New basketball league 'for Canadians by Canadians' partners with Canada Basketball

Canada Basketball has named the new Canada Elite Basketball League as the official first divisional professional league partner of Canada Basketball.

The partnership makes the CEBL a Division 1 League of Canada Basketball, adhering to official FIBA rules and regulations for the play and officiating of its games.

The CEBL becomes the first pro league in Canada designated with an affiliation with FIBA, the international governing body for basketball.

The league is slated to start in 2019 with teams in Hamilton, St. Catharines, Ont., Guelph, Ont., Edmonton, Saskatoon and Abbotsford, B.C.

"We are very pleased to welcome the Canadian Elite Basketball League as an official partner of Canada Basketball," Canada Basketball president/CEO Glen Grunwald said in a statement. 

"Under the leadership of Mike Morreale and Richard Petko, the CEBL has proven to be committed to operating with high professional standards that align with those of Canada Basketball and FIBA. It is a league created by Canadians for Canadians." 

Morreale and Grunwald made the announcement Thursday in Hamilton. Morreale played twelve years in the Canadian Football League including eight seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Grunwald, a former General Manager of the Toronto Raptors also served director of athletics at McMaster University in Hamilton.