Even though the Nighthawks are coming off of a 6-14 inaugural season with a fifth-place finish, there is plenty of optimism heading into the Summer Series, with the return of five members of the 2019 team, including Olu Famutimi, Myles Charvis, Jabari Craig, Jamal Reynolds and Kimbal Mackenzie. 

Nighthawks Head Coach and General Manager Charles Kissi, who joined the team midway through last season, has been able to instill his vision from Day One of the 2020 season, despite the obvious challenges of a shortened campaign. Kissi, who also serves as an assist coach with the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League, has significantly improved the Guelph lineup and basketball operations staff.

Guelph’s 2019 Most Valuable Player, Olu Famutimi, a 15-year veteran, proved to be a leader on and off the court for the team’s younger players. With his experience competing at the international stages and at the highest levels of European professional basketball, he will be an important piece to the Nighthawks’ success. Famutimi averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 19 games for Guelph last season. 

Despite their lack of CEBL experience, the BlackJacks roster might have more overall professional basketball experience compared to the Guelph Nighthawks roster. Ottawa counts seven players with five or more years of pro hoop experience compared to the Nighthawks, who have only four. In a situation like the Summer Series, veteran players will play a crucial role. When teams only have one week to prepare for a minimum of six games in two weeks, team cohesion becomes a pillar for success. This is one of Ottawa’s advantages as most of the coaches and players have worked together in the past, establishing the BlackJacks as a team with deep Ottawa roots. 

For Ottawa BlackJacks Head Coach Osvaldo Jeanty, today’s game will represent his first-ever professional basketball game as a coach. A five-time national champion as a player for Carleton University, Jeanty went on to a successful professional career before making the move to coaching following his retirement in 2013. 

Shaquille Keith, a 2019 CEBL Champion with the Saskatchewan Rattlers, and Eric Kibi – who played two games for the Rattlers, are the only two members of the Ottawa BlackJacks with CEBL experience. Keith started his CEBL career with the Hamilton Honey Badgers and then joined Saskatchewan Rattlers for their playoff run. He averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds during the post season.

Ottawa Ties

At any moment during the game, we could observe up to seven players on the court who have ties with the Ottawa region. 

Guelph’s U SPORTS pick (third overall selection), Marcus Anderson, is known as one of the nation’s best perimeter defenders at the university level. A guard from Carleton University, Anderson will recognize familiar faces on the court as he will compete against his former teammates TJ Lall (drafted first overall by Ottawa in the 2020 U SPORTS Draft), Munis Tutu and Yasiin Joseph. All four players will be competing for the first time at a professional level.

Another player for Guelph who has ties with the Ottawa is Corey Johnson. An Ottawa native, Johnson played four years with Harvard where he averaged 7.2 points and 24.4 minutes per game. During his first professional stint in 2019-20 with the Spanish LEB Silver Zornotza Saskibaloi Taldea, Johnson started in all 15 games and averaged 10.6 points per game.

Battle of the Guards 

Guards make up a big portion of both the Ottawa and Guelph rosters. The BlackJacks can count on the leadership of Johnny Berhanemeskel, University of Ottawa's all-time leader in career three-pointers, along with Utah Jazz draft pick Olivier Hanlan, and Phil Scrubb to knock off some three-pointers while opening up the floor for drives.

Kimbal Mackenzie, Guelph’s returning point guard, made an immediate impression during his rookie CEBL campaign, starting every CEBL game he played last season. Another returning guard for Guelph is Jamal Reynolds, who was a solid contributor during the nine games he played for the Nighthawks, averaging 16.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Guelph added more depth and versatility to their roster this year, with a player like American import Tre’Darius McCallum, a six-foot-seven starter with the NBA G-league Windy City Bulls. His shooting ability and size make him a difficult matchup. Guelph might capitalize on Ottawa’s lack of size, with only one player (Kyle Landry) listed as taller than six-foot-eight. 

Both teams will look to set the tone on national television for the rest of the CEBL Summer Series. An exciting match up to close out an historic first day.