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Canadian Elite Basketball League Set to Start June 24th With Provincial Blessings

By Les Lazaruk Jun 10, 2021 | 12:27 PM

       Armed with approvals of their comprehensive return to play plan, the Canadian Elite Basketball League confirmed one last time that they will start their 2021 season in two weeks time on June 24th.

The third year professional league received the thumbs up from governments and public health authorities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, B-C and Ontario…the provinces where their seven teams reside. Each of the seven teams, including the Saskatchewan Rattlers, will play 14 regular-season games followed by playoffs. The 2021 campaign was to have started in early May with all teams playing 20 games, but that was reduced to 14 on April 21st. Last month, C-E-B-L commissioner Mike Morreale said that games would be played in home arenas, but without fans…until such time that provincial guidelines for indoor gatherings allowed for fans to attend. Rattlers’ vice-president Brad Kraft had said Saskatchewan home games at SaskTel Centre wouldn’t have fans until at least crowds of 700 people were allowed. The Snakes’ first home game is June 28 against Hamilton…two days after Saskatchewan travels to Fraser Valley for their season-opener. The Rattlers are slated to open training camp June 17 at SaskTel Centre. Following is the news release from the C-E-B-L…..

 

June 10, 2021
For immediate release
Canadian Elite Basketball League Announces Season Tip-Off for June 24, 2021

 

TORONTO, June 10, 2021 – The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) confirmed today its 2021 regular season will tip off June 24 as the league had previously announced April 21. In preparing for the season, the CEBL developed a comprehensive return to play plan that prioritizes the safety of athletes, officials and staff. Approvals of the plan from public health and government stakeholders in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan have now been received, ensuring that the season will begin as scheduled.

“CEBL athletes, officials and staff are ecstatic to start our 2021 season. We are proud to demonstrate how sport can safely resume and lead the industry back to play,” says Mike Morreale, Commissioner & CEO, CEBL. “We expect to be among the first Canadian leagues to welcome fans back to our venues in the coming months. We hope to see investments from provincial and federal governments that matches the growing demand for basketball in Canada.”

The CEBL’s return to play plan builds on the success of the CEBL Summer Series, a single-site short season hosted in the summer of 2020 that saw the CEBL be the first professional sports league to safely resume play in Canada following the outbreak of the pandemic.

Designed in collaboration with provincial public health officials and government stakeholders, the CEBL’s 2021 season will follow strict guidelines to mitigate risk. With a majority of Canadians vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and phased reopening plans well underway across the country, the CEBL hopes to welcome fans back to arenas this season. Fans will also be able to watch CEBL games live on CBC Television, CBCSPORTS.ca and the CBC GEM app.

“Basketball is played by people in every corner of the world. Every Canadian shares a common language in the sport. The CEBL’s players, coaches and fans are living examples of Canadian multiculturalism, unified by their love of basketball,” says Morreale. “We’re proud to showcase Canadian talent on the global stage.”

The 2021 season begins Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET in the nation’s capital as the Ottawa BlackJacks host the Niagara River Lions at TD Place. The Hamilton Honey Badgers take on the defending CEBL champion Edmonton Stingers in Edmonton on June 26 in a game that will be nationally televised on CBC starting at 2 p.m. CT. Fraser Valley hosts Saskatchewan that evening to complete the season’s opening weekend of action.

The CEBL is proudly Canadian with seven teams across the country and with the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in Canada. It provides home-grown athletes with the opportunity to represent their communities and pursue careers as professional basketball players, building a pipeline of talent for Canada’s national basketball program.