Matthew Winick

Up until now, the only Player of the Year award ever handed out by the CEBL has gone to Edmonton Stingers’ guard Xavier Moon, taking the award home in the inaugural 2019 season and last year’s Summer Series. 

After recently being nominated for the third consecutive campaign, Moon will look to keep his dominant streak going as the league announces its award winners on Wednesday evening in Edmonton as part of Championship Weekend.

With each award being narrowed down to just two finalists, we look at the tale of the tape between each of the duels for the biggest awards in the CEBL.

Player of the Year

Along with the aforementioned Moon, Hamilton Honey Badgers’ guard Lindell Wigginton is the other finalist voted for the league’s best overall player. 

The first-year CEBL pro who played his college ball at Iowa State took the league by storm from the get-go, and continuously showed his gifted scoring ability throughout the entire season, finishing second in scoring behind Moon at 21.5 points per game. 

It was clear from the beginning of the season that Wigginton was in the perfect position to showcase his athleticism and shooting touch while carrying a large offensive burden for his squad, and he bought into his role right away.

“(Scoring) is what I do, I don’t know another way to put it. That’s what I came here for,” said Wigginton back in July, “My teammates, my coaches, they always give me the confidence to play my game and that’s what I’ve got to go out and do every night.”

However, Wigginton proved that he was more than just a scorer. The guard from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia contributed a team-high 4.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds for one of the better all-around stat lines in the league. He also found a way to be efficient despite the high usage, shooting over 40% from the field and from beyond the arc.

Honey Badgers’ head coach Ryan Schmidt knew he was getting a great scorer but was pleasantly surprised with everything else his star guard brought to the table.

“I’ve known Lindell for a while, I knew his talent and what he was capable of doing,” said Schmidt, “I think the biggest thing that I’m very impressed with is he’s becoming more efficient, instead of being a volume guy… he’s still a dynamic scorer but he’s been more efficient.”

For all the impressive stats and quotes supporting Wigginton’s spectacular season, it’s still hard to deny the candidacy of Moon. The guard led the league in points per game at 22.9, ranked third in assists at 4.8 and second in steals at 2.1, all while leading the first-place Stingers to a 13-1 regular-season record. 

Moon’s ability to effortlessly score the ball in bunches also saw his rack up the two highest single-game scoring performances in CEBL history, with his most recent record-breaking 39-point display coming earlier in August.

While both nominees were clearly the two best all-around guards in the league this season, it’s hard to expect Wigginton to unseat Moon as the CEBL’s best player.

Canadian Player of the Year

The league’s next biggest award, highlighting the best Canadian-born player in the league, might be a better opportunity for Wigginton to come away with some hardware on Wednesday night.

Wigginton’s challenger for the award is last year’s winner, Edmonton Stingers’ forward Jordan Baker. 

Despite winning last season and finishing as the runner-up in the Player of the Year voting to his teammate in Moon, Baker upped his points, rebounds and assists totals in 2021. The 29-year-old 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on the year, all within the top three of his team.

However, Baker’s impact goes well beyond his statistics. Recently named the new head coach of the NAIT men’s basketball program, Baker uses a calm, cerebral approach to the game which always sees him remain in control and make the right play. Despite not yet turning 30, he’s the ultimate veteran on the floor.

“My job is to try and facilitate, and making everyone’s lives easier,” said Baker, “For me, that’s grabbing rebounds, trying to set good screens, finding guys that are open and generally help our offense and defense flow the way it needs to.”
Being the coach that Baker is though, he knows his fellow candidate had an equally impressive season and has an interesting prediction about the award.

“(Lindell) has a tendency to make big shots all season, and he’s been the engine that makes his team go,” said Baker, “So it’s no surprise that he’s also nominated, and no surprise when he more than likely takes home the award.”

Defensive Player of the Year

The battle for Defensive Player of the Year will come down to two of the CEBL’s most physically imposing big men. Import forwards Brandon Gilbeck and Javin DeLaurier both made a major impact on both their individual stats and team defense. 

