CEBL NEWS ARTICLES

The Winnipeg Sea Bears today announced the club has signed guard Jelani Watson-Gayle for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League season. Watson-Gayle previously played for Winnipeg during the Sea Bears' inaugural 2023 campaign and returns after three productive seasons of professional play overseas. Watson-Gayle (6-1, 174 lbs, Fresno Pacific University; born: September 9, 1998, in London, United Kingdom) returns to Winnipeg after three seasons of professional play across the UK, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. Most recently, he averaged 13.8 points, 6.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 36 games with Cherno More Ticha Varna of the Bulgarian NBL, shooting 41.4 per cent from three-point range and 81.2 per cent from the free throw line. He also appeared in three FIBA World Cup qualifying games for the British men's national team during the 2025-26 campaign. "We're really pleased to welcome Jelani back to Winnipeg," said Head Coach and General Manager Mike Raimbault. "He was here for the inaugural season and he understands what this organization is building. The development he's shown internationally over the last three years gives us a lot of confidence in what he can contribute to this group." Prior to his time in Bulgaria, Watson-Gayle put together one of his strongest professional seasons with Slavia Praha of the Czech Republic NBL in 2024-25, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game across 25 games while shooting 49.7 per cent from two-point range. He has also represented Great Britain in EuroBasket competition, appearing in seven games across both qualifying rounds in 2025. Watson-Gayle began his professional career in 2022-23 with the Bristol Flyers of the British Basketball League, where he averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds across 41 games. Watson-Gayle is no stranger to the Sea Bears or to Winnipeg. He was part of the franchise's inaugural 2023 roster, averaging 12.8 points, 3.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 20 games during the club's first CEBL season. "I'm really looking forward to putting on the Sea Bears jersey again," said Watson-Gayle. "I loved playing in Winnipeg during the inaugural season, and I'm excited to rejoin the team, be part of the organization once more, and play in front of the fans who made that first season so special." ###

At this point last season, two teams already knew they would be competing in the post-season. But thanks to a change in format and plenty of parity, only one club has clinched its playoff spot as we rumble into the fourth quarter of this campaign. With no Championship Weekend this season, the top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, with No. 1 facing No. 4 and No. 2 taking on No. 3 in the conference semifinals. The Finals, of course, will be a best-of-three for the first time. The only team to have clinched are the Scarborough Shooting Stars, who hold a five-game lead atop the East. Ottawa still has games remaining against both Montréal and Niagara, meaning no more than two of those three clubs can reach 14 wins. As a result, no three-way tie involving Scarborough is possible, and the Shooting Stars are guaranteed to finish no lower than fourth place in the Eastern Conference and have officially clinched a berth in the 2026 CEBL Playoffs. The Shooting Stars have held steady atop the standings all season on the backs of MVP candidate Myles Powell and dominant Canadian big man Frank Mitchell, and they’ll welcome a reeling Edmonton Stingers squad to town on Thursday. At 14-3, Scarborough already has its status as East favourite essentially locked up. The rest of the East is very much up for grabs, and could be determined by a home-and-home between the Brampton Honey Badgers and River Lions on Tuesday and Thursday. Niagara, which struggled for much of the middle part of the season under new head coach Kimbal Mackenzie, appears to have righted the ship with a pair of wins over Scarborough and the Montreal Alliance, including star Khalil Ahmad’s first Target Score Winner. With much of their championship core intact, the River Lions could be a fearsome playoff opponent if they make the dance. Win both against the Honey Badgers, and both teams will sit at 9-10 with five games to go. Lose