Stefan Smith leads Surge to comeback victory over BlackJacks

Despite a furious comeback by the Edmonton Stingers at the end, the Winnipeg Sea Bears walked away with a season-opening win at the Canada Life Centre on Friday night. A pair of Tevian Jones free throws secured a 92-89 victory for Winnipeg, in a game the Sea Bears led by 16 points heading into Target Score Time. Winnipeg head coach and general manager Mike Taylor promised a team-first brand of basketball entering the year, and count that promise kept, at least through one game. The Sea Bears racked up 19 assists on 31 made field goals while getting contributions up and down the roster. Starting with Jones, who finished with a team-high 25 points, going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe while adding six rebounds and two steals. The import forward picked up right where he left off as a member of the Scarborough Shooting Stars last season, when his 16.9 points per game ranked 15th in the CEBL. “I’m really pleased with the way the team played today,” Taylor said post-game. “We have such a short time to prepare and so many new faces … I’m really pleased with the way our team, for the first game, we all responded together.” Right behind Jones was fellow import Jaylin Williams, who tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Meanwhile, a pair of Winnipeg natives in Emmanuel Akot and Kyler Filewich did their part as well. Akot chipped in 17 and six rebounds while Filewich added six points and a game-high 13 rebounds in his first game as a pro. “It was a lot of fun,” Filewich said of his Sea Bears debut. “Glad to share it with all my teammates, and hopefully a lot more games like that this summer.” On the other side, Sean East II carried the load for the Stingers as they ultimately fell to 0-2 despite their late rally. The import guard finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while backcourt mate Devonté Bandoo scored 21 on 8-of-14 from the field. Nick Hornsby and former Sea Bear Scottie Lindsey rounded out the double-digit scorers for Edmonton on Friday, putting up 13 and 14 points, respectively. Hornsby added 10 boards as well for his first double-double of the season. Backdropping the Sea Bears’ opener was the fact it was their first game since the sudden loss of captain Chad Posthumus in the off-season. The franchise honoured the Winnipeg native by retiring his No. 33 in a pre-game ceremony and hanging his jersey in the rafters while a capacity crowd of 10,649 fans in attendance cheered. The Sea Bears will also wear “33 forever” patches throughout the season as one of the many ways they plan to celebrate Posthumus’ legacy . “Chad obviously meant so much to this team,” Filewich said while reflecting on the pre-game ceremony. “So seeing that, it gave us that extra motivation on opening night, it was a special moment.” And it appeared, at least early, that the emotions from pre-game had sparked Winnipeg into a strong start. The Sea Bears opened the game on a 13-4 run that was punctuated by an Akot and-one on his former teammate Lindsey, and some stellar team defence. Winnipeg held Edmonton to under 30 per cent shooting from the field in the first as it built up a 21-13 lead. Come the second quarter, that advantage only grew as Jones caught fire following a slow start. After missing his first five shots, the do-it-all wing made four of his next seven looks en route to a 14-point scoring frame. Jones’ effort built the Sea Bears' lead up to 47-36 at the break, a margin they extended up to 18 after the third quarter. Most of the final frame seemed like a similar story as a Terry Roberts layup put Winnipeg ahead by 20 points at the 6:24 mark, their largest lead of the ball game, as the Sea Bears eventually went into Target Time with an 83-67 lead. The Stingers showed some resilience, however, going on an 8-0 run that was punctuated by Hornsby. He scored six of those points on his own, capping off the effort with an and-one that cut Edmonton’s deficit to eight points. From there, the Stingers were able to capitalize on a trio of costly Sea Bears turnovers and cut the deficit to just one on a Taye Donald layup in semi-transition. Donald’s heroics were quickly wiped away when he was called for a foul moments later and Jones closed the ball game at the free throw line. “We played well in the last eight minutes, but we’re certainly going to watch a lot of film on the first 32,” Stingers head coach Jordan Baker said. “Lots of things we need to clean up but … I love the resilience from the guys.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600566 Up next for both teams The Stingers return to action on May 22, visiting the 0-1 Saskatchewan Rattlers to continue a three-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Sea Bears host the 1-1 Calgary Surge on May 23 for a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Play-In game. Next CEBL action The Ottawa BlackJacks tip off their season on Sunday at The Arena at TD Place, as they’ll host the 1-0 Niagara River Lions for a matinee in the nation’s capital. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

Douglas will make his CEBL debut this Sunday as the Honey Badgers visit the Montréal Alliance for their regular season debut.

