Matthew Winick
Game two of the 2021 CEBL season action kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. local as the Hamilton Honey Badgers visit the Edmonton Stingers at the Ex po Centre.
The last time the Edmonton Stingers took the floor, confetti rained down and exhilaration ran through each player, coach and staffer. After a wire-to-wire victory over the Fraser Valley Bandits, the Stingers won their first CEBL championship in 2020.
However, the circumstances under that trophy leave the remaining Edmonton personnel hungry for more. Isolated in St. Catharines, Ontario during the 2020 Summer Series bubble format, playing games hours away from their home base and in front of no fans took a slight piece of the jubilation away.
Now, the Stingers are back in Edmonton, looking to put together a repeat championship run at home as the game in broadcast on CBC TV nationally. The quest starts Saturday afternoon at the Expo Centre against the Hamilton Honey Badgers.
Playing as a Unit
While Edmonton may not have had some of the flashiest names on its roster last season, continuity, teamwork and a strong mentality were all instrumenta l to its success. Reigning Canadian Player of the Year Jordan Baker was a large driver of that attitude, and he believes it will play a big role once again.
“If you look around the league, the talent level is improving every year, so every team in our league is going to be talented. What’s going to differentiate teams is being able to play well together, be on the same page and operate as a cohesive unit,” said Baker, “I think we showed last year in the Summer Series that we were able to do that at a high level.”
With many of the same pieces in place for the Stingers this season, including two-time and reigning CEBL player of the year Xavier Moon, look for a disciplined approach on Saturday against the Honey Badgers.
Taking a leap
Coming in as a CEBL rookie with only five games of professional basketball experience under his belt, not much was expected of JV Mukama with the Honey Badgers last season. After a somewhat slow start to the Summer Series, Mukama soared to close the season, cementing a spot on the All-CEBL First Team.
Locked in as the team’s leading returning scorer, Mukama knows that a sizable portion of the team’s production is set to fall on his shoulders.
“With the versatility I have, as we keep gelling, as we keep figuring out who’s going to be in the rotation, I think it’s going to be very similar to last year. Obviously, there’s going to be more responsibility on me on the offensive end,” said Mukama, “What we know for sure is I have to be an x-factor and be one of the leading guys on both offence and defense.”
Along with Mukama, Hamilton have also signed on guards, Lindell Wigginton and Trevon Duval. Both have NBA experience and are primed to make a strong impact in the CEBL this season. It will be interesting to see how this young core will fuel Honey Badgers offence.
Team Leader
One of the youngest teams in the CEBL, Hamilton only rosters one active player over the age of 30. Luckily, that player comes with a lengthy and impressive resume, sure to help the Honey Badgers from day one.
Alex Johnson enters his third season in the CEBL, and second with Hamilton. The eight-year pro was a steady backup point guard for the team last campaign and looks to play a similar role this year.
Johnson also gained a unique basketball experience this spring, representing Team Canada at the 3x3 Olympic Qualifying tournament. While Canada couldn’t secure an Olympic berth, Johnson undoubtedly only added to his long list of accomplishments throughout his career.
For a team lacking in professional basketball experience, look for Johnson to play a major part in mentoring and leading his teammates this season, both on and off the court.
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