both, and the odds get much longer. In between the Ontario rivals in the standings are the Ottawa BlackJacks and Alliance, both at 8-10. Ottawa beat Montreal but lost to Brampton last week, while Montreal beat Brampton but also lost to Niagara. Little separates the two over 18 games, though the BlackJacks seem to be trending higher with three wins in their last five while the Alliance have dropped four of five. The BlackJacks have just one game this week, a measuring-stick contest against the Shooting Stars, while the Alliance will face major West tests in the Vancouver Bandits and Winnipeg Sea Bears. There is a chaotic world in which all four East teams outside of Scarborough end the week with nine wins apiece. The West is a little more straightforward, with the main intrigue coming in the battle for first between those two clubs who will face Ottawa this week. Vancouver, at 11-7, is navigating this stretch with a new coach after Kyle Julius left for China. Institutionally, the Bandits have the structure in place like Niagara to scare any opponent, but their ceiling remains to be seen. The Bandits are difficult to figure out, with two losses to last-place Calgary this month but a 2-1 record otherwise. For now, Canadians Tyrese Samuel and Mychal Mulder are carrying them. The Sea Bears, at 11-6, are a little bit simpler - everything revolves around league-leading scorer Teddy Allen. They do, however, have a wild card in the form of three-time Xavier Moon, whose return has been held up as he awaits FIBA clearance. If and when Moon returns, Winnipeg will have two star guards - but not very much time to figure out how they can co-exist. The Sea Bears also still have two games left against the Bandits, including a potentially juicy season finale. After those two clubs, Saskatoon (7-9) and Edmonton (7-10) sit third and fourth, while Calgary (4-13) has given itself life with a three-game winning streak. The Stingers, meanwhile, have lost three straight. What once seemed like a given that the Surge would miss the post-season is no longer so. Calgary will host Winnipeg and Saskatoon this week, with their latest run powered by new head coach Dave DeAveiro. The Surge’s first half left essentially no margin for error, but few players yearn for that CEBL title as much as all-time Canadian leading scorer and Surge star Rugzy Miller-Moore. Don’t count them out just yet. Helping their cause are the backsliding Stingers, whose losses to Winnipeg and Vancouver could be excused except for the fact those are the teams the Surge beat in their streak. Veteran captain Nick Hornsby knows what it takes to be successful down the stretch of a CEBL season; he’ll have to use that as Edmonton looks to avoid what would be an epic collapse. Safe to say, intrigue abounds in every game left on the CEBL calendar. The playoffs, after all, are right around the corner. Weekly schedule (Nine games) Game #87 – Tuesday, July 14 – NRL at BHB – 12:30 p.m. ET – CAA Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #88 – Wednesday, July 15 – WPG at SSK – 7:30 p.m. CST / 8:30 p.m. CDT / 9:30 p.m. ET – Merlis Belsher Place (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #89 – Thursday, July 16 – BHB at NRL – 7 p.m. ET – Meridian Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #90 – Thursday, July 16 – EDM at SSS – 7:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. MT – Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #91 – Friday, July 17 – WPG at CGY – 7:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. CDT / 9:30 p.m. ET – WinSport Event Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #92 – Friday, July 17 – MTL at VAN – 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET – Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #93 – Saturday, July 18 – EDM at NRL – 3:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. MT – Meridian Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #94 – Saturday, July 18 – OTT at SSS – 7 p.m. ET – Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #95 – Sunday, July 19 – MTL at WPG – 3 p.m. CDT / 4 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #96 – Sunday, July 19 – SSK at CGY – 4 p.m. MT/CST / 6 p.m. ET – WinSport Event Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) For the full 2026 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games .

