TAZÉ MOORE, JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN HEADLINE 2024 CANADIAN ELITE BASKETBALL LEAGUE AWARD NOMINEES
Winners to be crowned at CEBL Awards August 7 in Montreal
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday the individual award nominees for the 2024 CEBL Awards being held Wednesday, August 7 at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal at 7 p.m. ET. The CEBL Awards is the first official event of 2024 Championship Weekend (CW24) in Montreal, Quebec between August 7-11.
Most Valuable Player finalists Tazé Moore of the Vancouver Bandits and Justin Wright-Foreman of the Winnipeg Sea Bears highlight the award nominees that were revealed for the six player categories. In total, there will be eight individual CEBL awards presented in 2024.
2024 CEBL Award Nominees
Most Valuable Player: Tazé Moore (Vancouver Bandits), Justin Wright-Foreman (Winnipeg Sea Bears)
Canadian Player of the Year: Jahvon Blair (Niagara River Lions), Koby McEwen (Vancouver Bandits)
Sixth Man of the Year: Aayrn Rai (Niagara River Lions), Stefan Smith (Calgary Surge)
Developmental Player of the Year: Simon Hildebrandt (Winnipeg Sea Bears), David Walker (Brampton Honey Badgers)
Defensive Player of the Year: Omari Moore (Niagara River Lions), Lloyd Pandi (Ottawa BlackJacks)
The 2024 CEBL Coach of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year (most Target Score Winners), Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award winner and All-CEBL First, Second, and All-Canadian teams will also be announced at the CEBL Awards.
All CEBL award winners will receive a customized ring from Jostens, the official Supplier of Awards and Rings of the CEBL, and a special gift on behalf of the league’s partner at Foot Locker.
Award nominees and winners are determined by votes cast by the league’s head coaches, general managers, assistant coaches, select league broadcasters, and internal media personnel. Team representatives are prohibited from voting for a player or head coach from their own team.
Tazé Moore earned his first MVP nomination in his first CEBL season after major contributions in numerous stat categories for the Bandits, finishing first in league average in assists (7.3), third in rebounds (8.1), fourth in steals (1.6) and 10th in points (17.6). His 124 total assists were the second-most in a single season in CEBL history and he became the first player to record two triple-doubles in the same regular season.
Wright-Foreman led the CEBL in scoring average (26.3) for the second consecutive season and was nominated for MVP again after finishing as last year’s runner-up behind Teddy Allen. He also finished second in league average in three pointers made (3.4), third in assists (6.2) and three-point percentage (45.7), and set a league-record with 16 assists June 27 against Niagara.
Canadian sharpshooters Blair and McEwen were both nominated for a CEBL award for the first time in their careers. Blair finished third in the league and first among Canadians in total points (329), and was third among all players in three-pointers made (53), free throw percentage (tie-83.5) and Target Score Winners (tie-3). McEwen led the CEBL in three-pointers made per game (tie-3.4), was second in total three-pointers made (54), fifth in three-point percentage (44.3), and ranked fourth among Canadians in total points (295).
Rai and Smith were also first-time CEBL award nominees, making significant contributions off the bench for their respective clubs in 2024. Rai appeared in all 20 games for the River Lions, averaging 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.2 minutes per game, and was tied for third in the league with three Target Score Winners. Despite suiting up in just 10 games for the Surge, Smith tied for the league lead with four Target Score Winners, while posting averages of 18.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 24.2 minutes per game.
Hildebrandt and Walker are the same nominees for the Developmental Player of the Year award (previously named U SPORTS Player of the Year) as last season, which saw the former take home the 2023 hardware. The only difference is Walker’s team which is Brampton this year after playing for the Scarborough Shooting Stars in 2023. Both players made a consistent contribution again in 2024, highlighted by Hildebrandt’s 19 points, seven rebounds and five three-pointers on July 20 against Saskatchewan, and Walker’s 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%) from the field on June 30 vs. Scarborough.
Omari Moore and Pandi locked things down on the defensive side of the ball for their teams all season. Moore, a first-time CEBL award finalist, finished third in the league and first among guards with 20 total blocked shots and an average of 1.5 blocked shots per game. Pandi set a single-season CEBL record with 44 steals, good enough for 2.3 steals per game – a half steal ahead of the next closest eligible player. Pandi is a previous two-time winner of the CEBL’s U SPORTS Player of the Year award (now Developmental Player of the Year award) in 2020 and 2021.
The four-team CW24, hosted this year at Verdun Auditorium in Montreal, features a Conference Finals doubleheader Friday, August 9, and the CEBL Championship Final on Sunday, August 11. The Championship Final halftime will be performed by multi-platinum and award-winning recording artist Fefe Dobson, while Montréal-based award-winning rapper, FouKi, and Laval-based award-winning French rapper, Shreez, will perform at the Conference Finals. Ticket and event information is available at
cebl.ca/cw24.
The
2024 CEBL Playoffs begin Friday, August 2 with a Play-In round doubleheader at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET. For full details on the CEBL’s playoff format and 2024 matchups, please visit:
https://www.cebl.ca/playoffs
All 2024 CEBL playoff games will be televised live on TSN in Canada and NLSE in the United States, and available to stream on CEBL+ Powered By BetVictor, TSN+ and Courtside 1891 for subscribers outside North America. All CW24 games in Montreal will also be televised on RDS.
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About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 12 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Sixteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
Media Contact:
Aaron Gogishvili – Sr. Director, Communications & Community Relations
Canadian Elite Basketball League
(905) 730-4691 | [email protected]
