CEBL Free Agent Team

As teams begin to sort themselves out, what free agents can fans look to for help?

Well, we’re a few weeks into the CEBL season and teams are beginning to sort themselves out.

As teams find themselves near the bottom of the standings, their fans are left wondering what additions can be made to bring them out of the basement. So, to give those die-hard supporters a glimpse at what may be on the horizon, I’ve dug through my memory bank to find who I think are the best players who remain unsigned.

In order to best showcase this, I’ve gone ahead and made an entire roster of the top free agents to best demonstrate how they can help your team.

With a league expansion as soon as next season inevitable, this exercise also serves to show that there is enough talent available to fill out an entire roster and field a competitive team.

Now, with any player in the world technically able to join the CEBL ranks, I had to go ahead and add a few rules to follow when putting my fantasy team together, to make it appear somewhat realistic.

1)       All players must have previous CEBL experience – Obviously I can point to any player in the world and say, “I’ll take him!” But in order to make my team somewhat feasible, I’m going to limit myself to players with prior CEBL experience. And adding to that…

2)       I have to believe they’d join my team – What I mean by that is, I tried to keep my expectations realistic on who I could sign. There are players who’ve been in the league and have gone on to join some of the biggest teams in FIBA, which is great for both the players and the CEBL, but also means it’s unlikely that they would come back North of the border. There are also players who signed with their hometown teams, and I believe would be unlikely to play anywhere else, so I left them off the list as well.

3)       The team must follow the CEBL roster rules – Mainly, I only allowed myself a limit of 3 American imports and1 International import, with the rest of the team being comprised of Canadians.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at who I ended up with.

Starting Lineup:

PG – Blake Francis, USA:  Francis has spent parts of two seasons in the CEBL, being a late season addition for the Newfound Growlers (RIP) in 2022 and starting the year with the Montreal Alliance in 2023 before getting injured. He was averaging over 20 points per game for Montreal before being hurt, and in the 14 total games prior to going down, averaged 18.4 points, 3.7 assists & 1.2 steals per game on .427/.388/.894 shooting slashes.

Francis has spent time in the G-League and has Summer League experience under his belt, and just finished his first full international season in Germany’s second division (a common landing spot for CEBL players), where he averaged 15.7 points in 36 games, including 18.5 points a game in his 26 starts.

His size (6’0, 175) can cause limitations on defense and scoring inside, but he’s such a high-efficiency, high-usage shooter from the outside that I’m willing to overlook his (literal) shortcomings.

SG – Devonte Bandoo, CAN: Bandoo is another player with a couple of years in the CEBL, playing for the Saskatchewan Rattlers in both 2021 & 2022. He made a name for himself as one of the top shooters in the league, averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds & 2.5 assists over 35 games, shooting .436/.437/.821 percentages.

After spending the 2021-22 season in the G-League, he began the 2022-23 season in the British Basketball League… Before immediately blowing out his knee in his first game. He spent the least year in recovery but surprisingly went unsigned for the summer. By all indications the knee is healed and ready to go, so Bandoo should be at the top of every General Manager’s list if they’re looking for a scoring punch.

SF – E.J Anosike, USA: Anosike was one of the top players in the league last season, being named to the All-CEBL Second Team after averaging 18.3 points & 6.7 rebounds over 20 games.

He started the year in the top division in France before finishing in the BNXT, a league that plays in both Belgium and the Netherlands and saw a large number of high-profile players join their ranks in the league’s third season. There, he averaged 16.7 points & 5.8 rebounds over 25 games, making more than half of his field goal attempts.

The league runs later than most in FIBA, which may be why we haven’t seen him return to the CEBL yet. If he does eventually become available, you better believe they’ll be teams interested.

PF – Giorgi Bezhanishvili, INTL: If you have an open International import spot open, you can do much worse than Bezhanishvili. The Georgia native made his CEBL debut as a mid-season addition for the Guelph Nighthawks (RIP) in 2022 and spent last season with the Vancouver Bandits. In 28 CEBL games, he’s averaged 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds & 2.6 assists.

Since graduating from the University of Illinois, Benhashvili has spent his career split between the CEBL and the G-League. As part of the NBA development system, he has averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists across 121 games, staying fairly consistent from year to year.

Bezhanishvili has tried to add a 3-point shot to his repertoire in recent years to mixed success. While his ability to space the floor works to his benefit, he’s better off taking his shots from 15-feet and in. If you have a team that has plenty of shooting around him, Giorgi can be an impact scorer inside.

