The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday the coaching and management staff of the 2022 CEBL Champion Honey Badgers that will represent Canada in the upcoming FIBA Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA). The BCLA brings together 12 teams representing seven countries from South and Central America along with Canada’s national champion, competing over the course of four months to win a berth in the 2023 FIBA International Cup, one of professional basketball’s most prestigious international competitions. The BCLA begins pool play in December. FIBA will announce scheduling details shortly.

With Honey Badgers Head Coach Ryan Schmidt unavailable due to his coaching obligations with the London Lions of the British Basketball League this winter, Sheldon Cassimy, who served as his lead assistant during the 2022 championship run, will serve as head coach alongside Associate Head Coach Mike Taylor, who brings extensive international head coaching experience to the staff. They will be joined by assistant coaches Mike Fraser and Mike De Giorgio. Jermaine Anderson will continue to serve as the team’s General Manager.

The CEBL also announced the team’s management staff for the competition. Joe Raso, senior director of basketball operations for the CEBL, will serve in that capacity for the BCLA for a second year in a row along with Antwi Atuahene of the CEBL’s Niagara River Lions, who becomes assistant general manager.

Honey Badgers coaching staff members Will Rooney, Christian Bentley and Will Gatchalian along with Marlo Davis, assistant coach with the River Lions this past season, make up the Training Camp Support Staff for the competition.

Cassimy has been an instrumental member of the Honey Badgers coaching staff for the past three CEBL seasons under Schmidt, who was named 2022 CEBL Coach of the Year. He is currently also the lead assistant for the McMaster Marauders men’s team. He began his coaching career with the University of Toronto as an assistant coach before going on to be an assistant coach for the Ryerson Rams where he helped win a provincial title under head coach Patrick Tatham. Cassimy has also worked closely with Canada Basketball in the capacity a head skill development coach for the senior, junior and cadet men’s teams.

Taylor was the head coach of the Fraser Valley Bandits this past CEBL season leading them to fourth in the regular season standings. As part of his extensive coaching resume, he led the Polish National Team to a top eight finish in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and three Eurobasket competition qualifications (2015, 2017, 2022) while further improving their FIBA World Ranking from 42nd in 2014 to 13th in 2021. He has also served as head coach for three German professional teams; including Niners Chemnitz (formerly known as BV Chemnitz) in 2001-02, Ratiopharm Ulm from 2003-2011 and the Hamburg Towers from 2018-2020. Ratiopharm Ulm and Hamburg Teams were promoted from the second division league to division 1 Bundesliga (BBL) under his leadership. Taylor also coached the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League in 2012-13 leading them to their first-ever playoff appearance that season. He also coached the G League All-Star game in Houston, Texas that season.

As general manager, Anderson helped guide the Honey Badgers to the playoffs in three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022), including the semifinals twice, culminating with their first CEBL championship this past August. He represented the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team as a player in over 80 games internationally and has more than 10 years of professional playing experience in 10 countries. After his playing career, Anderson transitioned into several player development roles with Canada Basketball, Raptors 905 of the NBA G League, and with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Fraser was the Player Development lead for the Honey Badgers team in 2022. He had over a decade long international playing career that included being a member of the 2019 inaugural Honey Badgers team that lost in the CEBL Championship game.

De Giorgio helped guide the Scarborough Shooting Stars to their first CEBL championship game in their inaugural season of 2022. He also served as an assistant coach with the Honey Badgers during the 2021 season.

FIBA will announce scheduling details for the BCLA’s soon, but the group stages will be held in December, January, and February. The top two teams from the Honey Badgers Group A assignment, that also includes Real Estelí from Nicaragua and Libertadores de Queretaro from Mexico, will advance to the BCLA quarterfinals in March 2023. The remaining nine clubs - CR Flamengo, Minas, and Franca from Brazil, Instituto, Obras Basket, and A.A. Quimsa from Argentina, Club Biguá and Club Penarol from Uruguay, and Basket UdeC from Chile - were drawn into Groups B, C, and D by an official draw that took place October 14 in Miami, Fla.

The CEBL opens its fifth season in May 2023. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

The Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) is the best continental league in the Americas. It’s created through an innovative partnership between FIBA, federations and leagues with 12 teams competing from the continent.

Quotes:

“Playing internationally is a tremendous opportunity for the Honey Badgers and the CEBL to compete in intense high-level competition and showcase our style of basketball across the Americas. This year’s staff has a great blend of youth, experience, and championship success that will translate very well on and off the court. I look forward to watching the Honey Badgers make a statement as they represent the CEBL and Canada in the coming months.” - Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Co-founder, CEBL.

“It’s an honour to serve as General Manager of the Honey Badgers, and I’m excited that as a result of winning the 2022 CEBL Championship we will be representing Canada on the international stage in the FIBA Basketball Champions League Americas. While our head coach Ryan Schmidt is unavailable this winter due to his coaching commitments in Europe, I have full confidence that Sheldon Cassimy will step into that role to lead our team. He will be surrounded by an experienced staff that is familiar with our approach and the expectations we have of our players and everyone in our organization. This is an exciting opportunity for basketball fans across Canada to enjoy international competition, and we can’t wait to get started.” – Jermaine Anderson, General Managers, Honey Badgers

"I am grateful to CEBL Commissioner Mike Morreale and Honey Badgers General Manager Jermaine Anderson for entrusting me with leading our Basketball Champions League Americas team against other top teams from Central and South America. It is a tremendous honour to represent Canada on the international stage. I'm eager to begin preparing to take on Real Esteli of Nicaragua and Libertadores de Queretaro from Mexico starting in December." – Sheldon Cassimy, Head Coach, Honey Badgers

"I am very excited about the upcoming BCLA windows and am thankful to be a part of the Honey Badgers staff. I appreciate Sheldon Cassimy, Jermaine Anderson and everyone who helped get me involved. I am keen to support the players and staff with positive energy. During my time in Poland, we were strong throughout FIBA's in-season windows and I hope to share my knowledge with our staff and team. The CEBL is a great league and I am thrilled to be part of the fold after a great summer with the Bandits. I am looking forward to these new experiences and helping the Honey Badgers and CEBL with the challenges, matchups and opportunities posed by the BCLA." - Mike Taylor, Associate Head Coach, Honey Badgers

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