COLE SYLLAS

POSITION: Guard

HEIGHT: 6-5 (196 cm)

WEIGHT: 210 lbs (92.3 kg)

BIRTHDATE: August 1, 2000 (Kingston, ON)

HIGH SCHOOL: La Salle Secondary School (Kingston, ON)

UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE: Queen's University (2024)

HOW ACQUIRED: Selected in the 2nd round (19th overall) of the 2024 CEBL Draft.

YEARS PRO: 1

BIO

PROFESSIONAL CAREER 


Entered season averaging 2.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 8.4 minutes in 10 games playing professionally in the CEBL.


2024 CEBL Season (As of July 30):  Averaging 4.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 16.4 minutes in eight games with the Brampton Honey Badgers … Returned to the Honey Badgers lineup vs. Niagara on July 17 following a nine-game absence, scoring six points … Had seven points and three rebounds vs. Winnipeg on June 5 … Set career highs with 13 points and three three-pointers made in a win over Ottawa on May 26 … Had two points in 14 minutes of action in Honey Badgers debut May 24 vs. Niagara.


2023 CEBL Season:
Averaged 2.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 8.4 minutes in 10 games with the Ottawa BlackJacks … Collected five rebounds in a win against Scarborough on May 30 … Scored 10 points in professional debut May 28 vs. Brampton. 



UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE CAREER 


Averaged 16.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 29.9 minutes in 88 games over a five-year collegiate career at Queen’s University. 

2023-24 (As of April 11):
Averaged 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 31.0 minutes in 22 games with Queen’s University … Named to All-OUA Second Team and U SPORTS All-Tournament Team after winning an OUA championship with the Gaels … Reached double figures in scoring in all but four contests, including seven double-double performances …. Recorded season-highs in rebounds (18) and assists (18) in an U SPORTS Elite-8 matchup against Winnipeg on March 8 … Registered a season-high 29 points in the OUA Finals against Brock on March 2 … Snatched three steals to go along with 16 points in a win February 2 against Wilfred Laurier.


2022-23: Averaged 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 29.9 minutes in 27 games with Queen’s University … Became first player in Gaels program history to be named to U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian … Named an OUA First Team All-Star, helping the team to their second consecutive U SPORTS Final-8 Championship appearance … Grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds November 26 vs. Waterloo … Dished out a season-best 12 assists November 18 vs. Carleton.


2021-22: Averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 32.5 minutes in 17 games with Queen’s University as a junior … Named an OUA East First Team All-Star… Reached double figures in scoring in all but four contests … Scored a career-high 39 points March 23 against Carleton … Grabbed a season-best 15 boards to go along with 21 points February 25 vs. Nipissing … Opened the season with 29 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over Ryerson on November 5.


2020-21: Did not play due to COVID-19 pandemic.


2019-20: Averaged 12.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 26.7 minutes in 22 games with Queen’s University … Named to the OUA All-Rookie Team … Finished rookie season with 21 points in 25 minutes of action against Lakehead on February 15 … Registered first collegiate double-double in the second game of the season against Laurentian with 31 points and 15 rebounds … Make collegiate debut on October 25 against Nipissing, recording six points and four rebounds.


PERSONAL


Pronounced “cill-IS” … Majored in Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University … Has a passion for reading … Luke Syllas, twin brother of Cole, also played at Queen’s University during the same five-year period … Won KASSAA championship in back-to-back years at La Salle Secondary School in Kingston, ON.