Niagara leaned on its championship experience to start this season the same way the last ended: with a win. The defending champion River Lions beat the Calgary Surge 98-94 in their home opener on Friday at the Meridian Centre. Calgary fell to 1-1 with the loss following a season-opening victory over Edmonton on Sunday. A game that long seemed in the hands of Niagara — which once led by 16 — turned into a tight contest in Target Score Time when Calgary took its first lead of the game. However, the River Lions, who led 89-86 when the clock stopped, fought back to take a 96-94 lead of their own. That’s when head coach Victor Raso called timeout to set up a sideline out-of-bounds play. And River Lions fans saw something they might remember – just with a couple different names. Ahmed Hill, in his first game as a River Lion, curled around a screen toward the net as inbounder Kimbal Mackenzie lofted a lob into the Niagara sky. Hill soared through the air and jammed home the alley-oop, putting an exclamation mark on the season-opening win. It was the same play the team executed last season – from TJ Lall to Khalil Ahmad — to beat the Ottawa BlackJacks in the quarterfinals last year. “It was amazing,” Hill said. “Shout out to the team. Shout out to the organization. Shout out to the fans for coming out, there was a great turnout. Happy we got the dub, for sure.” Surge head coach Kaleb Canales, who spent time leading the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012, promised to see Raso and the River Lions again after the barnburner finish. “Tough battle [on] both ends. Came down to the wire. You know, we had opportunities. Got to do a better job at cleaning up the rebounds. Great game. I'll see him down the road. I'll be there,” Canales said. Zooming out, Raso, who has coached Niagara for its entire CEBL existence, said his team looked like one just getting its feet wet in a new season despite the win. “I thought we played better offensively than we did defensively. I thought we were too much kind of focused on them and their strengths and we needed to be more focused on us defensively and being fundamental and all the stuff we did in training camp,” Raso said. For Niagara, the win was a continuation of its home cooking from last season, when it became just the second team ever to go undefeated on its home court. The River Lions’ last loss at the Meridian Centre came on June 24, 2023, at the hands of Ottawa. “The crowd is awesome. We play well at home and we just believe we can win. That's a massive thing. If you've got energy and belief, then you can do a lot of great stuff,” Raso said. Hill, 30, enjoyed a strong River Lions debut even beyond playing hero, totalling 20 points while adding five rebounds, five assists and four steals. The Augusta, Ga., native came to Niagara after four seasons split between the Guelph Nighthawks and Montreal Alliance. “I felt a little weird because every time I come in here, it's always a battle, but it's good being on … the home side. So it felt really good. I'm excited for the future,” Hill said. Hill also drained three three-pointers to give him 200 in the regular season for his career — the first player in league history to reach that mark. He said he hopes to continue growing into the Niagara culture moving forward. “Just fitting in, you know, I bring a lot of things to the game, so whatever they need me to do, I just fit in to do it,” Hill said. Raso said the River Lions are built to win with depth — but that the Hill addition certainly doesn’t hurt. “We don't necessarily play through one guy over and over. I mean, Khalil Ahmad has been that for us in the past, but we weren't necessarily playing through Ahmed tonight. He just does a lot of things. He does a lot of winning things, and he's proven in this league. And he played really well in the second half tonight,” Raso said. The River Lions also welcomed back forward Eddie Ekiyor, who played for the team in 2023 but missed last season with a knee injury. The Ottawa native recorded 11 points and four rebounds in his return. Mackenzie, the team captain, was second in scoring behind Hill with 17 points. Guillaume Boucard, who played with Montreal last season but was a River Lion from 2019 to 2021, added 15 points and nine rebounds. CEBL rookie Olumide Adelodun led the Surge with 25 points, including multiple key three-pointers as Calgary waged a comeback attempt in the second half. Greg Brown III contributed 23 points and six rebounds for Calgary, while Stefan Jankovic poured in 12 points off the bench. Canales said he’s been impressed with his team’s cohesiveness through two games. “Love our competitiveness, our grit, our connection on both ends. You know, everything we've been practising, we're working on, we're seeing it on the floor, and we know every game's going to be tough, so we just got to focus on the next game and turn the page,” he said. Niagara was up 28-24 after the first quarter despite leading by as much as 12 in the early going. It extended its lead to 57-50 at halftime. The River Lions’ lead swelled up to 16 in the third quarter, but Niagara took an 80-74 into the final 10 minutes. Then came the dramatic fourth quarter. Now, Niagara looks set on defending its title. And the scary part for River Lions opponents? This may not be their final form, as Ahmad — who led Niagara in its title run and scored the winning bucket — could return to the team later in the season. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600565 Up Next The River Lions hit the road to face the BlackJacks on Sunday, while the Surge have a week off before visiting the Winnipeg Sea Bears next Friday. Next CEBL Action In addition to the River Lions-BlackJacks game on Sunday, the Montreal Alliance will host the Brampton Honey Badgers in their home opener. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL -

