Ottawa BlackJacks Welcome Back Patrick Ewing Jr.
Former NBA player, Georgetown staffer and son of Hall of Famer returns to the Nation’s Capital
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Patrick Ewing Jr. will return with the team as Senior Director, Player Personnel.
After serving as the Ottawa BlackJacks lead assistant coach during the 2021 CEBL season, Ewing Jr. became the Newfoundland Growlers’ inaugural General Manager and Head Coach in 2022.
The Growlers won six of their final 10 games, including a 94-80 win on the road at the Arena at TD Place on July 19 against the BlackJacks. The game was highlighted by a 17-point performance from Growlers guard Brandon Sampson, the league’s second leading scorer in 2022, who averaged 20.5 points per game.
Ewing Jr. was a second round NBA draft pick of the Sacramento Kings in 2008 out of Georgetown University. The eldest son of NBA Hall of Famer, Patrick Ewing, he has served in several roles at Georgetown since 2015 working with the Hoyas both on and off the court.
He played eight years professionally in some of the top leagues around the world, including time with the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks, and New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. Ewing Jr. spent parts of four seasons (2008-12) in the NBA D-League (now NBA G-League), was selected as a league all-star in 2011 and named All-NBA D-League Third Team in the same season.
The Atlanta native spent three years (2012-15) playing professionally in some of the top European leagues, including Germany-BBL, Spain-Liga Endesa, Greece A-1 and Qatar D-1, where he won the Qatari league title and reached the Arab Club Championships quarterfinals with Al Rayyan Doha.
At Georgetown, Ewing, Jr. was the recipient of the BIG EAST Conference's inaugural Sixth Man of the Year Award as a senior in 2008 and was a major contributor to Georgetown's success in 2006-07 when the team won the BIG EAST tournament and advanced to the Final Four. The Hoyas were back-to-back BIG EAST regular season champions for the first time in program history. The six-foot-eight forward spent his first two years of college playing for Indiana (2003-05) before becoming the first Division I transfer into Georgetown in 36 years. A proud Jamaican-American, Ewing Jr. represented his father’s homeland with the Jamaican basketball national team in the Centrobasket, FIBA Americas Championship and Caribbean championship from 2011-14.
In Ottawa, Ewing Jr. will join General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations Jevohn Shepherd and Head Coach James Derouin to continue to recruit top talent to the nation’s capital and build the 2023 BlackJacks roster. The CEBL free agency period began February 1.
The Ottawa BlackJacks season will tipoff May 24 at TD Place Arena. Fans can now purchase 2023 BlackJacks season seat memberships and Flex Packs at theblackjacks.ca/tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected].
Quotes:
“We are excited to have Patrick back. He’s a tremendous basketball mind. More importantly, his ability to connect with players on and off the court is an absolute luxury for our athletes, helping them grow in the game and in life.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
“I had an amazing time with the BlackJacks organization in 2021. Ottawa is a wonderful city and my family and I received a very warm welcome from the team and the community. I am thankful for the opportunity to come back to the capital with even more experience and knowledge to share, thanks to my leadership role with the Newfoundland Growlers last season. I am looking forward to working once again with Jevohn, James and the rest of the staff to complete our 2023 roster and make the BlackJacks fans proud.”
-Patrick Ewing Jr, Senior Director, Player Personnel, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
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About the Ottawa BlackJacks
The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. Having recently completed its third season, the BlackJacks have reached the championship semifinal three times. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by General Manager and Vice-President, Basketball Operations Jevohn Shepherd, Ottawa plays its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. For more information visit www.theblackjacks.ca.
About Canadian Elite Basketball League
The CEBL features 10 teams in six provinces, making it the largest pro sports league in Canada. The CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. 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 May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
