Balanced effort earns BlackJacks 102-80 win over Shooting Stars, snaps losing skid

After dipping our toes back into Canadian basketball with Sunday’s Battle of Alberta, the CEBL season is set to hit full swing. Five more games are scheduled for Week 2, including our first look at the reigning champion. The Niagara River Lions open play Friday when they host the Calgary Surge, and coach Victor Raso’s squad will look slightly different than it did when it won that championship-game thriller against the Vancouver Bandits. Gone is Target Score Time assassin Khalil Ahmad, who nailed the title-winning bucket for the River Lions. He could return to Niagara at some point this summer. In his place is Ahmed Hill, the CEBL’s all-time leading scorer who is still seeking his first title. The American guard spent the past two seasons with the Montreal Alliance and the previous pair as a Guelph Nighthawk. Now, he heads to Niagara, which after years of heartbreak finally broke through last season. Plenty of players remain in place from that championship team, including forwards Omari Moore and Nathan Cayo, Canadian guard Jahvon Blair and longtime River Lion Kimbal Mackenzie. Calgary will look to spoil Niagara’s homecoming by becoming the first team with two wins after its defeat of Edmonton in the season opener. Then, in the River Lions’ second game of the season against the Ottawa BlackJacks on Sunday, there’ll be a little extra at stake for returning forward Elijah Lufile, whose brother Meshack is set to suit up for Ottawa. The Lufile brothers are CEBL veterans with nearly 90 games between them dating to 2019, but their only three career matchups all came within a three-week span in July last year. Elijah’s River Lions had the upper hand each time – once when Meshack was in Scarborough and twice with Ottawa. Meshack will be looking to flip that script now alongside a BlackJacks squad including ex-Raptors 905er Deng Adel and longtime Brampton Honey Badger Zane Waterman. Meanwhile, former assistant and TMU men’s head coach David DeAveiro takes over on the bench for the BlackJacks as they seek their first-ever trip to the CEBL Finals. In other intriguing games around the league, the Alliance — who lost Hill — and the Honey Badgers — who saw Waterman leave — will meet Sunday with their reimagined squads. Brampton made waves by signing Quinndary Weatherspoon, who will become the first NBA champion to play in the CEBL after claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the 2022 Golden State Warriors. Montreal has one familiar face in Alain Louis, who has played in every game of the franchise’s existence, but also added Raptors 905er Quincy Guerrier and Bulgaria pro league standout Anthony Walker. Creek flows back to Vancouver One of last season’s most colourful characters is back in a Bandits uniform. Australian big man Mitch Creek returned to Vancouver for his second CEBL season, and this time he’s set to play the full campaign. “The organization as a whole, they developed me so much so that I was like, I’d come back and play for free,” Creek said after a pre-season game. Not that he needed much work – Creek averaged 25.8 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 assists on 50 per cent shooting in six regular-season appearances with the Bandits last season. He also led Vancouver with 26 points in its loss to Niagara in the Finals. “Some of us might have to go to the casino and roll a few dice tonight and try to win back some of the emotions,” he said in the aftermath of the defeat. Well, he’s back now and ready to play whatever hand he’s dealt in Vancouver. Weekly schedule (five games) Game #2 - Thursday, May 15 - VAN at SSK – 7:30 p.m. MT / 6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET – SaskTel Centre (CEBL+, TSN+) Game #3 – Friday, May 16 – CGY at NRL – 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT – Meridian Centre (Game+, CEBL+, TSN+) Game #4 – Friday, May 16 – EDM at WPG – 7:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre (CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE) Game #5 – Sunday, May 18 – NRL at OTT – 3 p.m. ET – The Arena at TD Place (CEBL+, TSN+) Game #6 – Sunday, May 18 – BHB at MTL – 4 p.m. ET – Verdun Auditorium (RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE) For the full 2025 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games . 