The Niagara River Lions announced today the signing of 6 '9 American forward Antonio Junior “AJ” Davis. The Buford, Georgia native will return to Niagara ahead of their matchup against the Montreal Alliance on Sunday July 12. A two-time CEBL champion with the River Lions, Davis has appeared in 64 games over four seasons in Niagara, averaging 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He returns after helping the Sudbury Five capture the Basketball Super League ( BSL ) championship, averaging 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Davis started his college career at the University of Tennessee before transferring to the University of Central Florida (UCF) his sophomore year. In three seasons with the Knights, he averaged 10.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Davis became an accomplished NCAA athlete, scoring 1030 points over his time in college, finishing 8th all-time in rebounds at UCF (633), and 7th in free throws (319). He earned Second Team All-Conference honours from NBC Sports and was named to The American Weekly Honour Roll five times during his senior year. Growing up, Davis was no stranger to the game of basketball; his father, Antonio Davis, was drafted 45th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 1990 NBA draft. He played 13 seasons in the NBA with Indiana , Toronto , Chicago, and New York Knicks before later serving as President of the National Basketball Players Association ( NBPA ) and as an analyst for ESPN . AJ’s twin sister, Kaela Davis, plays for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA . Davis began his professional career with KB Prishtina of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2018 before embarking on a career that has taken him across Europe, Australia and the Americas. Along the way, he has competed in Australia's NBL , the NBA G League , NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers , and professional leagues in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Sweden, Greece and Germany, winning championships with Mauricio Baez Club and most recently the Sudbury Five. In 2022, Davis brought his veteran presence and versatility to the River Lions, joining for his first season in the CEBL. A member of the Niagara River Lions' 2024 and 2025 CEBL championship-winning teams, Davis returns to a program where he helped establish one of the CEBL's premier winning cultures. "I’m excited to be back! Looking forward to seeing all the fans and community at the Meridian Centre.” Said Davis, “Niagara has been a second home to me for years and we’ve created a brotherhood that will last a lifetime.” ### About the Niagara River Lions: The Niagara River Lions are one of the founding franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and the league’s reigning back-to-back champions (2024 & 2025). Competing out of the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, from May to August each season, the River Lions proudly represent the twelve municipalities of the Niagara Region, uniting fans through passion, pride, and purpose. Entering their second decade, the River Lions have earned a reputation for championship-caliber performance and community impact, embodying the strength and spirit of Niagara both on and off the court.

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today that the team has re-signed Deng Adel for the 2026 Season. The 6’7 forward from Khartoum, South Sudan, has spent four previous seasons with the BlackJacks and has been with the franchise since the 2022 season. Adel is the franchise record holder for points with 964, rebounds with 356, assists with 319 and steals with 53. Adel has left his mark on the BlackJacks for the last four seasons, and has come prepared to do the same in his fifth. In the 2025 season with the BlackJacks, Adel played in 21 games and averaged 13.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists. In the 2024 season with the BlackJacks, Adel played in just nine games, coming in halfway through the season and posted an average of 12 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. In the 2023 season with the BlackJacks, Adel played 17 games and averaged 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. In his first season with the BlackJacks and first season playing in the international basketball scene, Adel played in all 20 games and put up an average of 16 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists. Adel is no stranger to the world of international basketball. He has played across Europe and Australia, playing in the Australian NBL, the Bulgarian NBL, the Danish Basketligaen and the French LNB. In his first professional season in the international basketball scene, he played for Illawarra, of the Australian NBL for the 2020-21. There, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and two assists per game. Then for the 2022-23 season, he played with the BC Balkan of the Bulgarian NBL. There, he averaged 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Then he headed to France to play Boulazac Basket Dordogne in the French LNB for the 2023-24 season. There, he played in 40 total games and averaged 7.7 points, three rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Most recently, in the 2024-25 season Adel played in the Australian NBL, with the Brisbane Bullets. There, he played in 10 games and averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 rebounds. Before moving to international play, Deng played in the NBA and NBA G League for three seasons. He