Year-round development options, CEBL pipeline could help keep Canadian hoops talent at home
Domestic pro league's U Sports partnerships help Canadian cities become talent hubs
When Queen's guard Cole Syllas hit the game-winning three-pointer last weekend, the 2,400-plus crowd inside the school's athletic centre stormed the court. For Golden Gaels fans, it was a buzzer-beater reminiscent of Kawhi Leonard's famous shot for the Raptors in the 2019 playoffs.
That Syllas so cooly drained his shot might have much to do with the experience he has gained playing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), a summer pro circuit that began play in 2019. He is one of a number of U Sports stars who have been given a chance to play professionally while maintaining their university eligibility.
The CEBL has 10 teams across the country, and its U Sports partnership has effectively turned Canadian cities, and that city's respective province, into basketball hubs that retains Canadian talent.
According to Martin Timmerman who runs the go-to database for U Sports basketball, usportshoops.ca, eight U Sports players with CEBL experience will be competing in the men's basketball Final 8 this weekend. Most notably, first-ranked Victoria Vikes' star Diego Maffia played 14 games for the Vancouver Bandits last season.
CEBL's U Sports player of the year, Winnipeg Sea Bears' Simon Hildebrandt, will be missing from nationals as the Manitoba Bisons failed to qualify for the tournament.
WATCH | Queen's clinches OUA Wilson Cup at the buzzer:
St. Francis Xavier's star player Deon Ejim, who played for the Calgary Surge last summer, was sidelined from playing in the AUS championships, but learned to develop a pro's approach to the game.
"You go [back] into U Sports and you work on [your weaknesses]," Ejim said about what he learned this past season. "You have a whole summer, where you're living [and breathing] basketball, and other people are playing video games all summer."
Brock forward Jordan Tchuente said the advantages he gets playing in the CEBL with the Niagara River Lions comes with one downside in U Sports. The exposure he gets in the CEBL means opponents are more familiar with his game.
"[Teams] know my strengths and weaknesses, so they game plan around that," said Tuchuente, whose team was defeated by Syllas' dramatic game-winner but is looking for redemption at nationals. "That's what makes it hard. I have to go in the gym and visualize how I'm going to pass out of the double, how am I going to attack, how am I going to get to my spots."
Watch live and on demand coverage of the U Sports Championship weekends available on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and CBC Sports' YouTube page. The finals will be exclusively held on CBCSports.ca and Gem.
U Sports basketball consistently draws comparisons to the NCAA. While a high-school prospect with offers to U.S. Division 1 schools might not stay in Canada, the year-round development that universities offer in conjunction with the CEBL is Canada's competitive advantage over lower tier NCAA programs.
Canada cannot compete when it comes to American college basketball culture, scale of facilities, and its revenue-generating power. TMU guard Jahcobi Neath, who played at top-tier schools, Wake Forest and Wisconsin, says college sports fandom in the U.S. is "generational."
"A lot more people bleed their school colours. There's not that sense of love and pride over here," he said.
Ejim and Neath both pointed to former Windsor Lancer Thomas Kennedy's success. Kennedy joined the CEBL as a U Sports player, played for the national team, and is currently playing in Germany's BBL.
"He's a testament to what being a Canadian university player can bring," Neath said.
Former Carleton Raven Aidan Warnholtz plays in a lower-tier German league, and TMU standout Aaron Rhooms and Alberta Golden Bear Adam Paige played in the CEBL and represented Canada at Globl Jam.
"There's former NBA players in the CEBL, overseas guys, EuroLeague guys, so that definitely puts your dreams of being a pro right in front of you, [giving you] all that much more incentive to stay in Canada," Neath said.
The CEBL has also been developing U Sports coaches — which helps create a pipeline for the players they coached in school. Ottawa Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin was recently promoted to GM of the Ottawa Blackjacks, and Dragan Stajic has played for both teams. Winnipeg Wesmen head coach Mike Raimbault was an assistant on the Winnipeg Sea Bears this past season.
Scholarships not the only carrot
With the exception of the OUA, Canadian universities offer scholarships covering the full cost of tuition and fees. OUA will not be increasing its threshold beyond $5,000. For Ejim, who wanted to avoid taking out a student loan, his full cost of tuition and fees at St. FX are covered, but his housing and car is not.
As U Sports' top-tier talent raises the bar, the incentive to stay in Canada increases for potential recruits wooed by America. A power vacuum has been created as Carleton missed its national appearance for the first time in 22 years, and traditionally weak programs like Queen's and UQAM attempt to fill that void.
As the Canadian March Madness airs on CBC this weekend, what happens will be a proof of concept for U Sports coaches to convince more Canadians to stay and play at home instead of just marching down south.
