out of last place in the East and in the mix for playoff contention for the first time in the franchise’s history.

Sixth Man of the Year

Jelani Watson-Gayle – Winnipeg Sea Bears

Straight out of the BBL and into the CEBL, the import has been one of the most dynamic players this season, leading the league in scoring off the bench. Watson-Gayle has played in 14 games for the Sea Bears, all of which have been off the pine, where he’s averaged 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and one steal a game.

The Fresno Pacific product has scored over 10 points in all but three of Winnipeg’s games this season. Not only has he been an elite scorer off the bench, he’s also been one of the best shooters in the CEBL all together. Watson-Gayle leads the league with his 50.7 per cent shooting from beyond the arch, seven per cent higher than the next closest player. His lights out play from distance and punch off the bench have been vital for the Sea Bears as a top squad in the West, as he’s been top-three on the team in points, field goal and three-point percentage, and assists, in his 23 minutes of action a night. 

Michael Nuga – Saskatchewan Rattlers

Despite the Rattlers struggles this season, Nuga’s contributions are still worth mentioning. When it comes to an award like sixth man, the records don’t count as much as the individual contributions of the player do. The Toronto, Ontario, native has put up an average of 12.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds for Saskatchewan.

In just his second season in the CEBL, Nuga has more than doubled his totals and is playing nearly 27 minutes a night. He’s top-three on the team for points, field goal percentage, three-point makes, and assists. He may be the most consistent of the candidates as the guard has scored 10 or more points in all, but one of his 12 games played this season.

Adika Peter-McNeilly – Edmonton Stingers

A veteran of the CEBL, having played in the league in all five years it has existed, Peter-McNeilly has remained a top sixth man candidate throughout his time. In his 21 minutes of action a game this season, the Toronto, Ontario, native is averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

His play off the bench has helped the Stingers remain relevant in a tough Western Conference as he’s top five on the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Similarly, to Watson-Gayle, the guard has scored in the double figures in all but three games, having put up a season-high 15 points in two different games.

Honourable mentions: Eddy Ekiyor (NIA), Thomas Kennedy (SCR)

Defensive Player of the Year

Thomas Kennedy – Scarborough Shooting Stars

This may come as a surprise for a player that’s only started in four games, but the University of Windsor product has been a force off the bench. He may be part of the second unit, but he plays 24 minutes a night and is currently the only player in the league in the top-10 for both average steals (1.6) and blocks (1.1) a game.

His play has helped lead a Shooting Stars team that is in the top-half of the league for blocks a game and leads the league with 9.9 steals on average. Despite coming off the pine, Kennedy is often guarding the other team’s best forward, doing everything he can to limit their production. If the numbers weren’t proof enough of that, his game-winning steal against MVP candidate Deng Adel that then led to his viral game-winning dunk ought to help strengthen his case. 

E.J. Onu – Niagara River Lions

The league’s current Defensive Player of the Year has made a strong case for back-to-back seasons taking home the award. His River Lions have been one of the league’s best defensive teams, averaging a CEBL best 5.1 blocks a night, largely due to the play of Onu down the middle.

He’s averaging two blocks on his own, the only player currently doing so, and he recently hosted a block party against the defending champion Honey Badgers where he rejected five shots. Niagara with the help of Onu have gone on a four-game win streak where they’ve limited opponents to 80.2 points a game in that span. Through 15 games so far this season, opponents of the River Lions have managed to score 90 or more points just four times.

Maxime Boursiquot – Ottawa BlackJacks

In a league where dynamic guards seem to reign supreme, a player whose job it is to guard them every night deserves to be highlighted. Boursiquot is one of the most versatile defenders in the league, having demonstrated an ability to guard all five positions on the court.

His numbers may not jump out, averaging 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks per game, but if you consider the success, he’s had against some of the best scorers in the league, you can see why his case has merit. The forward out of Ottawa has held players like Justin Wright-Foreman, Khalil Ahmad, and Christian Vital to a combined average of 34 per cent shooting and some of their lowest scoring outputs this entire season. During the team’s six-game win streak, they’ve held teams to just 83.3 points a game, and during that stretch they’ve limited Niagara and Winnipeg – the only two teams scoring more than 90 a night – to below their season averages, and Boursiquot has been a major catalyst of that.

Most Valuable Player

Teddy Allen – Winnipeg Sea Bears

An import from Phoenix, Arizona, Allen has been in the running for the award since the season got underway. The guard has been putting up 25.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals a night, as he’s led the Sea Bears to the top record in the Western Conference. 

His numbers are all over the CEBL’s statistical leaderboard as he’s second in scoring, sixth in rebounding, sixth in free throw percentage, third in three-point makes, and doing all of this while leading the league with his 36 minutes of play a night. During his campaign Allen has also etched his name into the CEBL history books, tying two league records. He dropped 42 points against the Shooting Stars on June 3 to tie the league record for points in a game, and not even two weeks later he tied the CEBL record for threes made in a game when he splashed nine in a victory against the Honey Badgers.

Cat Barber – Scarborough Shooting Stars

The NBA experienced guard’s season has been a model of consistency. In his third year in the CEBL, Barber is putting up his best numbers yet, tallying 21.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, with two steals a night. He’s third in the league in scoring, ninth in assists, third in steals, seventh in three-point makes, and fifth in average minutes. 

Coming into the season, the Shooting Stars were expected to be led by a guard duo of Barber and Jalen Harris, but with the latter having only played in three games, much of that responsibility was thrusted onto the shoulders of the Hampton, Virginia, native. After starting the season 1-4 and on the verge of losing the reigns on their season, Barber helped lead the Shooting Stars to a 6-2 record since as they’ve kept pace with the rest of the conference and currently sit in third in the East.

Deng Adel – Ottawa BlackJacks

Adel has been a Swiss-army knife for the BlackJacks, doing just about everything you could ask for out of one player. He joined the team four games into the season after finishing up commitments overseas, and in that time, the big man has averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while shooting over 40 per cent from the field and distance. He’s outside of the top-10 in scoring, but the former Cleveland Cavalier is sixth in assists, ninth in defensive rebounds, and 10th in minutes per night.

He's been the arguably the best player on the best team, and his fingerprints have been all over the squad’s success. He’s top-five for the squad in points, rebounds, assists, three-point makes, and percentage. He’s passed the 20-point mark in five of his 11 games played, putting up a season 25 points in the team’s win over one of the other favourite’s, Allen and the Sea Bears as part of Ottawa’s six-game win streak.

Honourable mentions: Justin Wright-Foreman (SSK), Khalid Ahmad (NIA), Kadre Gray (OTT)

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.