As Year 7 of CEBL action gets underway, so does the race to Championship Weekend 2025. Not only a three-day celebration of basketball north of the border, but also a battleground to determine which team walks away with a title once the dust settles. This year, the festivities will be taking place in Winnipeg. Heading into just their third season as part of the CEBL — already known for raucous crowds and uber-committed fans — the Sea Bears were awarded the honour of hosting CW25 for the first time in franchise history. And make no mistake, the organization wants to make a statement when they welcome the competition to their home in August. “It’s going to be something special,” said head coach and general manager Mike Taylor. “I think the way it’s going to be here in Winnipeg will raise the level for the CEBL. All eyes will be on the City of Winnipeg, and I think Winnipeg will help elevate the expectations and standards of what Championship Weekend is going to be.” With so much enthusiasm even before the team’s season opener on Friday, excitement feels like the obvious emotion to associate with the Sea Bears’ upcoming campaign. And while that’s true, there will be one more, equally prevalent, feeling throughout the summer … grief. Amid the 2024 off-season, the franchise and local community were blindsided by the sudden loss of Chad Posthumus. The Sea Bears player and Winnipeg native suffered a brain aneurysm during a training session last November and later passed away following complications with corrective surgery. The 33-year-old was a stalwart of the CEBL, having played five seasons in the league with three different teams, the last two of which were with his hometown Sea Bears — a fact that Posthumus often pointed to with pride as his decade-long basketball journey spanning over 10 countries led him back to where it all began. But his legacy extends much further than simply being a part of Canada’s largest professional sports league. To the point that the CEBL’s story cannot be told without a full chapter on Posthumus. The 6-foot-10 centre was a member of the league’s inaugural champion Saskatchewan Rattlers in 2019, even starting alongside Championship Weekend MVP and eventual Sea Bears teammate Alex Campbell in their title-clinching win. Fast forward to 2021, he joined the Ottawa BlackJacks for their playoff run and in his team debut recorded the CEBL’s first-ever 20-20 game with 23 points and 20 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory. And when Winnipeg entered the fold as the league’s newest franchise in 2023, they wasted no time in making Posthumus the first player signing and captain in franchise history. From there, it didn’t take long for him to keep adding to the record books. In the Sea Bears' inaugural game, it was Posthumus who brought the Canada Life Centre to its feet as he scored Winnipeg’s first-ever Target Score winner. In true big man fashion, he corralled a missed shot and bounced it in off the glass before sprinting away in celebration. That moment was one of many that Taylor said came to mind when thinking about Posthumus’ legacy in Winnipeg. “He really helped establish the whole organization,” the Sea Bears bench boss explained as he prepared for his first season coaching the team without its captain by his side. “Chad was one of the key guys to maintaining our values and structure. He was one of those guys who never wavered … a strengthening force and glue for our team.” Most of Taylor’s other memories about the hometown hero were connected to his off-court antics, whether it was the smile Posthumus routinely greeted folks with during morning meetings or the big man’s laugh-inducing “quirky” stretches during practice. “Chad was just such a positive, bigger than life personality … there was nobody that loved Winnipeg and the Sea Bears more,” Taylor added. And that passion extended off the court as well, as Posthumus was well known for his work throughout his local community. His efforts were recognized in March as the Winnipeg native was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, a national honour recognizing Canadians for significant contributions to their country, region or communities. Posthumus was a staunch representative of the Sea Bears throughout youth camps while often acting as a spokesperson for a variety of causes, such as Diabetes Canada , Buckets & Borders and others. That spirit of kindness was present no matter what Posthumus did, as Taylor credited the big man for consistently going out of his way to connect with coaches and players. Just ask Emmanuel Akot, who fondly thinks back to when the Sea Bears captain welcomed him to the team. “He was just selfless,” said the forward, who re-signed with his hometown ahead of the 2025 season. “I remember the first time I came back to Winnipeg, I hadn’t been back a while … he invited me to shoot around. That’s the type of teammate he was. It was never about him, it was about us.” When