began his career in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors and Raptors 905, their G League affiliate team in the 2028-19 season. Adel played 25 games with the 905, and started in 24 of them. He averaged 13 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He was then waived by the Raptors and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 19 games with the Cavs in the 2018-19 NBA season, and started in three. He averaged 1.7 points, and one rebounds per game. He then spent time with the Cavaliers G League affiliate team, the Cleveland Charge. He averaged 12 points, six rebounds and two assists across 12 games. In the 2019-20 season, Adel signed with the Long Island Nets, the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets. There, he averaged 11 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals. For the 2021-22 season, Adel played with the Maine Celtics, the G League affiliate of the Boston Celtics. He averaged 7.7 points, four rebounds and 2.2 assists there. Before playing professionally, Adel played three seasons with Louisville in the NCAA, from 2015-18. Across three years there, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and two assists. In the 2017-18 season, and his final year playing in the NCAA system, he was a ACC All-Honourable Mention. Born on February 1, 1997, the 29 year old played his high school years atVictory Rock Prep, in Sarasota, FL. ###

Tonight's Canadian Elite Basketball League game between the Vancouver Bandits and Edmonton Stingers at Edmonton Expo Centre will not be livestreamed on CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, or YouTube due to technical issues caused by inclement weather affecting the arena. The game will be played as scheduled. Fans can follow live scores at CEBL.ca, with periodic updates on our @CEBLeague social channels. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. LIVESCORE UPDATES: https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2798791

The Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today the signing of forward Jack Hemphill. The 6-foot-9 forward joins the Alliance after spending the 2025-26 season in Europe with Akademik Bulteks 99 Plovdiv in Bulgaria and KK Metalac Valjevo in Serbia. Hemphill opened the season in Bulgaria, averaging 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while leading his team in three-point percentage at 46.0 percent. He then finished the year in Serbia, where he averaged a career-high 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range. Prior to that, Hemphill appeared in a career-high 41 games with LWD Aris Leeuwarden in the BNXT League, averaging 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game while helping the club reach the Dutch Bracket semifinals. His season was highlighted by a career-best 19-point, nine-rebound performance against Okapi Aalstar, and he finished third on the team in made three-pointers. Before turning professional, Hemphill spent five NCAA Division I seasons at Boston University and St. Francis (NY). During his collegiate career, he appeared in 114 games, helping Boston University capture a Patriot League championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth before concluding his collegiate career at St. Francis. Hemphill now joins the Alliance as the organization continues its 2026 CEBL campaign. The Alliance has also released guard Jalin Anderson. The organization thanks him for his contributions and wishes him continued success in his professional career. -REPMTL- About the Montreal Alliance The Montreal Alliance is a professional basketball team competing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), Canada's premier summer basketball league. The organization is committed to delivering high-level basketball and an engaging experience for fans in Montreal and across Quebec.

The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that they have signed NBA G League-experienced forward Yor Anei. After spending two seasons in the G League across six teams, Anei is taking his professional career to Canada for the first time with the Honey Badgers, who are currently in the midst of a very important stretch of games against their Eastern Conference rivals. He is coming off of his best professional season to date in Kosovo with the Vellaznimi Gjakome, where he put up 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 21.8 minutes in 25 games. “Yor is a solid player and person” said Honey Badgers General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Jermaine Anderson. “He’s a long and versatile two-way player who will add more rotational depth to our roster. We look forward to welcoming him to the Honey Badgers family.” Anei, 26, spent his five years at the collegiate level with DePaul University, Southern Methodist University, and Oklahoma State University, where he averaged 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks over 126 games. During his time with Oklahoma State, he tied the Cowboys’ school-record for blocks in a game twice, with eight swats. His defensive skill gives an immediate boost to the Honey Badgers, who rank fifth in the CEBL with blocks at 52. “We're excited to welcome Yor to the team,” said Honey Badgers Head Coach Alex Cerda. “He is an elite shot-blocker and gives us a lot of defensive versatility. His ability to quickly adapt to a team’s structure and find his role on the fly is something that we highly value, with all the moving parts of a CEBL season.” The Brampton Honey Badgers head on the road once again for a pair of pivotal battles, squaring off against the Montreal Alliance on Friday, July 10, and then head to the nation’s capital to take on the Ottawa BlackJacks on Sunday, July 12. You can tune in live for free online at CBC Gem, the CBC Sports YouTube page, and CEBL+. ### About the Brampton Honey Badgers One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca

No longer can teams use “it’s early” as an excuse. As this CEBL season rolls into July and nears the home stretch, the playoff picture is beginning to emerge, title contenders have fully announced themselves and the race to a new-look post-season is heating up. On an individual level, the frontrunners for season-ending awards are also starting to form. Here’s a look at a few MVP candidates: Teddy Allen, Winnipeg Sea Bears Allen returned to the CEBL after a year off, with a vengeance. The Sea Bears star leads the league in scoring by a wide margin, with his 29.3 points per game, four clear of second place. He’s top five in free-throw percentage and has even added a new element on the defensive side, blowing away his previous career high with 36 steals (second in the league) and counting. The favourite to win the award at this point, the 2023 MVP has also been the focal point of a winning Sea Bears squad that still awaits the return of a fellow former MVP Xavier Moon. Winnipeg leads the West at 10-5, including wins in six of its last seven games. Could a first, long-awaited championship be in store for Allen next? His MVP-type performance through 15 games certainly indicates that’s very much in play. Myles Powell, Scarborough Shooting Stars Who’s the guy sitting second behind Allen in scoring? That would be Powell, whose CEBL rookie season has seen him guide the Shooting Stars to an eye-popping 14-2 start and a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference. Powell, an American guard, has taken quickly to Target Score Endings, leading the league with seven winners, while only one other player across the CEBL has even four. His heroics helped launch Scarborough, which started its season with a string of comeback wins and has hardly looked back since. The 28-year-old Seton Hall product is one of two players averaging at least four three-pointers per game on 35.2 per cent shooting, and he leads his team in assists per game at 4.4, also. MVP-calibre stuff, no doubt, and voters may be inclined to give the tie to the player whose team has a better record if it comes down to Allen and Powell. Sean East II, Brampton Honey Badgers This would be among the most poetic wins if East II, last year’s MVP runner-up, turned it around and finished first this season. It was looking even likelier when his Honey Badgers raced to a 7-1 start to their season. However, East II’s chances took a hit with Brampton on a major slide since then to fall back to 8-7 thanks to six losses in seven games. Still, East II’s name is littered across stat leaderboards, sitting fifth in points per game (22.8), second in assists (7.4), third in steals (2.3) and fifth in free-throw percentage (90.6) — though some of that good work is undone by his 4.2 turnover per game, more than one more than second-place Allen. (That House is third shows that turnovers are simply a byproduct of being the best player on your team, but still). East II has not played since June 27. Tyrese Samuel, Bandits The reigning Canadian of the year has returned in even better form this season, as Samuel has provided a frontcourt sidekick for House in the Bandits’ exploits. The Montreal native is second in rebounds per game (9.4) and the leading Canadian scorer at 18.8 points, which sits third on Vancouver. Like House, Samuel will also be imperative in the Bandits’ transition from Julius to Rans Brempong, especially as he is now in his second season with the organization. Perhaps the mid-season switch and the adversity that comes with it will finally help Vancouver win its long-awaited maiden title after years of regular-season success. Weekly schedule (Nine games) Game #77 – Tuesday, July 7 – VAN at SSK – 7:30 p.m. CST / 6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET – Merlis Belsher Place (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #78 – Wednesday, July 8 – MTL at OTT – 7:30 p.m. ET – The Arena at TD Place (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #79 – Thursday, July 9 – EDM at WPG – 7 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #80 – Thursday, July 9 – VAN at CGY – 6:30 p.m. MT / 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET – Scotiabank Saddledome (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #81 – Friday, July 10 – SSS at NRL – 7 p.m. ET – Meridian Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #82 – Friday, July 10 – BHB at MTL – 7:30 p.m. ET – Verdun Auditorium (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #83 – Saturday, July 11 – VAN at EDM – 7 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET – Edmonton EXPO Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #84 – Sunday, July 12 – MTL at NRL – 3 p.m. ET – Meridian Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #85 – Sunday, July 12 – CGY at WPG – 2:30 p.m. CDT / 1:30 p.m. MT / 3:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CBC, CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Game #86 – Sunday, July 12 – BHB at OTT – 4 p.m. ET – The Arena at TD Place (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) For the full 2026 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games .