Après avoir replongé dans le basketball canadien avec la Bataille de l’Alberta dimanche, la saison 2025 de la LECB passe maintenant à la vitesse supérieure. Cinq matchs sont au programme cette semaine, dont celui très attendu des champions en titre. Les River Lions de Niagara lanceront leur saison ce vendredi en recevant le Surge de Calgary. L’alignement dirigé par l’entraîneur-chef Victor Raso aura un visage légèrement différent de celui qui a remporté le titre l’an dernier dans un match palpitant contre les Bandits de Vancouver. Le spécialiste du Target Score, Khalil Ahmad — auteur du panier décisif qui a offert le titre aux River Lions — n’est plus de l’effectif. Il pourrait toutefois revenir à Niagara plus tard cet été. Il est remplacé par Ahmed Hill, meilleur marqueur de l’histoire de la LECB, qui est toujours en quête de son premier championnat. Le garde américain a passé les deux dernières saisons avec l’Alliance de Montréal, après avoir évolué auparavant avec les Nighthawks de Guelph. Il rejoint aujourd’hui une formation de Niagara qui, après plusieurs années de frustration, a finalement brisé la glace l’an dernier. Plusieurs joueurs de cette équipe championne sont toujours présents : les ailiers Omari Moore et Nathan Cayo, le garde canadien Jahvon Blair et le vétéran Kimbal Mackenzie. Le Surge de Calgary tentera de gâcher la fête à domicile en devenant la première équipe à remporter deux victoires, après son triomphe contre Edmonton lors du match d’ouverture de la saison. Puis, lors du deuxième match des River Lions dimanche, il y aura une touche personnelle supplémentaire: Elijah Lufile, ailier de Niagara, retrouvera son frère Meshack Lufile, qui portera les couleurs des BlackJacks. Les frères Lufile sont des vétérans de la LECB, totalisant près de 90 matchs à eux deux depuis 2019. Fait intéressant : ils ne se sont affrontés que trois fois — en juillet dernier — alors que Meshack jouait d’abord à Scarborough, puis à Ottawa. Elijah et les River Lions ont eu le dessus à chaque fois. Meshack tentera maintenant de renverser la vapeur avec les BlackJacks, une équipe qui compte sur l’ancien des Raptors 905, Deng Adel, ainsi que sur Zane Waterman, un vétéran de longue date des Honey Badgers de Brampton. L’équipe est maintenant dirigée par David DeAveiro, ancien entraîneur adjoint des BlackJacks et entraîneur-chef à TMU, qui souhaite mener les BlackJacks à leur toute première finale de la LECB. Un autre duel à surveiller cette semaine aura lieu dimanche entre l’Alliance de Montréal, qui a perdu Ahmed Hill, et les Honey Badgers, désormais sans Zane Waterman. Ces deux équipes amorcent un nouveau chapitre avec de nouveaux effectifs. Brampton a fait sensation en recrutant Quinndary Weatherspoon, qui deviendra le premier champion de la NBA à jouer dans la LECB, après avoir remporté le trophée Larry O’Brien avec les Warriors de Golden State en 2022. Montréal pourra compter sur le fidèle Alain Louis, présent depuis la toute première rencontre du club. Il sera rejoint par Quincy Guerrier (Raptors 905) et Anthony Walker, une vedette en provenance de la ligue professionnelle de Bulgarie. Le retour de Mitch Creek à Vancouver L’un des personnages les plus colorés de la dernière saison est de retour avec les Bandits. L’Australien Mitch Creek effectue un retour à Vancouver pour sa deuxième saison dans la LECB, et cette fois, il est prêt pour une campagne complète. « L’organisation m’a tellement aidé à me développer que je serais revenu jouer gratuitement », a-t-il lancé après un match préparatoire. Mais Creek n’avait pas vraiment besoin d’aide : il a affiché une moyenne de 25,8 points, 8 rebonds et 2,7 passes décisives par match avec un taux de réussite de 50 % lors de ses six apparitions en saison régulière l’an dernier. Il a également mené Vancouver avec 26 points lors de la défaite en finale face à Niagara. « Certains d’entre nous vont devoir aller au casino et lancer les dés pour récupérer un peu de nos émotions », a-t-il déclaré en blaguant en parlant de la défaite en finale. Aujourd’hui, il est de retour — prêt à jouer la main qu’on lui a distribuée à Vancouver. Horaire de la semaine (5 matchs) Match #2 – Jeudi 15 mai : VAN à SSK – 19 h 30 (HR) / 18 h 30 (HP) / 21 h 30 (HE) – Centre SaskTel (CEBL+, TSN+) Match #3 – Vendredi 16 mai : CGY à NIA – 19 h (HE) / 17 h (HR) – Centre Meridian (Game+, CEBL+, TSN+) Match #4 – Vendredi 16 mai : EDM à WPG – 19 h 30 (HC) / 18 h 30 (HR) / 20 h 30 (HE) – Centre Canada Life (CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE) Match #5 – Dimanche 18 mai : NIA à OTT – 15 h (HE) – L’Arène de la Place (CEBL+, TSN+) Match #6 – Dimanche 18 mai : BHB à MTL – 16 h (HE) – Auditorium de Verdun (RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE) Pour consulter le calendrier complet de la saison 2025 de la LECB, visitez le site cebl.ca/fr-ca/games .

Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Nathaniel Mitchell has joined the club as a Coach and Player Development Consultant ahead of the 2025 campaign

Williams brings over three years of pro experience playing in the NBA, NBA Summer League and NBA G League most recently with the Westchester Knicks

The Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Sunday that they have signed Canadian forwards Fareed Shittu and Kevin Bercy to their 2025 roster. The two players are expected to join the team for their home opener today at 4:00 PM. Shittu, an Edmonton native, starts his first professional season with the Stingers after competing for the UBC Thunderbirds and the UNBC Timberwolves. This past season with the T-birds, the 6’6” forward averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Bercy, the 6’6” Kanata, ON, native, has 6 seasons of professional experience under his belt, playing in multiple divisions in Span. He also suited up for the Vancouver Bandits during the inaugural 2019 season, where he managed 7.1 points per game. The pair are expected to join the team at their season opener today at 4:00 PM as the Stingers host the Calgary Surge at the Edmonton EXPO Cemtre. Tickets are available for as low as $20 per seat and can be purchased online or by contacting the Stingers head office via email ( [email protected] ) or phone (1-87STINGERS).

The Battle of Alberta picked up right where it left off on Sunday. In the opening game of the 2025 CEBL season, the Calgary Surge beat the Edmonton Stingers 86-84 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. For the Stingers, their season starts in the same bitter way that the last two seasons ended after they fell to the Surge in the Western Conference semifinals each time. Meanwhile, the Surge — boasting a largely new lineup, including Jameer Nelson Jr., who scored the game winner — still seem to have the upper hand on their provincial rival. “I thought the crowd was great. I thought that was a lot of adversity for us. And it’s a rivalry, so I feel like we’re gonna be tested, but that was definitely a tough test to start the season,” Nelson Jr. said after the game. The Stingers took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Surge responded with an 11-1 run to tie things up. Edmonton and Calgary remained knotted at 77 apiece when the clock was stopped for Target Score Time. The Stingers again raced to an advantage, scoring the next five points. But the Surge battled back once more with a 7-0 run before the Stingers tied the game at 84, setting the stage for next-bucket-wins territory. That’s when Nelson Jr. put a speedy end to things, racing coast-to-coast for a layup to seal the win in his first-ever CEBL game. “I didn’t know I was gonna get that open. I got full speed, so there was no reason to stop,” Nelson Jr., who was named game MVP, told sideline reporter Sarah Ryan. Nelson Jr. led the Surge with 22 points on seven-for-12 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists. The 23-year-old, who is the son of longtime Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson, completed his NCAA career with Texas Christian University in 2024 before playing 30 games with the G League’s Austin Spurs, where he scored 11.4 points per contest. He had three simple words on his first taste of the Battle of Alberta. “I love it,” he told Ryan. On the other side, Stingers coach Jordan Baker said his team fell just short in a hard-fought contest. “Up and down. Game of runs, we just ended up on the wrong end of one at the end,” he said. Meanwhile, Calgary Surge head coach Kaleb Canales got an early lesson in what makes the CEBL so unique in his first game. Canales entered his first season as the only bench boss in league history with NBA experience after leading the Portland Trail Blazers for 23 games in 2012. He credited his team’s toughness for the comeback. “Season openers, there’s gonna be jitters, there’s gonna be mistakes. But basketball’s an imperfect game. It just shows the level of toughness we’ve shown throughout camp,” Canales said. Greg Brown III impressed in his first CEBL action with 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Sean Miller-Moore and Gabe Osabuohien also contributed 14 points each for Calgary. For Edmonton, Sean East II led the way with a game-high 22 points, plus eight rebounds and eight assists. East II, 24, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2024 and went on to spend his first professional season split between the G League’s South Bay Lakers and Romania’s BC Athletic Constanta. The springy guard managed to get into just four total games, all in Europe. Still, he showed no rust in averaging 25.5 points per contest. That offensive flare continued with Edmonton. “He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands, he’s capable from inside and out, he creates for others. I gave him a challenge before the game to rebound the basketball and he had eight of them,” Baker said. East II said he enjoyed his first taste of CEBL basketball. “It was good energy. It’s a different type of game. It’s entertainment, but it’s a serious game, so you gotta stay locked in on getting the win,” East II said. Stingers guard Aaron Rhooms, a Toronto native who just completed his junior season with Toronto Metropolitan University, added nine points and five rebounds in the loss. Forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. A fast-paced first quarter ended with the teams tied at 23, but the Surge took a 45-44 advantage into halftime after ending the second quarter on a 9-0 run. Edmonton responded with a big third quarter to take a 66-58 lead into the final 10 minutes. The game marked No. 1 of what is set to be the biggest CEBL season ever as the schedule expands to 24 games per team. Calgary and Edmonton will meet twice more, including on June 19 during the first CEBL game ever in Red Deer, Alta. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600563 Up next Both teams return to the court Friday as Calgary’s season-opening road trip continues with a stop in Niagara to face the River Lions, while Edmonton travels to Winnipeg to meet the Sea Bears. The next CEBL game is Thursday night when the Saskatchewan Rattlers host the Vancouver Bandits. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