asked if any moments throughout training camp these last few weeks might’ve brought up memories of Posthumus, Akot was quick to mention how any instances of laughter or positivity were immediately associated with the captain’s impact. But that wasn’t his only answer. “Watching Kyler Filewich play,” was the forward’s follow-up, pointing to play-style similarities between the Sea Bears' first local signing and their most recent one. “He reminds me a lot of Chad.” Which might not simply be a coincidence, as Filewich said he often paid close attention to Posthumus whenever he returned to Winnipeg between NCAA campaigns and watched the Sea Bears play. And ahead of his first professional basketball season, the rookie wants to continue following in Posthumus’ footsteps. “Leading with my voice, providing physicality on both ends and on the glass, those are things I’ve taken from him and things he was really great at,” Filewich explained. “So, I’m just trying to contribute in that way as well.” An attitude his head coach fully supports, encouraging the team to “use Chad for what he was, a great Sea Bear, a great role model and example for what we want our players to be.” Which is why the 23-year-old won’t be the only one adopting Posthumus’ “all in” mentality as described by Taylor. Among the many ways the team will honour its captain — retiring his No. 33 during a pre-game ceremony on Friday and wearing “33 forever” patches throughout the season — they’ll also serve as a reminder of his legacy with their play on the court. “(We’re) dedicating this season to him,” Akot said. “Going out hard every practice, taking it seriously every game, because we all know how much he cared about the Sea Bears and basketball here in Winnipeg. “So to pay our respects to him, we’ll go hard every day, because I know that’s what he really wants.” And beyond effort levels, the Sea Bears are ready to mimic Posthumus’ selfless brand of basketball stylistically as well. “We feel like what’s going to take us to the next level, and bring post-season success, will be all about team play,” Taylor explained, noting how previous iterations of the team were driven primarily through top-end talent, giving credit to a pair of former Sea Bears and prolific scorers in Teddy Allen and Justin Wright-Foreman. “On both ends of the floor, (taking) steps to be more connected as a team. We’ve got good personalities … we’ve got some high IQ players and guys that will play great team basketball. Both Akot and Filewich echoed those sentiments while adding “versatile” and “unique” as descriptors for the 2025 Sea Bears. So as Winnipeg gets ready for a meaningful season, aiming to build the right habits ahead of its eventual bye to a Western Conference Final — perks of being host for Championship Weekend — and just two wins shy of a first title in franchise history, the team will have plenty on its mind. On one hand, they’ll be competing for a fanbase that has consistently rallied around them throughout their ebbs and flows. “We absolutely love Winnipeg,” Taylor said while proudly referencing the many times the Sea Bears have set attendance records, owning three of the top four single-game marks in CEBL history while boasting a league-best showing of 10,580 fans for a playoff contest. “We’ve gotten off to an exciting start the first two summers, and this season we want to do everything we can … to be a team fans love to watch, and hopefully they can see great team basketball and how we’ve evolved.” On the other hand, the Sea Bears will be playing for Posthumus’ legacy, as they have no doubt their captain will be on the path with them in lockstep. “I still believe that Chad is with us,” Taylor said. “He was all in for our team, all in for our organization, and we know that he would’ve been all in for this Championship Weekend.” So as the race toward a CEBL title gets underway, the Sea Bears will keep both of those motivations in mind while waiting for other teams to meet them at the finish line — all with hopes of accomplishing one goal, according to their head coach. “We want to put the ‘win’ back in Winnipeg.” - CEBL -

The Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Kyle Varner has been added to the team’s active roster ahead of Friday’s game in Winnipeg. Varner, the 2024-25 Canada West Rookie of the Year with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, has been a practice player with the team since the start of training camp earlier this month. Varner, a 6’6” guard, completed his first season of U SPORTS basketball with the Golden Bears this past season, averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 27 games. He notched a career high of 22 points on January 24th of this year against the Manitoba Bisons. Prior to joining the Golden Bears, he was a member of Edmonton’s Western Canada Prep Academy. The Stingers narrowly lost their first game of the 2025 season 86-84 to the Calgary Surge on Sunday May 11th at the EXPO Centre. They will take on the Winnipeg Sea Bears at the Canada Life Centre Friday May 16th at 6:30 PM MT. ### 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 73% of its rosters being Canadian and more than 10 players with NBA game experience in 2025. 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. More than 20 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 Tonybet, TSN, TSN+, RDS , Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .

