The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) are gearing up for a return home this season as they enter their 2021 training camp.
Playing their inaugural season in 2020, the BlackJacks are the most recent addition to the seven-team CEBL. Following their semifinal exit from last year’s summer series “bubble” in St. Catherines, Ont., the Ottawa-based organization has made sizable changes.
“We were able to retain some pieces that we felt really good about and build this team with a group that’s high on character,” BlackJacks general manager Jevohn Shepherd said at the team’s media day on Tuesday.
Shepherd said while the BlackJacks may not have an all-star who can deliver 30-point games, the team can depend on depth to secure victories.
“We wanted to have a number of guys that are versatile and interchangeable defensively and offensively,” Shepherd said.
Among their new signings, the BlackJacks added Alain Louis, a Carleton University guard and U Sports developmental player for the 2021 season.
Louis was a member of two national championship teams with the Ravens, most recently averaging 11 points and 18 minutes per game during the 2019-20 season.
Louis said his primary focus while transitioning to professional basketball is simple: to compete.
“I’m going to try and prove that I can compete with pros,” Louis said. “I’m a competitive guy and what I know is I can bring my competitiveness and compete every time I’m on the court.”
“We’re leaning on experience,” new head coach Charles Dubé-Brais said.
Despite originally planning to play a 20-game season, the CEBL revised its schedule in April to 14 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In a short-term type league [schedule], we need to be good from the get-go,” Dubé-Brais said. “You get a better chance of doing that when you have players who have been around and it’s not their first rodeo.”
BlackJacks veterans include forwards Kris Joseph, Ryan Wright, Eric Kibi and Dominique Archie. Junior Cadougan and Earl Calloway also bring veteran leadership to the guard position.
“Having that veteran leadership is always very, very important,” Joseph said. “A good group of veteran guys who may have been through the wringer a bit—they know what it takes to win.”
Cadougan, who most recently played with the CEBL’s Fraser Valley Bandits, said the BlackJacks’ experienced core has the potential to generate success.
“You don’t have to teach the little things. Everyone should know what their responsibility is and how you approach the game and how to handle things,” Cadougan said.
Following an eight-day training camp, the team will play their first game of the season at TD Place in Ottawa against the Niagara River Lions on June 24. Anticipating the season’s start, Shepherd is putting last year’s “bubble” in the rear-view mirror.
“This season is a full season. There’s travel and a lot more that goes into this,” Shepherd said.
Among other changes from last season, Shepherd also said Dubé-Brais, who has experience with the San Antonio Spurs and Raptors 905, will bring a new atmosphere to the team.
“I think the evolution is ridiculous. You’re getting a lot more Ottawa guys going to play Division I [in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)] and having a high impact at U Sports schools,” said BlackJacks forward Eric Kibi.
Kibi said he expects to see more homegrown players cracking the NBA and European leagues as Canadian basketball continues to grow.
For Laurier graduate Ali Sow, making a professional training camp roster with the BlackJacks is already a dream come true.
“If you’d have told me four years ago, there’s no way I’d believe you,” he said, describing the rapid growth of the CEBL and the opportunity to play pro basketball in his hometown.
Shepherd said basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and the CEBL’s expansion is a significant event in Canadian basketball history.
Reflecting on the BlackJacks and Canadian basketball as a whole, Shepherd voiced excitement about the growing basketball culture.
“It’s picking up steam and we need to do a better job supporting our Canadian leagues and our Canadian national team,” Shepherd said.
Featured photo by Spencer Colby.