Gilbeck’s long frame and impeccable timing was a game-changer for the Fraser Valley Bandits this season, allowing the team’s guards to hound the ball with the knowledge that he could erase any shot at the basket. He led the CEBL in blocks by a wide margin at 2.8 per game.

Despite the eye-popping statistics that put his name on notice throughout the league in short order, Gilbeck sees his importance to his squad as more complimentary.

“I do the little things, hustling for the ball, getting my teammates open, trying to set good screens, and rebounding,” said Gilbeck, “And of course playing defense, part of our success was our defensive presence.” 

While DeLaurier didn’t quite put up the shot-blocking numbers that Gilbeck did, his 1.8 swats a night still had him in clear second place. He also added a league-high 11.3 rebounds per game to his tally.

More importantly, DeLaurier’s athleticism allowed him to switch onto virtually any player in the CEBL and remain an effective defender. Doing so allowed his Niagara River Lions to play a much more versatile style of defense with him on the floor. 

Despite only being 24 years old, DeLaurier’s maturity and intelligence allowed him to anchor the River Lions all season.

“He’s so mature. He’s a four-year captain at Duke, and until you actually spend time with someone like that, you don’t realize what it means,” said River Lions’ head coach Victor Raso in July, “He is a very disciplined, coachable person who takes care of his body, does all the right stuff, listens, and tries his hardest. I’m not surprised with the consistency in performance because the kid might be 24 but he’s no different than a 30-year-old veteran.”

With both candidates sporting elite statistics to go along with immeasurable team impact, the Defensive Player of the Year battle will be one of the tightest awards to predict.

Sixth Man of the Year

The inaugural edition of the Sixth Man of the Year award will be the Stingers’ Adika Peter-McNeilly against the Bandits’ Shaquille Keith.

Much like Baker, Peter-McNeilly’s leadership and familiarity on the court made things easy for the league-leading Stingers. The third-year CEBL veteran averaged 10.3 points per game while making over two three-pointers per game and was often the main option amongst bench players. 

It was no surprise that he was typically on the court to close the game despite not starting a single game all year.

“Back in my first year, I embraced by sixth man role even though it wasn’t an award. I just try to come off the bench with energy and give the team a different look,” said Peter-McNeilly, “Being able to now be recognized for it means a lot.”

On the other hand, Keith’s role was varied at different points throughout the season. He started four games this year for Fraser Valley, and would often play any position – from point guard to big man, depending on what his team needed. Despite the volatility, Keith still ranked first amongst CEBL bench players with 12.1 points per game and finished second on the Bandits in assists with 2.7.

Keith’s big frame combined with speed and skill allowed him to play a very versatile role this season, something he prides himself with being able to accomplish.

“Throughout my career I’ve been able to play multiple positions because of my skill set and size,” said Keith,” So for me, it was really about giving my team what they needed. I feel pretty comfortable at any position on the court.”

Despite coming off the bench, both Peter-McNeilly and Keith both made a clear impact on their respective teams and would both be well-deserving choices for the first-ever Sixth Man of the Year award.

U SPORTS Player of the Year

Finally, the U SPORTS Player of the Year puts two Carleton Ravens against each other as Niagara’s Lloyd Pandi squares off against the Ottawa BlackJacks’ Alain Louis.

Pandi, last year’s winner with the BlackJacks, came over to the River Lions and made a strong impact as a complementary scorer and playmaker. He had a solid all-around stat line of 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Pandi remains exceptionally calm and poised despite his age and looks much more like a veteran than a U SPORTS player.

Meanwhile, Louis carved out a role as a defensive stopper and energy guy for Ottawa this season. He averaged 6.9 points along with 2.9 assists and almost a steal per game. He was a nice compliment to the other BlackJack guards, typically looking to find them for easy baskets on the perimeter.

Although Pandi likely has a leg up in taking home his second-straight U SPORTS Player of the Year award, his former teammate will be looking to steal his thunder. Either way, a Carleton Raven will be a CEBL award winner on Wednesday night in Edmonton.

All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service  CEBL+,   cbcsports.ca , the free  CBC Gem  streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube