ANEI LOOKING TO BRING THE ENERGY IN HONEY BADGERS DEBUT

The midway point of the Brampton Honey Badgers season has consisted of many moving parts, including various roster moves to ensure the best roster possible for a playoff push that makes every game significantly important.

Even after bringing in Justyn Hamilton and Trentyn Flowers last week, the Honey Badgers were not done bringing in fresh talent. The team announced on Wednesday that they have signed forward Yor Anei for the rest of the season, a move that bolsters rim protection and adds another strong interior presence for a Brampton team that has shown some weakness in the paint.

After last Saturday’s loss against the Scarborough Shooting Stars, where Scarborough big man Frank Mitchell grabbed four offensive rebounds in Target Score Time to steal the win away, it was evident that a new piece needed to be added to prevent that from happening again. 

“I think I bring a versatile piece, like more of a connector piece,” Anei explained, when expressing what he contributes to the Honey Badgers. “I feel like I can play with any type of player, as long as we get a little bit of chemistry going.”

At a 6’10” frame, Anei, 26,  joins a forward rotation that consists of Hamilton, Matthew Moncrieffe, and Keon Ambrose-Hylton. With foul trouble and fatigue playing a big factor in limiting the effectiveness on the court this season, head coach Alex Cerda now has four different bigs that he can rely on to protect the basket.

One thing that jumps off of the stat sheet in Anei’s career is his superb ability to block shots. In his time with Oklahoma State University from 2018-2020, he tied a school-record for blocks in a game not once, but twice with eight rejections. In his freshman year with the Cowboys, he also equalized the single-season record for blocks in OSU history, tying Andre Williams with 85 swats over 32 games.

He has also averaged 1.4 blocks per game across his three-year professional career to date, spending two years in the NBA G League, and most recently getting 48 blocks in 21 games with Vellaznimi Gjakove in Kosovo this past season. With the Honey Badgers currently ranking sixth in the CEBL in blocks per game (3.5), his addition makes that number set to improve over the last nine games of the regular season.

“I think the shot-blocking ability will relieve some pressure off of some of the guards,” said Anei. “I can clean up some of the messes, and make us look a little more together.”

Growing up in Overland Park, Kansas, Anei built and modeled his game around some of his NBA role models. The names he mentioned were Toronto Raptor alum Chris Bosh and two-time all star Zach Randolph, two left-handed shooters who were interior beasts, which also resembles Anei. 

“I think, with Zach Randolph, more so being able to be patient with the jab series,” Anei remarked, when talking about what part of his role models’ games has transitioned the most to his own professional career. “And with Chris Bosh, his ability to be versatile, stretch the floor sometimes. I feel like in my third year of pro [basketball], I’ve translated to being able to do some of those things.”

Anei is also no stranger to sporadic travelling over the course of his short career so far, being a part of six different G League teams in his aforementioned two-season timespan. Now, just one day after arriving in Brampton and participating in his first practice with the Honey Badgers yesterday, it’s time to hit the road again, as he prepares to make his Honey Badgers debut on Friday in Montreal against the new-look Alliance.

In an adventurous and roller-coaster professional journey so far, the words he used to describe his career so far, Anei is ready to bring the energy onto the court for the first time in the black-and-gold. Tipoff between the Brampton Honey Badgers and Montreal Alliance is slated for 7:30 PM on Friday, July 10, at the Verdun Auditorium. Fans can catch all the action live for free on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports YouTube Page, and CEBL+.

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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) 

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada’s professional basketball league, featuring 10 member clubs across six provinces. Powered by elite talent, a fast-paced game format, and deep community connections, the CEBL delivers high-level basketball and unforgettable summer experiences for fans nationwide.

The league boasts the youngest fan base in Canadian professional sport, half under age 34, and one of the fastest-growing audiences in the country, now reaching nearly 4.1 million Canadians. This momentum reflects the CEBL’s ability to deliver dynamic, thrilling gameplay while connecting deeply with a new generation of fans and expanding basketball’s cultural footprint across Canada.

The CEBL is where elite performance meets homegrown talent. In 2025, 17 players with NBA experience hit the court, while nearly 70% of the league’s roster was Canadian, the highest concentration of domestic talent in any professional sports league in the country. Running from May through August, the CEBL’s season is a showcase of top basketball talent and a summer hub for fast-paced, high-energy fan excitement.

Media Contact:
Elias Eldridge - Account Executive & Communications Specialist

Brampton Honey Badgers

eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca