Honey Badgers Look to Maintain BCLA Winning Streak at Home as Action Kicks off at CAA Centre in Brampton

Holly Mackenzie • February 7, 2023

A huge week of basketball kicks off in Brampton on Tuesday. An all-Canadian roster for the Brampton Honey Badgers will represent Canada and play host to the Basketball Champions League Americas third window in Brampton at the CAA Centre this week.


The Honey Badgers will face Nicaragua’s Real Estelí today at 8 p.m. ET before also taking on Mexico’s Libertadores on Thursday, February 9 (also at 8 p.m. ET) with all of the action being broadcast live on NBA TV Canada. The games will also be livestreamed internationally on CEBL’s OTT platform,
CEBL+.


EMBED:
https://twitter.com/CEBLeague/status/1622621283660754945


The all-Canadian roster that will compete in the third window of the BCLA features Canadian talent from across the country in a showcase of CEBL talent ahead of the league’s fifth season which will tip-off on May 24. 


The BCLA brings together 12 teams representing seven different countries in the Americas. Brampton is representing the CEBL in the event after winning the 2022 CEBL Championship. This tournament features all 12 teams competing over four months for a chance to win a berth to the 2024 FIBA International Cup.


Though the Honey Badgers are still looking for their first BCLA victory in this year’s competition, they will look to maintain an undefeated BCLA record for a CEBL team after the Edmonton Stingers won both their games last season in Calgary.


With 10 of the 11 players in this window’s Honey Badgers roster having previous experience in the CEBL, this collection of players speaks to the depth of basketball talent in Canada. This window is extra special for Brampton natives Alex Campbell, Jahvon Blair and Sean Miller-Moore, who have participated in the previous two windows and will now represent Canada on home soil with friends and family present.


Kitchener’s Murphy Burnatowski joins the Brampton trio in their third BCLA window this year, along with Winnipeg native Chad Posthumus and Toronto natives Jaylen Babb-Harrison and Shane Osayande.


Montreal will be represented by Kemy Osse and Alain Louis who will make their BCLA’s debut after playing for the Montreal Alliance during the 2022 CEBL season. Toronto native Daniel Walden-Mullings will also be making his BCLA debut after playing for the Niagara River Lions this past CEBL season. The lone player on Brampton’s roster without CEBL experience is Toronto’s Elijah Lufile who comes to the Honey Badgers after spending time with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League where he was coached by Canadian Scott Morrison earlier this year.


CEBL Commissioner and co-founder Mike Morreale recently spoke with Eric Smith and Paul Jones on the Smith and Jones Podcast about the continued growth of the league shortly after it was announced that Morreale had signed a new six-year contract extension. “I'm blessed to be part of the CEBL and be part of the creation of it,” Morreale said. “We’re still scratching the surface [of what’s to come.]”


As Morreale spoke about the success of the league through its first four seasons, he explained the importance of not just creating a domestic league for Canadian talent but providing an opportunity to play at home that doesn’t rule out playing elsewhere as well.


“We structured our league to play at a time when we had access to the best available players,” he said.  “That’s in spring and summer, opposite the [NBA’s] G League, opposite the NBA, opposite the major international leagues. Our ability to hone in on that particular time [has allowed the CEBL] to create a pathway to success, which we’ve been able to do, mostly through the players and their talent level. Nine guys in the last 12 months signing NBA contracts, we’ve created this pathway.”


During the first two BCLA windows this winter, Brampton has been coached by Honey Badgers lead assistant Sheldon Cassimy as head coach Ryan Schmidt has been unavailable due to commitments with the British Basketball League. On Monday, Brampton announced that Schmidt had resigned his position with the club due to scheduling conflicts with the BBL, where he led the London Lions to a BBL Championship last week. In addition to coaching the Honey Badgers to a CEBL Championship in 2022 and being named CEBL Coach of the Year, 30 of Schmidt’s CEBL players went on to ink pro contracts immediately following their time with him. 


“I would like to thank Honey Badgers president John Lashway and general manager Jermaine Anderson for giving me the opportunity to begin my career as a professional head coach and for their support and friendship,” Schmidt said. “It’s rare in pro sports for three people in our roles to work together so well and to share common beliefs about organizational culture and values. “I would like to thank our players, coaches and staff that have made the past three years so enjoyable and unforgettable. They’re exceptional people. And I would like to thank the CEBL and its staff for providing a platform where coaches and players can further develop to reach their next level. This has been an incredible experience for which I will always be grateful.”


Morreale spoke about Schmidt’s success with the BBL while speaking with Smith and Jones, highlighting the many avenues and opportunities that the CEBL provides for Canadians in sport, beyond just the players suiting up on the hardwood.


“It’s not just the coach, the GM, the player,” Morreale said. “It’s the player, the support staff, the trainer, the broadcaster. You don't have to look much further than Jevohn Shepherd who took this opportunity and has parlayed it into bigger and better things. Joel Anthony, Jermaine Anderson, that's just scratching the surface of people that didn’t get the opportunity to play in a domestic league when they came through the ranks but are back now, giving that opportunity to a new group of people. 


Proof of that ever-growing ecosystem will be on display at the CAA Centre in Brampton on Tuesday night as Brampton’s all-Canadian BCLA’s roster seek victory at home.