By Myles Dichter June 15, 2025
In the final minute of the first half, the Brampton Honey Badgers were inbounding the ball with three seconds remaining on the shot clock. Quinndary Weatherspoon fed Koby McEwen as he rounded the corner above the three-point arc. McEwen rose up, fading toward the sideline, and drilled a three-pointer to put his team up 46-45. It was Brampton’s first lead since the early stages of the game — and, after plenty of back and forth, it held up as the Honey Badgers beat the Edmonton Stingers 95-91 on Saturday at the CAA Centre. Brampton improved to 2-7 with the win, while Edmonton fell to 4-6. “We played well together. First five minutes we didn’t really lock in on the game plan, but we were able to regroup and turn things around and play through the runs, so good team win,” Honey Badgers head coach Sheldon Cassimy said. The Honey Badgers took an 85-83 lead into Target Score Time. Edmonton tied things on its second possession with a Keon Ambrose-Hylton floater, but Omari Kelly nailed a three to give Brampton back the lead on the following play. Scottie Lindsey then cut the Stingers’ deficit to one, but David Muenkat responded with a triple. After Muenkat knocked down a pair of free throws, Brampton was one point away from victory. But Edmonton wasn’t done yet. A Lindsey free throw and an and-one from Sean East II cut the Honey Badgers’ lead to 93-91 — and put both teams a bucket away from victory. Brampton got the first shot at victory and Quinndary Weatherspoon missed a layup, but the rebound went out of bounds off of Edmonton — and the Honey Badgers didn’t miss their second chance. Muenkat received a pass under the basket and turned around for a layup off the glass for his second game-winner of the season. “I had a little guy on me so kind of wanted to use that size advantage. It was just recognizing and try to attack the mismatch,” Muenkat, who was named player of the game, told sideline reporter Dhanung Bulsara after the contest. McEwen wound up as the team’s leading scorer with 23 points to go with six assists and three rebounds. Muenkat, the hometown kid, finished with a massive 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Kelly also had 15 points. Weatherspoon contributed 16 points and seven assists to the winning cause as well. McEwen, another GTA local who chose to play with the Honey Badgers so he could be closer to home, said the win felt good for the team. “I think for the most part we played well. We rebounded, we shot the ball and we defended when we needed to. A lot of things to clean up, but it’s always good to win,” McEwen said. Cassimy said McEwen’s strong performance started on the defensive end. “I have all the trust and faith in Koby. He’s a great player and he just focused on defence first and the offence came,” Cassimy said. The Stingers were coming off a win over the defending champion Niagara River Lions one night earlier, and the strong play continued in the first quarter with a seven-for-seven mark from deep. But, perhaps with tired legs on the second half of the back-to-back, the Stingers offence sagged from there, finishing with a 40 per cent mark from deep and 44 per cent overall. “(The Honey Badgers) punished us inside, they got shots that they wanted and we were OK with trading baskets and not really giving a full effort defensively but that’s a challenge of a back-to-back is trying to stay engaged and dialed in,” Stingers head coach Jordan Baker said. Sean East II once again led all Stingers scorers with 22 points, while Scottie Lindsey added 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Do-it-all forward Nick Hornsby stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds. But Lindsey said his squad may just not have had enough left in the tank coming off Friday’s hard-fought win. “Tough loss for the team when we were building momentum, but every loss is something you can learn from and there’s always room for improvement,” Lindsey said. Edmonton’s Mason Bourcier left the game in the second half with an upper-body injury. The Stingers beat the Honey Badgers 99-81 in their first meeting of the season in May, and it looked like things were headed in the same direction in the early going. Edmonton’s perfect three-point shooting propelled it to a 33-24 lead after the first quarter. But Brampton ramped up its defence in the second frame and took a 49-47 advantage into halftime after two late threes of their own. A tightly contested third quarter ended in a 73-71 lead for the Honey Badgers, and they were able to hang on from there. Now with wins in two of three following a slow start to the season, Brampton appears primed to go on a run. “Early on in the season, we were trying to build the chemistry,” Cassimy said. “But we had basically a whole week to practice, so we’re gelling, we’re working together better and I think it’ll continue to go in the right direction.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600610 Up Next Brampton’s home stand continues with a game against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Friday, while Edmonton heads to Red Deer, Alta., for a showdown with the Calgary Surge. Next CEBL Action A three-game Sunday slate includes Ottawa hosting Niagara, Winnipeg welcoming Saskatchewan and Calgary awaiting Scarborough. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . ### About the Brampton Honey Badgers One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca . About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its rosters being Canadian and more than 10 players with NBA game experience in 2025. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by Tonybet, TSN, TSN+, RDS , Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube . Media Contact: Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist Brampton Honey Badgers eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca
By Christian Bastasin-Diodati June 13, 2025
The Honey Badgers look to quickly rebound from their loss as they face the Edmonton Stingers at home for their second matchup of the season. It has been a season to forget so far for the Brampton Honey Badgers, going 0-6 in their worst start in franchise history before getting a much needed win against the Winnipeg Sea Bears at home. They then lost to the Niagara River Lions after a scrum broke out between the two teams, leading to multiple ejections, and a now 1-7 record. The 3-5 Stingers have not had it easy either, losing two close games to the Calgary Surge and Winnipeg Sea Bears. After getting a win versus Brampton, they lost two straight to Vancouver and a red hot Montréal In total head-to-head matchups between the Honey Badgers and Stingers, Edmonton has five wins at home to one loss and four wins away to two losses. This includes this season’s match in Edmonton which the Stingers won 99-81. It was mostly the Sean East II show as he torched the Honey Badgers for 27 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. U Sports’ Aaron Rhooms also had a spectacular showing, scoring 19 points (7-for-11), and Taye Donald was a terror on defense all game, logging a game-high four steals and chipping in with 12 points. The Honey Badgers top scorer was Quinndary Weatherspoon, who finished with 21 points (7-for-14), five assists and three steals. Amari Kelly and Prince Oduro both finished with 17 points with Kelly leading the team in rebounds with six. Despite strong play from both bigs offensively, the Honey Badgers gave up 44 points in the paint, the most they have given up all season. The Honey Badgers bench was also outmatched, giving up a whopping 48 points. Stingers head Coach Jordan Baker praised his players' effort after rebounding from their prior loss to Vancouver. “It was great