Welcome to Hamilton. The CEBL scoring record of 37 points in a game was set by Xavier Rathan-Mayes during his Honey Badgers debut against the Edmonton Stingers on Sunday afternoon at FirstOntario Centre.

The former Memphis Grizzlies guard set the new mark by shooting 16-for-23 from the field, including two-for-six from beyond the arc in 32 minutes of play.

Rathan-Mayes surpassed the previous record of 36 points scored by Xavier Moon of Edmonton during a 118-105 overtime victory against Niagara on May 10. Rathan-Mayes was not able to seal the victory in this game as the Honey Badgers fell to the same Stingers, 105-103.

The Florida State standout was explosive for Hamilton during his first game, netting 24 points by halftime. While the league scoring record didn’t surprise basketball fans who are aware of Rathan-Mayes’ offensive talents, they might have been surprised that he left five points off the board. He shot just three-for-eight from the line, including missing the first of three free throws with three seconds remaining that would have tied the game for Hamilton. Despite the disappointing finish, the league took notice of the newest, and possibly most lethal scoring threat in the CEBL.

According to the Hamilton Spectator, Rathan-Mayes had a plan of attack.

"I wanted to come out here and be aggressive," he said.

Rathan-Mayes drove the paint with ease. Reviewing the shooting chart (below), it is clear that the newest addition to the Honey Badgers roster is comfortable scoring from nearly anywhere on the court.

The addition of Rathan-Mayes is part of a final push by Hamilton General Manager and Head Coach Chantal Vallée to bolster the Honey Badgers lineup in preparation for the postseason. Of course, Hamilton still has to punch its ticket into the CEBL Championship weekend, sitting in third place with four games remaining. The Honey Badgers have a magic number of two – any combination of Hamilton wins and Fraser Valley / Guelph losses that equals two – means Hamilton will have a chance to play for the first league championship.

With newcomers such as forwards Murphy Burnatowski and Keanau Post, and Raptors 905 teammates MiKyle McIntosh and Duane Notice, the Honey Badgers, combined with their existing talented lineup, could be the best-looking team on paper. As the recently completed team starts to practice together, the final push should be pretty exciting for Honey Badgers fans. And who knows, even a few more records may fall.

"I'm honoured to have this right now (the record), said Rathan-Mayes. “It'll probably be broken soon."