Ottawa BlackJacks Announce 2023 Training Camp Roster
The team adds two players to its roster, including Cole Syllas and Marc-André Fortin
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Friday its official training camp roster in preparation for the 2023 CEBL season.
Led by General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Jevohn Shepherd and Head Coach, James Derouin, Ottawa’s current training camp roster is comprised of 12 players including two new additions; six-foot-five Guard Cole Syllas, and six-foot-eight Centre Marc-André Fortin. Additional players will be joining the team at the conclusion of their current international season.
Syllas, who starred with Queen's Men's Basketball and helped them earn the program's best record (17-5) in over 50 years, was named a 2022-23 U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian, the first in Queen's men's basketball program history. A fourth-year guard, Syllas was also named an OUA First Team All-Star, helping the Gaels to their second straight U SPORTS Final 8 Championship appearance. Syllas averaged 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in 2022-23 and now sits in the Top 10 in program history in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.
Drafted 19th overall by the Montreal Alliance during the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Draft, Fortin averaged 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16 games played with Bayer Giants Leverkusen in Germany in 2022-23. Fortin played his first collegiate season with Sam Houston State University in the NCAA Division I before transferring to the University of Laval. A RSEQ First Team All-Star in 2021-22, the six-foot-eight centre had his best statistical season that year averaging 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting .511 from the field. A native of Sainte-Marie, Quebec, Fortin played at Cégep de Sainte-Foy, averaging 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Highlights of the 2023 Ottawa BlackJacks roster include two players with NBA G League experience (Elijah Pemberton, Matt Coleman III), five returning BlackJacks players (Guillaume Pépin, Jackson Rowe, Kadre Gray, Maxime Boursiquot, Zena Edosomwan), four American imports (Elijah Pemberton, Matt Coleman III, Michael Flowers, Zena Edosomwan), two U SPORTS players (Cole Syllas, Guillaume Pépin) and nine NCAA Division I alumni.
Two players have ties to the nation’s capital: Ottawa-native Boursiquot, and a four-year veteran for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Pépin.
See BlackJacks Training Camp Roster here: https://www.theblackjacks.ca/ottawa-blackjacks-announce-2023-training-camp-roster
Training Camp is set to start with Media Day scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday May 15, 2023, at Collège La Cité. For training sessions, accredited media will have access to the court for the final 20 minutes of practice and for the final 10 minutes of shoot around on gameday. Members of the media who are seeking accreditation for BlackJacks Media Day, training sessions and home games are invited to apply through the BlackJacks portal: https://www.theblackjacks.ca/media-accreditation . The BlackJacks will be responsible for the review process and delivery of the accreditation decisions. Further information will be sent to media once accreditation is approved.
Ottawa BlackJacks 2023 Training Camp Schedule
| Date | Training Session | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, May 16 | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Wednesday, May 17 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Thursday, May 18 | 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Friday, May 19 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Saturday, May 20 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Sunday, May 21 | No training scheduled | n/a |
| Monday, May 22 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Collège La Cité |
| Tuesday, May 23 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. | Arena at TD Place |
| Game Day - Wednesday, May 24 | Shootaround - 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Arena at TD Place |
The BlackJacks 20-game regular season will tip off with a game at home versus Brampton on May 24, 2023, at 7:30pm. Season seat memberships, Flex Packs, group tickets and single game tickets are available at theblackjacks.ca/tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected].
Quotes:
“The coaching staff and I have put together a talented roster, but more importantly, a group of athletes who are hungry and humble. We have signed versatile players who perform well at various positions.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager and Vice-President, Basketball Operations
Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club
About the Ottawa BlackJacks
The first expansion franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Ottawa BlackJacks showcase the best of basketball and entertainment in the nation’s capital. Having recently completed its third season, the BlackJacks have reached the championship semifinal three times. The Ottawa front office brings NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. Led by General Manager and Vice-President, Basketball Operations Jevohn Shepherd, Ottawa plays its home games out of the world-class Arena at TD Place in Lansdowne Park. For more information visit www.theblackjacks.ca.
About Canadian Elite Basketball League
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. TSN, Canada's sports leader, is the official broadcast partner of the league. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.