The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. will return to the pinstripes for a second season. The 6-foot-10 forward will travel a short distance to Brampton after most recently playing 12 games with the Raptors 905, the NBA G League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors.
Tilmon Jr. hoisted the CEBL Championship trophy last August with the Honey Badgers following a stellar regular season that saw him lead the league in field goal percentage and finish fifth in blocked shots per game. Tilmon Jr. made his CEBL debut scoring 15 points in 22 minutes of action in the home-opener victory over the Montreal Alliance on May 25. He missed six games to attend the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as a member of the Orlando Magic for a second consecutive summer and upon his return to Hamilton, Tilmon Jr. finished the campaign scoring in double digits in four of the remaining five games. He scored 14 points in the semifinal playoff victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks. On the season he averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while scoring in double figures in 11 contests.
The East St. Louis native begins the 2023 campaign having played 82 professional games combined in Romania, the NBA G League and in the CEBL. Following the 2022 CEBL season, Tilmon Jr. made his overseas debut with Dinamo Știința București of Romania’s top league, averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 20.7 minutes played in eight appearances. The 24 year old signed with Raptors 905 in the NBA G League on January 30 for his second stint in that league. He had also spent time with the Orlando Magic’s affiliate in Lakeland, playing 45 games during the 2021 season.
A graduate of the University of Missouri, Tilmon Jr. played the entirety of his 104-game collegiate career with the Tigers. He became the sixth player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 100 blocks. In his senior season, he was named to the Second Team All-SEC after ranking in the top-ten in total rebounds, offensive rebounds, and blocks in the Southeast Conference. Originally committed to the University of Illinois, Tilmon Jr. chose to join the Tigers over historical powerhouses in Kansas and North Carolina. Once considered a top-50 recruit nationally among numerous basketball media outlets, he earned first-team All-State recognition from both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and Associated Press following his final high school campaign.
Coming off a historic championship in 2022, the Honey Badgers open the 2023 campaign May 24 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, in what will tip off the CEBL's fifth season. The Honey Badgers play their first game at the CAA Centre in Brampton two days later, May 26, against rival Scarborough. The CEBL announced the permanent relocation of the Hamilton Honey Badgers to Brampton on November 28, 2022. For more information on the season and for tickets, visit honeybadgers.ca/tickets or call 905-522-BALL (2255).