Know Your Team: Joel Friesen

KW Titans

6’5

Guard

From Abbotsford, BC

3xNBLC Champion

NBL Canada success seems to come naturally to three-season veteran Joel Friesen, but that is no coincidence, as a look at his numbers throughout his playing career and his playing style will prove.

After earning two All-Canada West conference selections with the Fraser Valley Cascades, Friesen followed his coach Branaby Craddock to the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton. Here he earned another all-star selection and was the scoring leader of the CIS West conference in the 2014-15 season.

Friesen signed first professional contract in 2015 with the Halifax Hurricanes. Starting in 44 games, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, going on to help the Hurricanes to their first NBLC championship win.

He joined the London Lightning the following season, where he averaged a career-best 10.8 points per game and 41% three-point shooting. Winning his second NBLC championship in his first year with the Lightning, he stayed on with the team and helped retain the title in the following season.

Having played his part in three successive NBL Canada title campaigns, his new team the KW Titans will be hoping this trend will continue.

Outside of league basketball, Frisen has also represented Edmonton in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour and helped lift Team Canada to victory in the 2017 William Jones Cup, their first in 21 years. He helped the Canadian team to repeat this success the following year.

His efforts here started to gain the attention of the Canadian national team - making the shortlist for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup team, he finally earned selection for a 2019 World Cup qualifying game against Chile.

Picture:Dynamic Media/The Record