The eighth CEBL season is coming to a close, with the final matchups of the regular season being played on August 3. Now we have the championship finals to look forward to as a last hurrah before the end of summer.
A year with plenty of pomp and circumstance, positive changes to the league’s format, and significant records being set, this is another year that can be heralded as a success.
The most significant change to the league this season was the modification to the playoff format. Originally a weekend
hosted by one of the teams (in exchange for automatic qualification), it included fan events, award ceremonies, and concerts. While always a great experience for fans, it often meant that the championship team had to play out of market for their final game of the season. It also meant single elimination games throughout.
In January, the league announced instead the higher-seeded team would host the quarter- and semi-final single elimination playoff games, and the championship would turn into a best of three series with the top team hosting the first and final games.
Being able to play with home-court advantage and celebrate with your own fans has to be one of the best changes the league has made in a while, and has already been enjoyed by Vancouver, Brampton, and Winnipeg.
Another cool change was the rebrand of the former Saskatchewan Rattlers, now Saskatoon Mamba who looked great all season with a really unique set of jerseys and media that piqued attention on and off the court. So far, this has to be one of my favourite sports rebrands, and they definitely helped raise the standard around the league. The uniqueness of the colour scheme and digital imagery associated was really fun. You can see one of their fun new jerseys below, as they commemorated the end of their first season in the new threads:
From a league standpoint, there’s also been some changes in leadership and ownership that continue to try and create a unique league that develops Canadian talent and creates a fun experience for fans. Local ownership and players are able to help focus on the things that local fans would be interested in and want to participate in, helping with viewership and attendance.
Who wouldn’t have wanted to see some of the cool league records being set this year:
Scarborough’s 20-4 record was one of the biggest and most impressive accomplishments of the season. They edged out last year’s 19-5 record set by the Vancouver Bandits.
Winnipeg’s Teddy Allen also set a record with the most points scored in a season: 667.
Individual teams also set franchise records, with the Saskatoon Mamba winning the most games in franchise history, finishing with a 13-11 record.
Whether or not some records were set, there were phenomenal team and player performances all season. Winners of season awards haven’t been handed out yet, but with the regular season concluded, here are some of my own predictions:
MVP: Teddy Allen (a 54 point game, the league record in scoring, and 28-8-4 on 45% shooting is impressive along with the fact that he played in every regular season game).
Canadian Player of the Year: Sean Miller-Moore (18-6-3 on 44% shooting, played in 20 games)
Coach of the Year: Tyrell Vernon (20-4 record with Scarborough)
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Fudge (25 steals, 40 blocks, 101 defensive rebounds in 23 games)
Clutch Player of the Year: Myles Powell (nine target-time winners)
Sixth Man of the Year: Frank Mitchell (14-11-2 on 52% shooting, playing all 24 games this season)
Developmental Player of the Year: Mason Kraus (3-2-1 on 41% shooting in 24 games played)
The actual winners will be announced periodically throughout the month and as the playoffs continue, which have already proven to be exicting, particulary the upsets.
Scarborough was an undeniable favorite. A 20-4 record on the season is the best in the league’s history, and their star-studded roster with Terquavion Smith, Javan Johnson, and Myles Powell looked borderline unbeatable. The only problem? Only one of those three was even available for their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the four-seeded Niagara River Lions.
For context, this is essentially the equivalent of choosing one of Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam from the Raptors Championship team, losing the other two, and expecting the team to still win the chip.
Perhaps this is the one thing that I, along with other CEBL fans, struggle with. The turnover throughout the season can be really hard to follow. Rosters from one game to another can look very different as players join or are waived to make space for someone else. A lot of the time, these changes aren’t announced, but more so simply observed when someone isn’t on the bench anymore. Often it takes weeks for players to join the team, depending on their former commitments that usually end in late May or June, and then they are called away in early to mid August to their next contract. Usually the players who help earn the championship berth are often not around to see it through.
Last season, the Ottawa BlackJacks were the perfect example of this. They had mustered a strong roster with a fighting chance at playoff contention only to see their entire starting five absent from their playoff game. They had three different developmental players (including one that this was the first time he’d touched the court for the BlackJacks) playing a glut of minutes in an elimination game.
Now, this season, Scarborough had the same result.
Instead, both two seeds came out victorious, with the Winnipeg Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers emerging from their conferences to the finals.
Winnipeg will feel the absence of Teddy Allen due to an injury that occurred off-court. While the details of what happened are still unclear, the Sea Bears’ most recent statement makes it seem although he could be absent for the duration of the playoffs:
In his absence, two-time CEBL champion and finals MVP, three time league MVP and All-CEBL first team player, and 2021 scoring champion and steals leader, Xavier Moon will try to help carry this team to their first championship. After Moon’s initial success in the league from 2019-2021, he signed a contract with the LA Clippers where he spent three seasons between them and their G-League Affiliate. He’s been one of the most resounding success stories of the CEBL and now has returned to try and help Winnipeg finally get past their playoff slump. Trey Mcgowens and Simon Hildebrandt will help with the offensive load.
Brampton, who ended Niagara’s hopes for a three-peat, is being led by Sean East II, another former NBAer who previously held the CEBL scoring record. Alongside him, Keon Ambrose-Hylton, Tyrese Hunter, Cameron Tyson, and Trentyn Flowers help bolster their squad. They had significant turnover from their roster in comparison to last year, making it clear early on their intent to win another championship, with their last one coming in 2022.
The last time the teams met, Brampton edged out a two point victory to sweep Winnipeg on the season. Of course, both victories were marginal. On paper, it looks like Brampton might have the edge, but for Winnipeg’s fan base, it’s fair to hope they’re able to complete the upset.
All remains to be seen with the first game tipping off tomorrow, August 12 at 7:00pm ET.
The full schedule and info can be found here:
All games will be broadcast on TSN, TSN+, CBC Gem, and the CEBL+.
