A league for elite players

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This article was published 26/03/2019 (2518 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been nearly two decades since Winnipeg was home to a professional basketball team.

Unfortunately for local hoops fans, the drought will continue as the city will be on the outside looking in when the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) begins its inaugural season in May. However, if it’s up to the league’s chief executive officer, Winnipeg won’t be without a team for long.

“I can tell you that Winnipeg is on our target list 100 per cent,” Mike Morreale told the Free Press in a phone interview.

“The location alone, it’s in the centre of the country, makes complete sense. The basketball community makes a lot of sense. There are venues in place that would be able to hold us and do quite well and there are ownership groups there that are well versed in sports and other things. I do believe there is a really good opportunity to be in Winnipeg,” said Morreale.

“Now that has to be supported by a local ownership group. As a league, we’re not going to expand there corporately, but we will look at outside investor operators, which there are a handful of people that have approached us and we’ve approached. The idea is hopefully within the next year or so, there is some pro basketball in Winnipeg.”

The city may have to wait to get in on the action, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some Winnipeggers involved from Day 1. The CEBL’s six teams had an entry draft last weekend in Hamilton, and five players with ties to Winnipeg were selected.

Jelane Pryce, a former University of Winnipeg Wesmen forward, Justus Alleyn, a former St. Paul’s High School and University of Manitoba Bisons guard, and 6-foot-11 centre Chad Posthumus, a Winnipeg native who played NCAA Division 1 basketball at Morehead State from 2012-14, were all chosen by the Saskatchewan Rattlers.

Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, who hails from Winnipeg but played five seasons for the University of Calgary Dinos from 2009-15, was drafted by the Edmonton Stingers. So was Narcisse Ambanza, a third-year Wesmen guard from Toronto who led the U of W in scoring this season.

The first four rounds of the draft had a regional focus as teams had to select players from their own territory. There were seven open rounds where teams were able to select players from any region in the world. And lastly, there were two rounds dedicated to current U SPORTS talent.

These players are able to join their CEBL teams for the season — which is 20 games between May and August — and return to their university programs in the fall without losing any eligibility.

Morreale said the league reached an agreement with U SPORTS in a way to help develop their talent and prepare their stars for the professional level. The CEBL is also the first professional league to be an official partner with Canada Basketball.

“The eligibility rules have been changed for (Ambanza) and other developmental players, that allow him to participate under a developmental player contract in the CEBL without losing any eligibility,” said Morreale, a 12-year CFL veteran who caught passes for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts from 1995 to 2006.

“It’s a major advantage to these guys. Not only get some playing time, it will be limited in most cases, but the ability to be around and practise with professionals and travel with professionals and get into games and sit on the bench and be part of that whole experience is something that just doesn’t exist in any other landscape.”

Ambanza, 22, wants to finish his five years with the Wesmen before going on to a full-time professional basketball career. He said this league is the perfect opportunity to show him what it will take to get him there.

“I think this is the best opportunity for me in terms of playing basketball over the summer,” Ambanza said. “I won’t find any better competition than playing against professional athletes. Just for me and my development going into next season, this is the best I can get.

“I’m playing against professionals, I’ll be learning from them and learning how to conduct myself as a professional. I’ll be able to bring that back to the University of Winnipeg and help my teammates get there as well.”

As for Ogungbemi-Jackson, he’s no stranger to the pro game. The 27-year-old has played the past four seasons overseas in Europe, and is currently playing in France for Aix-Maurienne Savoie Basket of the French Pro B League.

Ogungbemi-Jackson said most professional leagues start in the fall and run till May or June. He believes with this new league taking place in the summer, it will give Canadian players an opportunity to develop their games and make money at a time of year when guys are usually lacking options.

“I think it’s a good opportunity because it’s in the summer time, it’s in a different part of the year,” Ogungbemi-Jackson said in a phone interview from France. “It gives a chance for my parents, family and friends to watch. But at the same time, play against really good competition. There’s been a lot of guys that have been drafted who have played at high levels and have played overseas, too. I think it’s a good idea what they’re doing to try to grow the game in Canada.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31