River Lions Announce Signing of Montreal Native, Nathan Cayo

March 21, 2024

St. Catharines, ON - The Niagara River Lions today announced the signing of 6’7 Canadian forward, Nathan Cayo. Cayo, a 26 year-old from Montreal, Quebec averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists during the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season playing for the Montreal Alliance.

“We are very excited to welcome Nathan to our organization,” said Head Coach and General Manager, Victor Raso. “Nathan has been an excellent player for Montreal the past two seasons and will be a great addition to our team this summer. He impacts the game in winning ways, causes matchup advantages in our favour, and loves to compete. Welcome to the NRL, Nathan!”

Cayo becomes the first new name signed to the River Lions for the 2024 season after the team recently announced six returning players, Khalil Ahmad, AJ Davis, Eddie Ekiyor, Jahvon Blair, TJ Lall and Kimbal Mackenzie.

Cayo played five seasons at the University of Richmond, averaging 8.9 points, 1.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 155 games. Cayo became the 50th Richmond Spider player to reach 1000 career points and finished with a field goal percentage of 55.2%, ranking 4th all time in the program’s history. Cayo helped the Spiders qualify for the March Madness Tournament during the 2021-22 season where he scored 15 points in a win over the University of Iowa to help Richmond reach the second round.

Cayo started his professional career with the Montreal Alliance in 2022 where he averaged 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20 games. After the 2022 CEBL season, Cayo took his talents to Poland to play for Astoria Bydgoszcz in first division Polish Basketball League, where he averaged 8.4 points 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists earning himself an all-star selection in week 23. After returning to the Alliance for the 2023 season, Cayo has been in the G-League where he averaged 1.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 2 games for the Memphis Hustle. He is currently playing for the Ontario Clippers.

“I’d like to thank God and the River Lions for this exciting opportunity!” said Cayo. “My family and I are thrilled to join this great organization, and make Niagara our home. To the fans, I will contribute in any way I can to win a championship for you all. Let’s Go River Lions!”

The Niagara River Lions are one of the original six teams of the CEBL. Playing out of Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, the River Lions represent the twelve municipalities of the Niagara Region while living up to the River Lions moniker of pride and strength of community. Season tickets, voucher packs and group tickets are on sale now. Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.

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The Vancouver Bandits, BC’s professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), are committed to making a positive impact through basketball and growing the game across British Columbia, and this dedication was highlighted this past week in Kelowna and the Okanagan area. Coming off the recent announcement of Kelowna HOOPFEST, a brand-new basketball festival featuring a CEBL neutral-site home game in partnership with the City of Kelowna, Bandits head coach Kyle Julius spent time at five Okanagan-area secondary schools and both of Kelowna’s post-secondary men’s basketball teams, as part of the Vancouver Bandits third-annual Bandits School Tour. Julius and Bandits staff visited Mount Boucherie Secondary School, Immaculata Regional High School, Okanagan Mission Secondary, Rutland Secondary School and Kelowna Secondary, as well as the men’s basketball teams at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, providing dedicated and tailored practices along with motivational talks and training materials. Launched in 2023, the Bandits School Tour is supported by the Bandits Community Foundation, Preston Chevrolet and Envision Financial and offers a unique opportunity for student-athletes and volunteer coaches to learn directly from BC’s only professional basketball coach. “What stood out most during our visit was the impact basketball can have when it is rooted in mentorship and connection; it is clear how vibrant the basketball and business ecosystem is in the Okanagan,” said Bandits team president Dylan Kular. “We are thankful to the Okanagan and Kelowna communities for welcoming us so openly, and this is only the beginning. We are committed to being present and intentional in the lead-up to Kelowna HOOPFEST from June 5th to 7th.” In addition to the Bandits School Tour, Julius and members of Bandits staff had the opportunity to connect with various Okanagan business, media and community leaders, including attending the 51st annual Western Canada Tournament at Kelowna Secondary and a Kelowna Rockets hockey game. ###