The Hamilton Honey Badgers announced Tuesday that they have re-signed a third starter from their 2020 team, forward Kalif Young. Young played the first minutes of his professional career with the Honey Badgers last summer during the CEBL Summer Series, leading the team in field goal percentage (61.0%) and finishing second in rebounds with a 5.6 average during the team’s eight games.

         “Our coaching staff has worked extensively with Kalif for a number of years, and he has consistently proven his willingness to learn and develop”, said Honey Badgers General Manager Jermaine Anderson. “We’re extremely confident that he will be a tremendous asset to our team this season. Kalif has a bright future and we believe he can become a First team all-CEBL player in the foreseeable future.”

           “Kalif is someone we value a lot in our organization and know he is just scratching the surface with how good he can be as a pro. Having him back for a second season gives us more continuity and experience in our frontcourt”, said Hamilton Head Coach Ryan Schmidt. “Kalif showed some really bright moments in last year’s Summer Series and has continued to get better during his season in Turkey. We’re excited for the impact he’ll have with us and to see what this summer will bring for him individually.”

           Young averaged 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 20.8 minutes in eight games with the Honey Badgers during the CEBL Summer Series. The Providence College graduate is currently playing for Bornova of the Turkey Basketball League, where he is averaging nearly a double-double in points and rebounds with 11.3 points and 9.3 rebounds through 19 games. Young has been named to the TBL Foreign Team of the Week four times this season and was selected as the Interperformances TBL Player of the Week during Bornova’s third week of the season.   

           With the signing of Young, the Honey Badgers have now brought back three starters from their 2020 season since the CEBL’s free agency window opened February 1. Young joins team captain Duane Notice and All-CEBL First team star Jean-Victor Mukama on the Honey Badgers 2021 roster.

            Hamilton is coming off a 4-4 record and third place finish in the CEBL Summer Series, which marked the first professional sports in Canada to return to play after Covid-19 halted sports in March of 2020. More than 1.2 million viewers across Canada watched games live on CBC, and games were carried to more than 130 million viewers around the world.