River Lions Sign Former Hamilton Honey Badger Jaylen Babb-Harrison
A System Administrator • Apr 28, 2021
St. Catharines, ON -
The Niagara River Lions announced today that 28-year-old guard Jaylen Babb-Harrison has signed with the team for the 2021 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. He most recently played for the Hamilton Honey Badgers.
The 6’4 Ajax, Ontario native, averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18 minutes of play per game suited up for the Honey Badgers during the 2020 CEBL Summer Series where he and the team made it to the semi- finals.
"We're excited to have Jaylen with us this season,” said Head Coach and General Manager Victor Raso. “Jaylen is a phenomenal shooter who brings good size and athleticism from the wing. On top of that, we believe Jaylen has the potential to be a very good defensive player and has the mindset and tools to expand his game offensively. Jaylen understands his role in winning and we have high expectations for him."
Prior to Babb-Harrison’s professional career, he played NCAA Division I basketball for Eastern Kentucky University from 2012-2017. During his time as a Colonel, Babb-Harrison helped his team make it to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament semifinals twice, as well as the title of OVC East Division Regular Season Co-Champion in 2015. During his junior year he lead the OVC in three-point percentage (45.3%) becoming the first Colonel since 2008-09 to lead in that category.
After concluding his college career, Babb-Harrison played for the London Lightning of the NBL Canada, averaging 8.6 points, 2 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. During the 2019-2020 season, he played for Vllaznia part of the Balkan International Basketball League in Albania averaging 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1 assist.
Babb-Harrison is looking forward to joining the River Lions organization, "I'm happy to be playing for Niagara this summer! They are a top organization with great staff, high level players and an amazing fan base. I'm more than excited to compete for a championship this upcoming season".
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 following the success of the 2020 CEBL Summer Series hosted in St. Catharines, which saw a record 1.2 million viewers across Canada tune in to four days of live programming on CBC.
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Media Contact:
Michelle Biskup, Vice President, Operations
mbiskup@riverlions.ca