C – Thomas Kennedy, CAN: One of the true success stories of the CEBL and particularly their U SPORTS partnership, Kennedy has spent four years in the league. He really made a name for himself over the past to seasons in Vancouver and Scarborough, respectively, as he averaged 12.6 points & 8.4 rebounds per game over 24 contests, shooting over %61 from the floor.

In his first full season as a pro after graduating from the University of Windsor, Kennedy played in the top league in Germany, averaging 11.1 points & 5.5 rebounds in 43 games across all competitions, incredibly hitting nearly %70 of his shots. He’s also appeared in 10 games for the Canadian national team across 3 tournaments throughout his career.

Kennedy may very well have played himself above the CEBL, but given his deep roots in the league, it’s possible to imagine him playing the summer back home again.

The Bench

PG – Daniel Walden-Mullings, CAN: Another long serving member of the CEBL family, Walden-Mullings also has spent the past four summers plying his trade at home. He took on a smaller role to play for his hometown Scarborough Shooting Stars last year – a move that paid dividends in the form of a championship – but played a key role for the Niagara River Lions in the three seasons prior. In 41 games for the River Lions, he averaged 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists & 1.7 steals.

He hasn’t played since raising the championship trophy, but the 32-year-old has a history of playing in the top divisions in Germany, Finland, Austria and Belgium. He was also named the 2014 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year during his time at New Mexico State University, an award that would later be won by fellows Aggies, Toronto Raptors alum Pascal Siakam, and reigning CEBL MVP Teddy Allen.

Known mostly for his defense and leadership, “Mully” fits in perfectly in the back-up role both for my team and any other CEBL squad looking for a steadying presence.

SG – Isiah Osbourne, CAN: What can I say? I like 3-point shooting, and 1-2 punch of Bandoo and Osborne gives me just that. The former Montreal Alliance and Edmonton Stinger sharpshooter actually got his CEBL start with the Ottawa BlackJacks during the Summer Series but is much better remember by his two most recent seasons. In the 38 games during that stretch, Osborne averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds & 1.2 steals, while shooting .432/.372/.738 slashes including more than half his attempts coming from deep.

Playing this past year in Latvia, Osborne averaged 15.1 points over 25 games, virtually replicating his CEBL numbers across the board.

Osborne was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year in 2022, proving his value coming off the bench for teams. I’m looking for him to provide instant offense for my second unit, as would any other team in the league.

SF – Shaquille Keith, CAN: The record owner for most CEBL teams played for, why not add another to the list? Keith has suited up for 5 teams – and has signed with 6 – in the CEBL, which is a testament to how desirable his skillset can be. In 56 games, he has averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists & 1.0 steals per game.

Keith spent this past year in Lithuania’s top division; it was actually him the Honey Badgers were scouting when they discovered his teammate L.J Thorpe. Playing in 21 games, Keith averaged 10.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists & 1.3 steals a contest.

At 6’5 and 225 pounds, he has the size and handle to play in both the back court and the front court. That versatility has played a large part in him having as long of a career as he’s had, and something any team could use off the bench.

PF – Alonzo Walker, CAN: Size and defense off the bench never hurts, and that’s exactly what walker brings. Twice suiting up for the Niagara River Lions in 2022 and 2023, he has appeared in 26 games, averaging 5.3 points & 3.4 rebounds and making %53 of his shots.

Outside of the CEBL, Walker has established a second home in Slovakia, where he’s spent the past 3 seasons. Most recently, he averaged 12.0 points & 6.3 rebounds a game.

Beyond the stats, Walker plays with size (6’6, 220) and pressure on both sides of the ball, making the opposition work up and down the court.

C – E.J Onu, USA: Remember what I said about size and defense off the bench? Onu brings that in loads. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year is another former River Lion, playing 29 games for the franchise and averaging 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds & 2.6 blocks per game, shooting .512/.282/.755 slashes.

In his first season overseas, Onu spent the year in Germany’s top division, where he put up 8.1 points, 3.9 rebounds & 1.3 blocks, making nearly %62 of his shots from the floor.

On top of being perhaps the best interior defender the CEBL has seen as well as a competent scorer even into 3-point range, Onu has also shown the maturity to split his minutes for the betterment of the team. Having that level of player who is willing to come off the bench and can easily slide into the starting lineup if needed is something every coach dreams of.

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So, that’s my team, and I’m pretty happy with it. There’s a good mix of offense and defense, and all 10 players are proven contributors. Regardless of which conference it’s in, I’d go as far to say they’d be a playoff lock.

More importantly, this shows that there’s still plenty of talent to go around. So if your team is still looking for help, or if you were worried how further expansion would look, you can rest at ease. The league has proven to be a draw for high-end talent, and you can expect to see even more as the CEBL continues to grow.