Partner branding to appear on all league referee jerseys this summer

La marque du partenaire figurera sur les chandails des arbitres de la ligue cet été

The Calgary Surge are proud to announce the signing of forward Osayi Osifo for the 2025 CEBL season. A 6’9” forward known for his relentless energy, rebounding prowess, and interior efficiency, Osifo joins the Surge after a standout season with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League.  Born in Bedworth Park, South Africa, and raised in McKinney, Texas, Osifo’s journey from a track and field athlete to professional basketball has been marked by toughness, perseverance, and constant growth. In the 2024–25 G League season, he appeared in 39 games (25 starts) for the Austin Spurs, averaging 6.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 64.6% from the field. “Osayi is exactly the kind of player who fits our culture — high character, high motor, and team-first,” said Calgary Surge General Manager Shane James. “His path is inspiring, and his energy and physicality on the court will make an immediate impact in Calgary.” Before going pro, Osifo enjoyed a strong collegiate career across three programs. He earned First Team All-State NJCAA Region 8 honors at Eastern Florida State College, followed by a season at the University of Florida, where he gained SEC experience with the Gators. He then transferred to Jacksonville University, where he became a key contributor and led the team in rebounding during his senior year. He posted a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Central Arkansas and had a stretch of seven straight games in double figures during the 2022–23 season. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete with the Surge this summer,” said Osifo. “Calgary has built a winning culture and a passionate fan base, and I’m excited to bring energy and toughness every night. Let’s get to work.” Osifo is the first South African player to suit up for the Surge and will bring a global perspective to the locker room. He joins a stacked 2025 roster aiming to make a deep playoff run. Tickets for the Calgary Surge’s ‘TRILOGY’ season are now available at calgarysurge.ca . This season includes regular season games at WinSport Event Centre and marquee events at the Westerner Park Centrium in Red Deer and the Scotiabank Saddledome. ### About the Calgary Surge The Calgary Surge tipped off their inaugural season at WinSport Event Centre in May 2023, after originating the Guelph Nighthawks, one of the founding members of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). From day one, the Surge have been committed to being the Home Team for Calgary and a space where everyone is welcome. The Calgary Surge are active members of the community and have participated in a few hundred events (and counting) around the city that connect the team with diverse communities through sport, entertainment, and arts and culture. Over two seasons, the Surge have made back-to-back CEBL Championship Weekend appearances, were crowned Western Conference Champions in 2023, hold the league’s single game attendance record, and have sent over 4000 deserving kids and families to their games for free. Fans can expect even more excitement for 2025! For more information, visit www.calgarysurge.ca .