2017/18 National Basketball League of Canada Season Preview
A new noise is about to ring across the true north, as a new season of the top-tier National Basketball League of Canada gets underway.
Though it will be competing for attention in this hockey-mad nation, the presence and popularity of basketball in Canada continues to grow. The NBLC has, and will continue to, aid the sport's presence and growth in the country's sporting landscape, as well as providing more opportunities to nurture young talent.
2017/18 will be the seventh season for the NBLC, and though still in its infancy the league has been a platform for a lot of basketball talent and produced a lot of memorable moments. This was most evident last season, which saw the highest number of teams competing and all producing the highest standard of basketball seen yet in the league.
What's more, the season ended in dramatic fashion with London Lightning beating Halifax Hurricanes in six finals games to take a record third championship. An exciting and dramatic end equal to that of the sporting year raised the profile of the league and showed that the Canadian domestic system is a serious and competitive territory - and with all indication that will continue into this new season.
Ten teams across two divisions - Central and Atlantic - will once again compete in the regular season, the four highest finishers from each advancing to the playoffs. Before that though, is a sharp and rigid regular season with little room open for error.
Defending champions London Lightning will once again be headed by Royce White, Ryan Anderson and Marcus Capers - key players in their finals victory back in June – who will provide plenty of power on both ends of the court for the team. A big preseason win over NBA G League champions Raptors 905 being an early indicator of the team's strength and form, as well as going to show how serious they are in wanting to compete. Already the Lightning look to be serious contenders.
Playing alongside them in the Central Division will be a new addition to the league, the St. John’s Edge. Their inaugural roster is a mix of young and old, homegrown and overseas talent, who will all have it within them to make a big first impression for the franchise. The Kitchener-Waterloo Titans will be looking to make a bigger mark on the league in their second season, and new signing Darren Duncan - a good all-around player, NBLC champion in 2014 and with experience from five European countries – could be the one who will help them to that goal.
The Niagara River Lions will be hoping their new squad will help to relieve the problems that hampered them the past season. Most exciting of their new additions is Toronto native Dwayne Smith, who comes to the team having played in South America and receiving a call up to the Canadian national team. Finally, the Windsor Express welcome Braylon Rayson following an impressive tenure at Central Michigan University, who they will be looking to combine with their more experienced players to bring them home another championship.
In the Atlantic Division, Halifax Hurricanes, seemingly not wanting to mess with a winning formula, have retained their core players, including the team's all-time leading scorer leader Antoine Mason. Already they look to be a big threat in the upcoming season, though they may face tough competition close to home from the revamped Moncton Magic. In addition to their new identity, the team also brings in two big hitters – NBA G League scoring leader Renaldo Major, and Anthony Anderson, 2014 MVP of the league and the all-time highest scorer of the NBLC. Having secured some serious firepower, Moncton have made themselves a tantalising prospect for this season.
One of the more exciting teams of the past season, the Saint John Riptide will be looking to continue that form behind big man Anthony Stover, a central part of their backcourt and one of the biggest defensive players in the NBLC, having previously led the league in blocks and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Island Storm will be giving a lot of college graduates their first taste of professional basketball this season in the NBLC – most notably big scoring sensation Tyler Scott, and the Cape Breton Highlanders welcome one of the biggest prospects of the 2017 draft, Duke Mondy, and Luther Head – a six-year veteran of four NBA teams and who was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2005. A lot of intriguing players full of potential to do well will be seen in this division.
So many college graduates and players with experience ranging from Europe to the NBA coming to the NBLC this season only going to show how much the league's reputation has grown - at the same time resulting in a whole new standard of play. The arrival of so much new talent to the league is one of the most exciting things about the new season, and with so many seasoned and talented players scattered throughout the league, many of them with championship potential, it should result in one of the most unpredictable NBLC seasons yet - if not the most.
The first game of the new NBLC season tips off on Saturday 18th November. Regular updates on the league will be posted here, and for everything else - including all the latest news and results, head to the official website.