to be able to bounce back after our subpar performance against Vancouver. I thought guys put in a good solid effort on the defensive side of things and shared a little bit more on offense,” Baker said. The Honey Badgers are looking to recover quickly as they return home from a tough loss to the Niagara River Lions. The team struggled out the gate finishing the first quarter down 16-31 to the defending champs. They started to rally early in the third quarter, cutting the lead down to 13, only for a massive scrum which saw both benches emptied, leading to Koby McEwen and Amari Kelly being ejected. This left Quinndary Weatherspoon the task to keep the rally going, hitting a layup in the dying minutes of the third quarter with Niagara responding with a three-pointer, finding themselves down 13 at the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately, Weatherspoon would foul out in target time with the Honey Badgers down 92-78, a hole which they could not recover from, losing with a final score of 80-94. Weatherspoon finished the game with 25 points, five assists and one steal. Prince Oduro had 15 points, eight rebounds and led the team in steals and blocks with two each. The River Lions were powered mainly by 22 points from Khalil Ahmad and 14 points from Connor Vreeken off the bench. The defending champions bombarded the Honey Badgers with threes, shooting 40 in the game and knocking down 12 of them. They also crashed the boards, recording 52 rebounds, 17 of which were offensive. This allowed for the River Lions to get 10 second chance points and 30 points in the paint. The Edmonton Stingers recently won against the Ottawa BlackJacks, 93-74. Scottie Lindsey led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Sean East II was right behind him with 20 points, four rebounds and six assists. The Stingers shot lights out from beyond the arc, hitting 50% of their three point attempts. They also looked to get to the paint often, scoring 38 points inside and 14 second chance points. Despite the commanding win, Edmonton’s bench could not keep up with Ottawa’s bench production, being outscored 23-31. They also struggled to defend the paint, giving up 38 points in the paint and 12 second chance points. Therefore, it will be key for the Honey Badgers to take advantage of this weakness, especially considering both Oduro and Kelly scored their season high in points against Edmonton. Prior to these team’s previous meetings, the Honey Badgers needed a win to get traction going on the season. Once again, they find themselves in the same situation while the Stingers are looking to keep up the momentum after a win against Ottawa. Both teams are in the woods record wise which will make this an interesting match. Will Brampton come out with a win to keep their season alive, or will Edmonton continue to climb the standings, while putting another dent in the Honey Badger’s playoff hopes ? You can watch the game on Game +, TSN+ and CEBL+. ### About the Brampton Honey Badgers One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca . About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its rosters being Canadian and more than 10 players with NBA game experience in 2025. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by Tonybet, TSN, TSN+, RDS , Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube . Media Contact: Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist Brampton Honey Badgers eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca
By CEBL Staff June 9, 2025
Connor Vreeken came off the bench to score 14 points, and collect five rebounds and five assists as the Niagara River Lions defeated the Brampton Honey Badgers, 94-80, Sunday afternoon at Meridian Centre. Vreeken finished an efficient 5-for-11 from the field and added a couple steals in a career-high 14 minutes of action. The former Carleton Ravens star credits the River Lions (5-2) organization with preparing him for the moment. “We have a really good coaching staff here. They put me in good positions in order to make plays and then my teammates put me into good spots,” he said. “So, it makes it pretty easy to make reads and then it's just about executing at the end of the day.” Khalil Ahmad led all River Lions players with 22 points in 26 minutes, but was unable to finish the game as he was ejected, along with his Niagara teammate AJ Davis. Honey Badgers Koby McEwen and Amari Kelly were also ejected in the aftermath of a heated skirmish between both sides near the end of the third quarter. Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a game-high 25 points in the loss for the Honey Badgers (1–7), who looked out of the game early after a 14–3 Niagara run in the first quarter effectively put it out of reach for Brampton. The River Lions bombarded the Honey Badgers from three in the opening frame, going 6-of-13 from distance. “We always wanna play fast,” said River Lions assistant coach Troy Stevenson. “We thought we had an advantage in transition against them this time so we were really looking to go a little bit earlier, but that that being said, we’re always looking to hunt good shots. Talk to him first and then if it happens to unveil itself like it did today, we’ll take them. We’re not afraid to take shots.” Ahmad also become the first player in CEBL history to record 100 career steals with a couple in the first quarter. Niagara carried a 53-35 lead into halftime and an 85-66 lead into Target Score Time. The Honey Badgers made a spirited run in Target Score Time, scoring 14 points while the clock was turned off, but couldn’t overcome the hole they dug themselves into. The defending champion River Lions looked every part of it Sunday, but feel like there’s lots to work on moving ahead, so a Target Score Time like the one that occurred doesn’t happen again. “I think it’s just putting 40 minutes together,” Stevenson said. “We have we have veteran guys, we have guys who know how to win, guys that are proven winners. It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together and getting comfortable with each other, communicating on the defensive side, not being stagnant on the offence, being aggressive. “So we’ve got the veterans, we’ve got the pieces and we’re gonna put it together. It’s just taking a little bit longer than we would like.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600587 Up next The River Lions will have a bit of a break and resume play Friday, June 13 at home against the Edmonton Stingers. The Honey Badgers also have a longer break before their next contest, also against Edmonton, at home on Saturday, June 14. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . ### About the Brampton Honey Badgers One of the original franchises of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the 2022 CEBL Champion Brampton Honey Badgers proudly call the CAA Centre home. The Brampton front office and basketball operations department bring NBA, NBA G League, national team, NCAA and major international pro league experience to the franchise. With a vision of promoting Brampton grassroots basketball and local businesses through community and corporate engagement, the Honey Badgers will leverage the explosion of basketball as a vehicle for innovation and change. For more information visit honeybadgers.ca . About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its rosters being Canadian and more than 10 players with NBA game experience in 2025. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by Tonybet, TSN, TSN+, RDS , Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube . Media Contact: Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist Brampton Honey Badgers eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca

PROFESSIONAL STATISTICS **BEFORE 2024 CEBL SEASON

Totals

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023 Ottawa BlackJacks 10 84 21 7-12 2-11 1-6 10 5 15 4 14 2 4 6
Totals 10 84 21 7-12 2-11 1-6 10 5 15 4 14 2 4 6

Averages

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023 Ottawa BlackJacks 10 8.4 1.0 0.583 0.182 0.167 1.0 0.5 1.5 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.4 0.6
Totals 10 8.4 1.0 0.583 0.182 0.167 1.0 0.5 1.5 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.4 0.6

COLLEGIATE STATISTICS

Totals

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023-24 Queen's University 22 683 332 92-182 33-94 41-56 30 152 182 162 38 16 34 58
2022-23 Queen's University 27 806 484 158-289 28-105 84-124 69 192 261 135 67 21 33 78
2021-22 Queen's University 17 553 319 107-203 22-97 39-55 32 114 146 45 39 18 28 52
2019-20 Queen's University 22 588 272 65-114 37-118 31-38 42 126 168 54 64 15 27 48
Totals 88 2630 1407 422-788 120-414 195-273 173 584 757 396 208 70 122 236

Averages

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023-24 Queen's University 22 31.0 15.1 0.505 0.351 0.732 1.4 6.9 8.3 7.4 1.7 0.7 1.5 2.6
2022-23 Queen's University 27 29.9 17.9 0.547 0.267 0.677 2.6 7.1 9.7 5.0 2.5 0.8 1.2 2.9
2021-22 Queen's University 17 32.5 18.8 0.527 0.227 0.709 1.9 6.7 8.6 2.6 2.3 1.1 1.6 3.1
2019-20 Queen's University 22 26.7 12.4 0.570 0.314 0.816 1.9 5.7 7.6 2.5 2.9 0.7 1.2 2.2
Totals 88 29.9 16.0 0.536 0.290 0.714 2.0 6.6 8.6 4.5 2.4 0.8 1.4 2.7