The Saskatchewan Rattlers officially have nine players signed, plus the three players selected in the recent U Sports Draft, as they continue to get ready to defend their Canadian Elite Basketball League title.
The latest signing came Thursday morning in the person of Robinson Opong. He’s a five-year pro and member of the Ugandan National Team. Opong is a 6’3″ guard who is originally from Nairobi, Kenya and grew up in Quebec City. He has played professionally in Spain, Africa and the National Basketball League of Canada. Following is the news release from the Rattlers…..
Saskatchewan Rattlers Announce Signing of Robinson Opong Canadian-Ugandan guard joining the Rattlers
Saskatoon, Sask. (Apr. 9, 2020) – The Saskatchewan Rattlers, member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), are excited to announce the signing of Ugandan National Team member Robinson Opong.
Originally from Nairobi, Kenya – Opong grew up in Quebec City. Opong represented Uganda at AfroBasket 2017, leading his team in minutes, points and steals. The 6-foot-3 guard has been playing professionally for the last 5 years playing in Canada (National Basketball League of Canada), Spain (LEB Gold & LEB Silver) and Africa (African Basketball League & Basketball Africa League). Over the course of his professional career, Opong has averaged 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 20.2 minutes per game.
Opong split his collegiate career between two universities, spending his first two years at Long Island University Brooklyn (NCAA Division 1) and his final two years at Rogers State University (NCAA Division 2). Over the course of his collegiate career, Opong averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 15.3 minutes per game.
“We are eager to have Robinson join the team for the upcoming season”, said Rattlers GM Barry Rawlyk. “Robinson is someone who isn’t afraid to shoot the three-point shot and connects on a large percentage of his shots. He also gets into the dirty areas on the defensive side of the ball and can pick up a few steals per game. He’s a veteran of the game and has played at very high levels around the world. We welcome Robinson to the team and are excited to see what he can do.”
The Rattlers enter the 2020 season as the defending CEBL Champions. They will open the season away from home on May 8 when they take on the Fraser Valley Bandits. The Rattlers home opener will take place on May 14 against the Bandits, when they will celebrate the 2019 season by unveiling the first-ever CEBL Championship banner. Season tickets and flex packs are available on therattlers.ca, with group and single-game tickets expected to be released in the coming months.