The Vancouver Bandits opened the season with a record-setting 105-65 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Thursday (May 15). The Bandits spoiled the Rattlers’ home opener with a convincing performance that saw the defending Western Conference champs set a team record for margin of victory. Transition offence, sound defence and forceful low-post play fueled the 40-point win for Vancouver, eclipsing its previous win-margin record – a 37-point win over Ottawa last June. Big man Tyrese Samuel highlighted the post-play for the Bandits, scoring another team-record 36 points in the opener. Samuel grew familiar with the SaskTel Centre rims throughout the game with dunk after dunk, saying farewell with the Target-Score winning slam. “I didn't really know how [many] points I actually had. I really just had a bunch of layups and dunks and putbacks, so it didn't seem like I had that much. But hey, I'm happy,” Samuel said. The former Florida Gator collected 12 rebounds as well to secure the double-double in his CEBL debut. Returning Aussie big man Mitch Creek added 21 points for the Bandits, while newcomer Izaiah Brockington chipped in 19. Samuel says putting in work with Creek before the season allowed the duo to excel on Thursday. “He's a great guy. He has experience playing in the NBA, playing overseas, so he just has helped me a lot since I’ve been here,” he said. The Bandits shot 55 per cent from the field in the win, while Saskatchewan finished 35 per cent from the field and 22 per cent from three. Jamir Chaplin led the Rattlers’ attack with 17 points, followed by Nate Pierre-Louis with 16. Chaplin said the game was a learning experience and the team can build on its offensive performance. “It was the defence that we slacked on today. I think we moved the ball pretty well. Shots weren't going in for most of us, but I think those are easy [to] fix,” he said. Despite the loss, Saskatchewan head coach Eric Magdanz says it’s a long season. “This is just one game. We're gonna learn from this. We've got a week to prepare for our next game, and we're gonna take advantage,” Magdanz said. “We've got a lot of things to improve on. I'm happy with how we battled at the end, but we've got to increase our execution, and we've got to do a better job of sharing the basketball.” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius was pleased with the togetherness but echoed his peer about the long road ahead. “We want to stay humble. It's the first game. In the CEBL, if you put any stock into the first game, I think you're crazy,” Julius said. To open the game, the Bandits feasted on the fast break and in the paint, forcing two Rattlers timeouts and leading 29-18 after one. Brockington, a 25-year-old guard with NBA experience, showed off his abilities as a slasher in the first quarter with multiple finishes at the rim. Vancouver built on its lead by hunting low-post mismatches early in the second quarter, with Creek and Samuel fuelling a 13-1 run. Saskatchewan trailed by as many as 23 in the first half before trimming the deficit to 52-34 at halftime. The Bandits shot 80 per cent from inside the arc in the opening 20 minutes. The frontcourt duo of Creek and Samuel continued to attack the rim in the third. Vancouver kept its foot on the gas throughout the second half and led by 40 heading into Target Score Time. The Rattlers showed fight during the final stretch, but Samuel’s record-breaking dunk ended the contest. Vancouver and Saskatchewan will become well-acquainted this season. The teams will meet three more times, including their next matchup on June 8 in Saskatoon. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600564 Up next for both teams The Bandits return to B.C. for their home opener against the defending champion Niagara River Lions on May 22 in a rematch of last year’s final. Meanwhile, the Rattlers host the 0-1 Edmonton Stingers the same evening. Next CEBL action Niagara kicks off its title defence against the 1-0 Calgary Surge at the Meridian Centre tomorrow (May 16). For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . - CEBL - 

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