June 6th GAME PREVIEW: Brampton vs Winnipeg
The Honey Badgers continue the season against the Winnipeg Sea Bears for their first matchup of the season on Friday, June 6 @ 7:30pm.
Both teams have struggled out of the gate. The Brampton Honey Badgers are currently 0-6 on the season while the Sea Bears are 1-4. Brampton is currently at last place in the Eastern Conference, while the Sea Bears are tied for last in the Western Conference with fellow prairie team, the Saskatchewan Rattlers.
Both teams are coming off of tough losses as they enter this match. The Honey Badgers are reeling from their 71-92 loss to the Montréal Alliance in which they were outscored in every quarter. The team struggled to score inside, putting up only 30 points in the paint compared to Montréal’s 40, and two second chance points compared to Montréal’s 13. Despite 24 points from Quinndary Weatherspoon and 15 from Koby McEwen, Brampton was blown out in their own building and fell to 0-6.
After the game, Head Coach Sheldon Cassimy gave his assessment of how Brampton played.
“We didn’t play together,” Cassimy said to reporters after the game.
“Things aren’t going perfectly and we’re crumbling right now. We’re frustrated, which is normal during a losing streak, but it’s going to take some mental toughness to figure that out,” Cassimy continued.
The Sea Bears lost to the Ottawa BlackJacks 88-73. Tevian Jones and Jaylin Williams led the way with 32 points and 16 points, respectively. However, Winnipeg’s offense struggled to score effectively, shooting a lackluster 38% from the field, 28% from three-point land and 61% at the free-throw line. Meanwhile Ottawa shot a healthy 50% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc and 91% from the charity stripe as Deng Adel had a standout performance recording 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one block.
Winnipeg has been led by Jones and Williams so far this season. Jones has been averaging 21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals. Williams has been averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. In the loss against Ottawa, Jones scored 32 points (12-for-27) while grabbing five rebounds and three steals. Williams finished the game with 16 points (6-for-12), five rebounds, a steal and a block.
Last year, both teams struggled as neither had a record above .500 with the Brampton Honey Badgers finishing 6-14 and the Winnipeg Sea Bears entering the playoffs with a 9-11 record. They nearly won against the Calgary Surge in the Western Conference Play-In, but came up short 84-82.
Emmanuel Akot led the team in scoring against Calgary, putting up 23 points, (9-for-17), six rebounds and three steals. Akot is currently still on the team after signing from the Ottawa Blackjacks in 2023.
This season, the Sea Bears added Jaylin Williams after a stint in the NBA Summer League for his first professional season. He was a key player at Auburn averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 24.2 minutes. Tevian Jones’ university career was characterized by accolades and prowess. A two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches District First Team, two-time Big Sky Player of the Week, a First Team All Big Sky in 2021 and Western Athletic Conference All-Tournament team. He averaged 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He then signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in 2023 where he won a CEBL Championship, before signing with Winnipeg, forming that strong front court duo with Williams.
Meanwhile, the Brampton Honey Badgers revamped most of the team in an effort to improve upon the 2024 season’s results and make it to championship weekend for the first time since their championship in 2022.
The current longest tenured Honey Badger is Prince Oduro, a forward and fan favourite, known for his rebounding and energy on both offense and defense. Oduro won a championship in his first year with the Honey Badgers and is currently the all-time leader in franchise blocks and rebounds. He is currently averaging 9.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.4 blocks.
He was teammates for the 2022 championship with the reigning CEBL Canadian Player of the Year, Koby McEwen. After averaging 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his rookie season, he eventually left for Vancouver in 2024 where he averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists and made his second finals appearance where he and the Bandits lost to the Niagara River Lions. He is currently averaging 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 32.0 minutes.
To add to the duo of McEwen and Oduro, the Honey Badgers added former NBA Champion and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) superstar, Quinndary Weatherspoon. A gifted scorer and playmaker, Weatherspoon averaged 26.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists with the Qingdao Eagles. This season he is averaging 20.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 27.8 minutes.
The Honey Badgers also added key role players including former George Mason University big man Amari Kelly, currently averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 27.2 minutes. Former Winnipeg Sea Bear David Muenkat was also signed and is currently posting 7.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 27.5 minutes. Finally, defensive guard William Douglas was signed to add extra defense to McEwen and Weatherspoon’s scoring.
As both teams look to turn their season around, this game could have key implications for the rest of their seasons as both teams face a steep climb to .500. Overall, it is going to be an interesting game which you can watch on CEBL+, TSN+, and Game+.
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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)
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