NIAGARA, ONT: The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) revealed Thursday the results of the 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Draft. The seven CEBL franchises drafted 21 student-athletes over three rounds of selections from 10 different universities nationally. This is a coveted opportunity for top players in U SPORTS to get their first taste of professional basketball.

The league champion Saskatchewan Rattlers closed out the first round of the 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Draft by selecting Chan De Ciman , who was also chosen by the Rattlers in the first round of the 2019 CEBL-U SPORTS Draft before returning to the University of Saskatchewan this past season.

With the sixth pick of the first round the Hamilton Honey Badgers selected Kadre Gray , a 6’1’’ guard from Laurentian University . Widely considered as one of the brightest future stars to come out of a Canadian university, the fourth-year guard led Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in scoring for the fourth year in a row. He was also the U SPORTS’ leading scorer in 2019-20, the third time in four years he led the nation in scoring. The winner of the U SPORTS Player of the Year award in 2018 and 2019 and the 2018 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award as U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Year across all sports, Gray is only the fourth player in OUA history to record more than 2000 points in his university career.

CEBL clubs have a choice of enrolling one U SPORTS player on their 10-men active roster in one of two categories – a U SPORTS Developmental player returning with eligibility or a U SPORTS current year graduate not returning to his university program. Six current year graduates were chosen in the draft, and the remaining 15 draftees were classified as a developmental player returning with eligibility.

Each team had one pick in each of the three rounds with the newest CEBL franchise, the Ottawa BlackJacks , selecting first overall in the first round. All other teams picked in reverse order of how they finished in the 2019 CEBL season ( Fraser Valley Bandits Hamilton Honey Badgers , and Saskatchewan Rattlers ). The following rounds saw the order determined in snake format with the BlackJacks picking last in Round 2 and the 2019 CEBL champion Saskatchewan Rattlers picking first, while the order in the third round remaining the same as round one.





Beginning this season, CBC Sports will live stream all 70 regular season CEBL games and its five playoff contests, plus eight over-the-air television broadcasts including the CEBL Championship game live from Edmonton on August 16, 2020. The CEBL and CBC signed a three-year partnership last November.





Quotes:

“The 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Draft results are further proof of the exceptional pool of young basketball talent across our country. U SPORTS programs continue to develop some of our country’s best players, and we can’t wait for these rising stars to earn a spot on our team rosters and play alongside top professional talent from across the world. Opportunities like this are key foundational blocks to building a nation of future pro basketball stars representing Canada domestically and on the world stage.”

[Mike Morreale, Commissioner & CEO, CEBL]





“We are excited to provide the next wave of U SPORTS men’s basketball standouts the chance to further their development in the CEBL for a second consecutive season. This unique opportunity allows our current and graduating student-athletes to pursue the next stage of their careers while staying and playing at home. We look forward to watching their success across the country from the Fraser Valley to our nation’s capital.”

[Lisette Johnson-Stapley, Chief Sport Officer at U SPORTS]





Media Contacts:





CEBL

Ansh Sanyal,

Director, Brand & Marketing,

CEBL





U SPORTS

John Bower,

Director, Marketing and Communications

U SPORTS





About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is a new basketball experience that features world-class professional basketball in a fan-friendly entertainment environment across seven cities in Canada. The 2019 inaugural season saw more than 100 Canadian and international players take to the court, culminating with the Saskatchewan Rattlers earning the first CEBL championship trophy. CEBL players come from NBA G-League clubs, top NCAA programs, the Canadian national program, U SPORTS, and other Division 1 FIBA leagues. As the First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL is set to start its second season in May 2020. All games are live-streamed on the CBC Gem app, CEBL.TV and the Island Sports Network. Head to cebl.ca or follow us on Twitter Instagram , and Facebook to learn more.





About U SPORTS

U SPORTS is the national brand for university sports in Canada. Every year, over 20,000 student-athletes and 900 coaches from 56 universities vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U SPORTS also provides higher performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous World University Championships. For further information, visit USPORTS.ca or follow us on:





























With seven teams across four provinces, the CEBL is the “Official First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, adhering to official FIBA rules and regulations. The 2020 regular season is schedule to off May 7 when the expansion Ottawa BlackJacks face off against the Fraser Valley Bandits. The CEBL is one of the only professional men’s basketball leagues in the world that runs during spring and summer.