The NBL Canada Players Spending the Summer in the CEBL

On May 9th, the first games of the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) will tip off, marking the beginning of Canada's second professional basketball league - and when it does get underway, NBL Canada fans will recognise a lot of familiar faces.

Back in March, the inaugural CEBL draft took place, where the six teams were stocked with a mix of promising graduates and veteran talent. Twenty-five players who spent the 2018-19 season playing in the NBL Canada were chosen in the draft.

With the first overall pick, the Fraser Valley Bandits (who will be playing in Abbotsford, British Columbia) chose KW Titans star Joel Friesen - the first of many big names to be called on the night.

Here's a full rundown of all NBLC alumna chosen on draft night and the new teams they will be playing for:

Edmonton Stingers

Corey Allmond (Moncton Magic)

Akeem Ellis (KW Titans)

Mamadou Gueye (Sudbury Five)

Ashton Smith (Titans)

Fraser Valley Bandits

Joel Friesen (Titans)

Maurice Jones (Five)

Diego Kapelan (St. John's Edge, left mid-way through the season)

Guelph Nighthawks

Marvin Binney (Saint John Riptide)

Chris Johnson (Cape Breton Highlanders)

Chadrack Lufile (Halifax Hurricanes)

Meshack Lufile (Hurricanes)

Jamal Reynolds (Highlanders) Marvell Waithe (London Lightning)

Hamilton Honey Badgers

Junior Cadougan (Edge)

Murphy Burnatowski (also St. John's Edge)

Shaquille Keith (again, Edge)

Tramar Sutherland (Titans)

Niagara River Lions

Guillaume Boucard (Island Storm)

Joel Kindred (Hurricanes)

Tyrone Watson (Hurricanes)

Saskatchewan Rattlers

Alex Campbell (Storm)

Denzel James (Titans)

Chad Posthumus (Hurricanes)

Terry Thomas (Hurricanes)

Other notable selections made in the draft include Saskatchewan's acquisition of one of Canada's top 3x3 players, Michael Linklater; former national team members Levon Kendall and Jevhon Shepard, who will play for Fraser Valley and Guelph respectively; and Connor Wood, who averaged 9.0 points per game in the 2017-18 NBLC season, now returning to Canada after playing this season in France and Germany.

With the CEBL season being played from May to August, it's hopeful that this won't mean the end of the last we'll be seeing of these players in the NBL Canada. It's another step forward for basketball in Canada, and a great testament of the loyalty of these players to continue playing in the country.

Picture: CEBL