Shooting Stars Sign U SPORTS Player of the Year Thomas Kennedy

The Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Monday that they have signed Thomas Kennedy. The 2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year averaged a double-double in points (20.3) and rebounds (13.8) while adding 2.6 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 32.3 minutes per game for the Windsor Lancers this season. 

"We are very excited to have Thomas signed for this season. Thomas was the U SPORTS Player of the Year this season and the confidence he built last summer was evident in his play,” said general manager Brady Heslip. “Thomas has proven himself as a U SPORTS player in this league over the past few seasons, but we are now looking to him to take a big step forward as a pro. Thomas has a basketball IQ that sets him apart and he knows how to utilize his size and skill to have a big impact on games. We expect him to be a major contributor and have a big effect in his first season in Scarborough."

This will be the Windsor native’s fourth season in the CEBL. Kennedy was drafted as a U SPORTS player in 2019, 2021 and 2022. He most recently played for the Bandits, where he averaged 14.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2 assists in 27.5 minutes per game and was honoured as the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year. 

Kennedy recorded 18 double-double games in his final season for the Lancers this year. He was named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian, OUA Men’s Basketball MVP, OUA First Team All-Star, Windsor Lancers Most Valuable Player, Windsor Lancers Male Athlete of the Year and became the Windsor Lancers all-time leading scorer with 1594 points. 

Following an impressive inaugural season, the Shooting Stars open their 2023 season on May 26 at the CAA Centre, in a rematch of last year’s CEBL championship game versus the Brampton Honey Badgers. Scarborough welcomes the Winnipeg Sea Bears to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre for their first home game on June 2. Tickets are on sale now. For more information on the team and schedule visit scarboroughshootingstars.ca 

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sport executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentages of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. 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 moves 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.