The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Monday the Edmonton Stingers 12-man training camp roster for the upcoming Basketball Champions League of Americas (BCLA). The Stingers will represent the CEBL by virtue of having won the 2021 CEBL Championship. The BCLA brings together 12 teams representing seven countries from the Americas, competing over the course of four months to win a berth in the 2023 FIBA International Cup, one of professional basketball’s most prestigious international championship events. The BCLA begins with Edmonton traveling to Nicaragua to begin pool play December 13 as part of the first window of competition.

The roster is comprised of nine Canadians and three international players. Of the nine Canadians, eight have played on a CEBL roster. Notable names include 2021 CEBL Sixth Man of the Year, Adika Peter-McNeilly, Edmonton guard Jahmal Jones, Ottawa BlackJacks guard and Canada Basketball Senior Men’s National Team member Junior Cadougan, 2019 CEBL champion Chad Posthumus, Guelph Nighthawks guard and the first Canadian McDonald’s All-American, Olu Famutimi, and Hamilton Honey Badgers guard Cody John.

The international players include NBA veteran centre Josh Boone, who played 256 games for the New Jersey Nets from 2006 to 2011 when he averaged 17.5 minutes per game and started 88 games. He averaged a career-high 7.3 rebounds in 70 games during the 2007-08 NBA season. After brief stints in the Chinese Basketball Association Boone played in the National Basketball League in Australia where he led the league in rebounding and won the 2018 championship with Melbourne United.

Albany, New York native Trahson Burrell brings four seasons of NBA G League experience in which he averaged 10.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, and 26.4 minutes in 139 contests. Both Burrell and Boone currently play in Mexico’s Liga Nacional De Baloncesto Professional (LNBP) for Libertadores and Halcones UV Xalapa respectively.

The full training camp roster can be found here.

The BCLA is the best continental league of the Americas and features 12 teams representing seven countries including Quimsa, Boca Jrs and Obras from Argentina, São Paulo, Minas, and returning champion Flamengo from Brazil, Bigua, and Nacional from Uruguay, UdeC from Chile, Cangrejeros from Puerto Rico, season two runner-up Real Estelí from Nicaragua, and the Edmonton Stingers. The BCLA’s are created through an innovative partnership between FIBA, federations, and the leagues represented by participating clubs. Each of the 12 teams will host games during the group stage. The Stingers were assigned to Group A along with Real Estelí from Nicaragua, and Cangrejeros from Puerto Rico. The full schedule can be found here. More details on Canada’s host location and venue will be announced Tuesday, November 30.

The CEBL begins its fourth season in May 2022. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

Quotes:
“With our first-ever entry into the BCLA’s I am really excited to see the makeup of this roster representing the CEBL and Canada on the global stage. We are playing against some of the top teams in the world in our group stages and its good to see players with experience, talent and pedigree to compete with the best of the best”
Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, CEBL

“I am eager to lead a roster that has many players I’ve coached and coached against in the CEBL. We have a collection of battle tested players, and knowing our imports just finished playing in South America, I believe this group will gel quickly and be ready to compete.”
Jermaine Small, Head Coach and General Manager, Edmonton Stingers

Media Contact:
Ansh Sanyal
Sr. Director, Brand & Marketing, CEBL
asanyal@cebl.ca

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