Time is quickly marching towards preparations becoming very real for the seven-team Canadian Elite Basketball League, including the Saskatchewan Rattlers.

       With C-E-B-L commissioner Mike Morreale saying earlier this week that the third year pro loop will start its 2021 season, as they currently have it, on June 24, but without fans in attendance, that means training camps are only about four weeks away. For instance, the Rattlers will start camp June 17 at SaskTel Centre and will have players from outside Canada arriving in Saskatoon by June 1 so they can do their two-week quarantine period in order to be ready for training camp. Saskatchewan plays June 26 at Fraser Valley and June 28 at home to Hamilton. By then, Step Two of the province’s Re-Opening Road Map should be in effect, meaning up to 150 fans could be allowed into SaskTel Centre. But, Rattlers’ vice-president Brad Kraft told me they have many more fans than that and don’t want to pick and choose.

More capacity would likely be involved in Step Three, possibly in effect by mid-July. That would be great for SaskTel Centre, in general.  SaskTel Centre Executive Director Scott Ford says he’s confident of higher capacity of fans in the building for sports events in the fall. Among those are the W-H-L’s Saskatoon Blades, the N-L-L’s Saskatchewan Rush, the P-B-R Saskatoon Classic and Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Saskatchewan Rattlers are excited to announce the signing of Canadian forward D’Andre Bernard ahead of the 2021 CEBL season. The forward joins the Rattlers after a successful collegiate career that culminated at the University of Louisiana Monroe in 2020.

Bernard joins the Rattlers after a successful collegiate career playing for a number of programs. Bernard began his collegiate career at the University of North Florida in 2015-16. He then transferred to Georgia Highlands where he played two seasons. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 25 games for Georgia Highlands, including a career-high 27 points at Gadsden State. As a junior with East Tennessee State, he helped the Buccaneers to a 20-10 record, including a postseason tournament trip. The 6-foot-8 forward can stretch the defence at the three-point line. He has shot 31 percent from the three-point range and 46 percent from the floor. Bernard made a trip to the Region 17 NJCAA national championship in Hutchinson with the Georgia Highlands Chargers that went 32-2 during the 2016-17 season. He averaged 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists from the bench. In his senior year at the University of Louisiana Monroe, Bernard averaged 3.1 points, 0.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24 games. Bernard was also part of the 2020 CEBL Championship Edmonton Stingers team.

“D’Andre is another exciting addition to the 2021 team”, said Rattlers general manager Barry Rawylk. “D’Andre is certainly a big body on the court, but his speed and athleticism, combined with his shooting ability make him a threat whenever the ball is in his hands. We are excited to see him compete for a spot during training camp.”

“I’m excited and grateful to be a part of a great organization that knows what it takes to win,” said Bernard. “I look forward to competing and representing Saskatchewan as best as I can!”

The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 starting June 24, 2021 following the success of this past year’s CEBL Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ont., which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in starting July 25 to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country. For more information on the Rattlers, visit therattlers.ca.