HONEY BADGERS WEEKLY RECAP: ROSTER REFRESHED, AND ENERGY REVIVED BACK AT HOME

The Brampton Honey Badgers made a long-awaited return to the CAA Centre this past week for their first home game in just over two weeks. After coming out empty-handed on a road trip where they went 0-3 and were outscored by a total of 37 points, this team was desperate for a morale boost as they stood just one game above .500 and on the verge of dropping down to fourth place in the tight-knit Eastern Conference. 

With the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season reaching July, the roster turnover has flipped each team’s rotation sporadically over the last week, and the Honey Badgers were no exception. Two of Brampton’s top stars, Sean East II and Cameron Tyson, headed out to take part in the NBA Summer League with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, respectively. With a huge void to fill, the Honey Badgers front office got to work and brought in some fresh talent to replace them.

The announcements came two days apart that Brampton had signed Justyn Hamilton and Trentyn Flowers for the rest of the CEBL season. Both stars bring experience from the NBA G League, creating a new total of seven players on the Honey Badgers roster that have previously played in the G League.

Hamilton, 27, came to Brampton after splitting this past season with the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets affiliate) and Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks). A 6’11” big man that crashes the glass exceptionally well, Hamilton serves as an essential piece the Honey Badgers need after the Scarborough Shooting Stars grabbed 73 team rebounds against them on June 27th, a new CEBL record. With his addition, the Honey Badgers got a major boost in versatility on both ends of the floor and looked to make use of Hamilton’s skill right away.

Flowers, who has eight games of NBA experience under his belt with the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls, to go along with established success in each team’s G League squad, became known as the Honey Badgers’ newest star with East II away from the team. Thursday’s matchup against Ottawa marked the first professional game for Flowers since back in December due to an injury, and he was ready to get back in the action and make an immediate statement in the CEBL. 

“He can do everything,” said Head Coach Alex Cerda. “His skillset compliments everyone else, and his energy overall is contagious.”

It was an eventful start to Flowers’ Honey Badgers debut, to say the least. After an early morning flight from Seattle and arriving at the arena straight from the airport two hours before tipoff, the journey caught up to him a little bit and put his availability on Thursday night in jeopardy. But, once he got out on the floor and into a rhythm, both him and Cerda didn’t look back.

“Before the game, I was battling a little sickness,” Flowers explained. “At one point, I was questioning whether I was going to play or not, but I really just sensed the pride this Honey Badger team has and I wanted to go out there and give it my all for my teammates.”

“I think when his juices got flowing, he was like ‘I’m here, I want to play,’” Cerda remarked. “That’s who he is, he’s a pro, he’ll find his way back in the NBA soon or high-level overseas.”

Flowers ended up with a game-high 22 points on the night off the bench, as the Honey Badgers went out and got a huge victory against the BlackJacks, 81-76, snapping the five-game losing skid and bringing light to the team and the Brampton fans, as the win padded their spot in second place in the East. Hamilton wasn’t far behind at all, putting up a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while also sinking the game-winning three-pointer in the corner and being voted by the home fans as the player of the game.

“He does a lot of really good things for us,” said Cerda. “Any time you have a big who can roll, who can pop, and has the option to do both, it opens up and unlocks pieces of the offense we didn’t have before.”

The high vibes carried over to Sunday’s rematch with the Shooting Stars in front of a large crowd at the CAA Centre, where the Honey Badgers went toe-to-toe with Scarborough all game. But at the downfall of Target Score Time, the Shooting Stars went on a 13-5 run to steal a 99-95 win over Brampton, knocking the Honey Badgers back into the loss category. Frank Mitchell took advantage and grabbed four offensive rebounds in clutch time and tipped in the game-winner over a gassed Honey Badgers squad that saw four out of the five starters play over 30 minutes of action.

“I felt like we got a little fatigued down the stretch,” Cerda explained. “We just let them get to their spots and get second-chance opportunities. That was ultimately the deciding factor.”

However, one person that saw a surge as the game went on was Tyrese Hunter, pouring in 19 second-half points and taking over while the rest of the team were unable to find open looks. Since taking over the point guard role with East II away from the team, Hunter has scored in double-figures in the last three consecutive contests. 

“He’s done an amazing job keeping our team organized and poised,” Cerda complimented, who has been coaching Hunter since February with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. “The trust that he has in our group and me to come here to work to get better, I appreciate him and everything he’s done for the team so far.”

With players coming in and out rapidly, there have been some areas when it comes to the on-court play and coming together as a team that still have to be tuned up. But with a positive attitude and focused mindset, the Honey Badgers have shown signs of getting back to their winning ways and look to keep it going with another important road trip coming this weekend that could shake up the Eastern Conference standings. 

“Coming in here, I don’t like to lose,” Flowers remarked. “For us, [we need to] just stay together as a team and do the right things. The biggest thing is playing and staying together collectively.”

“For us, it’s about taking it one day at a time,” explained Cerda. “We don’t put any extra narrative or feel to it, we just take everything one step at a time. That’s our process at the end of the day.”

After taking this week to prepare at home, the Honey Badgers are heading out East for a weekend battle with the Montreal Alliance on Friday, July 10, and a duel against the Ottawa BlackJacks on Sunday, July 12. Fans can tune in and not miss 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