The Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Championship Weekend opened Thursday night with the league’s first-ever awards handed out.
The only Saskatchewan Rattlers content Thursday at the C-E-B-L Awards Night was that centre Marlon Johnson and forward Tavrion Dawson were named to the second all-star team.
The games start Saturday at SaskTel Centre with two semi-finals, beginning with the Saskatchewan Rattlers against Edmonton at 1 p.m. In a streaky season, the Snakes won five of their last six regular-season games…including a home-and-home sweep of the Stingers two weeks ago.
The second semi tips-off at 3:30 as the first place Niagara River Lions tangle with the fourth place Hamilton Honey Badgers. Saturday’s winners meet in the final on Sunday. Following is the news release from the C-E-B-L…
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced its major award winners and inaugural all-star teams during an awards gala as part of CEBL Championship Weekend in Saskatoon on Friday night. Edmonton Stingers guard Xavier Moon took top honours as 2019 CEBL Player of the Year.
“The response I heard most from fans, media and basketball insiders throughout this maiden CEBL season was how impressed they were with the quality of basketball,” said Mike Morreale, commissioner and chief executive officer, CEBL. “After an incredible regular season, we celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our award winners and look forward to a memorable CEBL Championship Weekend.”
Xavier Moon, a six-foot-two guard from Goodwater, Alabama, led the Stingers in nearly every major statistical category this season. He played 12 games for Edmonton, averaging 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.0 steal and 32.5 minutes, while shooting .431 (25-58) from beyond the arc, and .842 (32-38) from the free-throw line. Moon ranked second in the league in scoring, third in assists, second in steals and second in three-point field goal percentage. He was the Stingers game leader in points six times, assists eight times, and steals on nine occasions. Hamilton guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. was a finalist for CEBL Player of Year, averaging 19.1 points, 3.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 20 games for the Honey Badgers.
Guillaume Payen-Boucard was named CEBL Canadian Player of the Year. The six-foot-six forward from Montreal, led the Niagara River Lions in minutes (31.0), scoring (15.9) and offensive rebounding (2.0), while making and taking the most field goals (111-223) and free throws (81-113). He was one of seven River Lions to compete in all 20 games this season. The team was +142 when Payen-Boucard was on the court, tops in the CEBL. He led Niagara in scoring six times and rebounds on 10 occasions. Edmonton Stingers forward Jordan Baker was a finalist for the top Canadian award, averaging 13.9 points and league-best 9.3 rebounds in 16 games.
Samuel Muldrow received CEBL Defensive Player of the Year honours. The six-foot-10 forward from Florence, South Carolina averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and a league-best 2.1 blocks, having played in all 20 games for the River Lions this season. He registered a CEBL-record eight blocks on July 20 against the Fraser Valley Bandits. Niagara opponents shot just .433 from the field during the 2019 campaign, the lowest mark in the league. Marlon Johnson of the Saskatchewan Rattlers was a finalist for top defensive player, after averaging 9.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 18 games, and his Rattlers had a league-best 90.8 points against this season.
Victor Raso captured the inaugural CEBL Coach of the Year Award. The River Lions bench boss led his team to a league-leading 15-5 record on the season, having never lost consecutive games. Niagara won its opening eight games at Meridian Centre and was the only team to surpass the century mark in scoring, averaging 100.2 points per contest. His River Lions led the league in nearly every statistical category, including points, assists (23.1), blocks (4.8), steals (9.7), field-goal percentage (.474) and three-point field goal percentage (.390). Seven of Raso’s players competed in every game this season, and seven River Lions averaged at least 10 points. Edmonton Stingers General Manager and Head Coach Jermaine Small was a finalist for Coach of the Year honours, leading his team to a 10-2 record, including a league-best nine-game winning streak, and second place in the CEBL standings after taking over the lead role on June 19.
