The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday that renowned sports psychology and mental performance expert Dr. Don Kalkstein has joined the organization as its first-ever Director of Mental Performance. A pioneer in the field of sports psychology, Kalkstein brings more than three decades of experience working with elite athletes, coaches, and executives across professional sports. His career began with the Texas Rangers in 1995. He has since gone on to win multiple World Championships with the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Dallas Mavericks - becoming widely recognized as one of the industry's foremost leaders in mental skills training, performance enhancement, and athlete wellness. “Don Kalkstein is a pioneer in his field and one of the most respected leaders in the mental performance industry,” said Honey Badgers CEO Al Whitley. “His ability to connect with athletes, executives, and team personnel while helping build winning cultures and championship mindsets is truly unmatched. We are incredibly grateful to welcome Don to the Honey Badgers family.” Most recently, Kalkstein served as Director of Sports Psychology for the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent 26 seasons helping build a culture of excellence and sustained success. He is widely credited by key members of the organization - including Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Honey Badgers CEO Al Whitley - for his influential role in the Mavericks' 2011 NBA Championship season. “This partnership aligns directly with the vision we established from day one of my arrival in Brampton - to create the premier player experience and development infrastructure in the CEBL and beyond,” Whitley continued. “Our entire organization became stronger today, and I am both excited and humbled to be reunited with DK once again.” Kalkstein's appointment represents another significant investment in the Honey Badgers' commitment to player development, high performance, and organizational excellence as the club continues to build a championship-caliber culture on and off the court. “I’m excited to be part of the Honey Badgers family,” said Dr. Kalkstein. “This organization is committed to developing great players, great people, and a championship culture. I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to contributing in any way I can.” The Brampton Honey Badgers are 5-1 through the first quarter of the CEBL regular season, and it continues June 3 versus the Edmonton Stingers at the CAA Centre. Click here to get your Honey Badgers tickets today, starting at only $20 per game. ### 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

The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) had a busy week, to say the least. Three games at home spanned over six days, with very little room to rest. Coming into the homestand, the Honey Badgers were looking to reclaim their on-court dominance after a scare in Ottawa that saw them just scrape away with a 93-90 win over the BlackJacks. Things started off with an intense and physical battle against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, and the Honey Badgers found themselves in trouble after a third quarter collapse. A 21-7 Winnipeg run saw Brampton’s 13-point lead disappear, which led to a back-and-forth dogfight the rest of the way. In target score time, the Honey Badgers were one basket away from the win, when Cameron Tyson got one of his career-high four steals and took the hard end of an unsportsmanlike foul from the Sea Bears’ Teddy Allen. Tyson closed out the game by splashing two free throws, concluding another strong performance of 23 points, seven three-pointers, and two blocks. “He’s our hardest worker,” said Brampton Head Coach Alex Cerda . “He has that skillset where he can guard the other team’s best player, and he can make the high level-of-difficulty threes. He does all the right things, we’re happy that we have him.” After two days of rest, the Honey Badgers returned to the court early Thursday morning against the Eastern Conference rival Montreal Alliance in front of the School Day crowd at the CAA Centre. However, they got off to the worst start of the season so far, putting up 20 first-quarter points, a season-low. Playing from behind early on for the first time, it was certainly an adjustment, but the biggest key for Cerda was to stay level-headed. “The biggest thing is to not overreact,” exclaimed Cerda. “We have a group that stays poised and doesn’t panic in those situations. We needed a team to punch us in the mouth first, so we can deal with some adversity.” The Honey Badgers bounced back in a strong way, holding Montreal to just 11 second-quarter points and asserting themselves with a 78-69 lead in the fourth quarter, with the target score set at 82. But then, the wheels fell off the track again, as the Alliance went on a 12-2 run to bring the game even at 80, setting up the situation of next basket wins. With Brampton getting a little too comfortable in such a pivotal moment in the game, it was a matter of slowing the pace down and regaining the momentum for Cerda and the coaching staff. “For us, we were just telling them ‘let’s take it one possession at a time.’ They [Montreal] make you earn it, and it’s really tough,” Cerda explained. “We just dug deep,” said Honey Badgers point guard Sean East II , who dished out nine assists and put up 16 points in a game-high 37 minutes of action. “It just goes back to our training and our coaching staff and everybody believing in us, we just kept fighting and pulled it out.” With around 2000 young students packing the seats at the CAA Centre, the boost of energy from the stands played a large impact in how East II and the Honey Badgers were able to rally in front, with local Brampton forward Matthew Moncrieffe ultimately getting the game winner. “It’s the last days of school and the kids were coming in with a lot of energy,” East II remarked. “We love the early games, they gave us some energy and we got it going.” With the win against Montreal, the Honey Badgers improved to 5-0 on the season, standing as the all-time record for the best start to a season by an Eastern Conference CEBL team. With the team rolling on all cylinders, all minds were now set to the marquee matchup on Saturday against the 4-1 Vancouver Bandits. But despite the opponent on hand, Cerda’s game preparation did not change and saw this as just another stop on the road. “Every game, the way I approach it, is nameless grey faces,” Cerda said. “We take in the information we need as face value. We don’t need to add any extra value or pressure to it, just another game for us and every game in this league is going to be a tough one.” The exhilarating battle delivered an exciting product, with the addition of Mark Cuban in the house sitting courtside. The Honey Badgers found themselves down by seven in target time, until East II and rookie guard Josh Omojafo led a second wind of energy to bring Brampton back within three points. But shortly after, Miller Kopp and the Bandits landed the dagger in the Honey Badgers’ hearts with a three-pointer, resulting in the first loss of the 2026 season, 93-87. After such a hot start to his first season as head coach, Cerda kept a strong focus and highlighted the play of Omojafo, who finished with 13 points and continues to improve every game in his first taste of professional basketball. “Josh is going to have a great career ahead of him,” Cerda remarked. “It starts with his versatility, he’s a swiss army knife. We are comfortable and confident with him guarding one through four. Every game, he’s taking steps in the right direction and he’s important for our squad.” Omojafo combined with East II to create a small shift of momentum on the court, with East II finishing with a season-high 35 points and coming two points shy of the Honey Badgers franchise-record for points in a game. With his new team quickly finding success, it’s important for East II to maintain a routine of finding ways to improve after each game. “We just go back after each game, watch the film, see where we can get better. Keep adding things to our game, and go back to the drawing board to get ready for the next game,” East II said. After taking the rest of the weekend off, the Honey Badgers conclude their homestand on Wednesday, June 3, as they go against the Edmonton Stingers and look to get back in the win column. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM at the CAA Centre, and you can get your tickets at honeybadgers.ca/tickets , starting at $20 per ticket. ### 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 Coordinator Brampton Honey Badgers eeldridge@honeybadgers.ca