The Canadian Elite Basketball League is still planning on a June 24 start to a shortened 2021 season over a condensed time frame.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers continue to sign players in advance of that opening date, inking Springfield, Georgia product JaKeenan Gant. He is a 6’8″ forward who played collegiately at the U of Missouri as well as the U of Louisiana at Lafayette. From there, Gant played the last two seasons professionally in the N-B-A G League and in South Korea. This will be his first season in the C-E-B-L with the Rattlers to open their 2021 campaign June 26 at Fraser Valley and host Hamilton at SaskTel Centre on June 28. Following is the news release from the Rattlers….
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Saskatchewan Rattlers are excited to announce the signing of import forward JaKeenan Gant, ahead of the 2021 CEBL season. This will be Gant’s first season in the CEBL after spending the last two years playing professionally in the NBA G League and the Korean Basketball League.
Gant, a Springfield, GA-native has spent the last two seasons splitting his time between the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – the NBA G League Affiliate of the Indiana Pacers – and Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League. Over the course of his professional career, Gant has averaged 5.4 points, 0.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 60 games. The 6-foot-8 forward enjoyed a breakout performance on January 16, 2020 when he led the Mad Ants with 27 points in 28 minutes against the Capital City Go-Go. An explosive and dynamic player, Gant excels on both sides of the court – sporting a 49.8 shooting percent whilst also consistently being a leader in blocks and rebounds.
Prior to turning professional, Gant split his collegiate eligibility between the University of Missouri and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 114 collegiate games. In his first two years of college, Gant averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 53 games with the University of Missouri Tigers. Gant enjoyed a breakout season after transferring to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2017. In two years with the Ragin’ Cajuns, Gant averaged 17.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 61 games. The forward racked up a number of accolades and accomplishments during his collegiate career including being named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019 as well as the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2018. In addition, Gant was named to the First-team All-Sun Belt in 2019 and the third-team All-Sun Belt in 2018. Prior to entering college, Gant was named Mr. Georgia Basketball in 2014.
“We are thrilled to welcome JaKeenan to the roster ahead of the 2021 season,” said Rattlers GM Barry Rawlyk. “He is a big addition to the core that has already been assembled. JaKeenan is a true two-way threat in the way that he plays. He is an adept rim-protector and also excels with the ball in his hands. We are excited to see JaKeenan continue to hone his skills on the court with the Rattlers.”
“I’m excited about this opportunity and want to thank everyone who believed in me to be a part of this organization,” said new Rattlers forward JaKeenan Gant.
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.