April 25, 2025
La couverture débute le 23 mai à Montréal avec Éclipse : Match sous les étoiles
April 25, 2025
Éclipse: Match Sous les Étoiles in Montréal kicks off RDS coverage May 23
April 24, 2025
The CEBL veteran has suited up in 40 games across the last two seasons with Winnipeg and Vancouver
April 24, 2025
Ifejeh takes his talents to Saskatchewan following a three-year stint with Montreal
April 24, 2025
La septième saison de la LECB débute le 11 mai avec la Bataille de l’Alberta au Centre EXPO d’Edmonton
April 24, 2025
Seventh season of CEBL action tips off May 11 with Battle of Alberta at Edmonton EXPO Centre
April 24, 2025
River Lions bolster championship defense lineup landing the leading scorer in league history
April 23, 2025
Les BlackJacks d’Ottawa de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), la plus grande ligue sportive professionnelle du Canada, ont annoncé aujourd’hui le retour de l'arrière Keevan Veinot pour la saison 2025. Le Canadien de 6 pi 4 po revient chez les BlackJacks après avoir établi des sommets personnels la saison dernière dans toutes les principales catégories statistiques, notamment les points par match (12,2), les passes décisives par match (5,0), les rebonds par match (3,2) et les minutes par match (28,2), lors de sa troisième saison dans la LECB. « Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir à nouveau Keevan à Ottawa pour un autre été, » a déclaré James Derouin, directeur général des BlackJacks. « En tant que fier Canadien et joueur remarquable du réseau U SPORTS, il apporte une combativité, un leadership et une capacité de création de jeu qui correspondent parfaitement à notre identité. Keevan comprend ce qu’il faut pour gagner dans cette ligue, et sa progression constante des deux côtés du terrain fait de lui un élément clé dans notre quête du championnat. » Originaire de Port Williams, Nouvelle-Écosse, il participe actuellement à sa troisième saison consécutive en BNXT League, le plus haut niveau professionnel en Belgique et aux Pays-Bas. Il occupe actuellement la quatrième place au classement des meilleurs marqueurs de la ligue avec une moyenne de 19,6 points par match, évoluant sous les couleurs de Donar Groningen. Au cours de sa carrière internationale, il a également joué pour LWD Aris Leeuwarden et le Port of Antwerp, affichant une moyenne de 15,4 points par match en championnat. Sélectionné au premier tour du repêchage U SPORTS 2021 de la CEBL par les Hamilton Honey Badgers, le joueur de 26 ans a amorcé sa carrière professionnelle cette même saison en inscrivant huit points, réussissant ses trois tirs sur trois lors du match du 26 juin 2021 à Edmonton. Ayant connu une carrière universitaire remarquable, Veinot a représenté l’Université Dalhousie de 2017 à 2022, récoltant de nombreuses distinctions. Il a notamment été nommé sur la première équipe d’étoiles du Sport universitaire de l’Atlantique (SUA) en 2019-2020 et 2021-2022, sur la première équipe d’étoiles canadiennes en 2019-2020, ainsi que sur l’équipe des recrues du SUA en 2017-2018, entre autres honneurs. En 2019-2020, il a remporté le titre de Joueur par excellence du basketball masculin du SUA, une première dans l’histoire de l’Université Dalhousie. Cette saison-là, il a mené son équipe pour la moyenne de points (15,6), les minutes jouées (30,3), les rebonds (5,2), les passes décisives (5,5) et les interceptions (2,3). Le basketball fait partie intégrante de l’héritage familial de Veinot. Sa sœur jumelle, Jayda, a joué pour l’Université Acadia de 2018 à 2022, puis pour l’Université du Nouveau-Brunswick de 2022 à 2024. Son père, Kevin, a été une étoile à Acadia, contribuant notamment au parcours de l’équipe de 1987-1988 jusqu’à la finale nationale. Sa mère, Jennifer Hale, a également connu beaucoup de succès, remportant deux championnats provinciaux au secondaire avec le Cobequid Education Centre et étant nommée Joueuse par excellence de l’AUAA à l’Université du Nouveau-Brunswick. Il est actuellement possible d'acheter des forfaits de billets flexibles en visitant le site theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/tickets . Les abonnements de saison des BlackJacks 2025 sont disponibles dès maintenant. Pour plus de détails, les amateurs sont invités à envoyer un courriel à [email protected] ou à composer le 613-690-0519. ### À propos des BlackJacks d'Ottawa Première franchise d'expansion de la Ligue de basket-ball de l'élite canadienne (LECB), les BlackJacks d'Ottawa présentent le meilleur du basket-ball et du divertissement dans la capitale nationale. Le bureau de direction d'Ottawa apporte à la franchise son expérience de la NBA, de la NBA G League, de l'équipe nationale, de la NCAA et des grandes ligues professionnelles internationales. Dirigée par le directeur général James Derouin et l'entraîneur-chef Dave DeAveiro, l'équipe d'Ottawa joue ses matchs à domicile dans l'aréna de classe mondiale de la Place TD, dans le parc Lansdowne. Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site theblackjacks.ca .
April 23, 2025
A CEBL Champion with Hamilton in 2022, Veinot averaged 12.2 points and 5.0 assists in 17 games with the BlackJacks last season
April 23, 2025
Calgary's all-time leader in games played, points, rebounds and blocked shots returns for his third season
More Posts