Honey Badgers, River Lions put winning streaks on the line

Matthew Winick
 
Both the Hamilton Honey Badgers (5-1) and Niagara River Lions (3-2) have been playing some great basketball as of late. 

Niagara has found its groove, winning two straight contests including an impressive win knocking off then-undefeated Fraser Valley on Thursday. Meanwhile, Hamilton sports the CEBL’s longest active win streak at five games after completing a three-game sweep against the Guelph Nighthawks.
 
When these two teams meet at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET, something must give. Either the River Lions continue their positive momentum, or the Honey Badgers’ lengthy winning streak moves to six.
 
U SPORTS everywhere
 
While each CEBL team is mandated to roster at least one U SPORTS developmental player, both the Honey Badgers and River Lions have multiple. More than that, each squad is getting significant contributions for their designated players coming from Canadian universities.
 
For Niagara, its U SPORTS players are used as rotational pieces off the bench. Lloyd Pandi has been the standout, showing his all-around game and versatility that was effective last season for the Ottawa BlackJacks, as well as his freshman campaign at Carleton University, where he won U SPORTS rookie of the year. Grant Shephard (Carleton) and Emmanuel Owootoah (Brock) have also contributed solid minutes off the bench for the River Lions. 

Hamilton’s U Sports contributions have been more pronounced. Thomas Kennedy (Windsor) began the season as a starter due to some early injuries in the Honey Badgers’ front court. Although his stats don’t pop off the page, his rebounding and presence down low has made him a difference-maker on the floor.
 
Right now though, no player amongst these two squads has made a name for himself more than Honey Badgers’ guard Keevan Veinot. Coming over from Dalhousie as Hamilton’s first round selection in the U SPORTS draft, Veinot started off the season playing sparingly. However, after showing glimpses early in the season, Honey Badgers head coach Ryan Schmidt made the decision to stick him in the starting lineup, and Veinot has responded with career-highs of 19 and 21 points in his last two contests.
 
Whether it’s role players or starters, it’s clear by watching Niagara and Hamilton that U Sports players can make an impact at the CEBL level.
 
Missing in action
 
Another common theme shared by the River Lions and Honey Badgers is the unfortunate amount of missed games from players across the roster. Whether it’s been injuries or other absences, neither team is at what they envisioned full strength to be when the rosters were constructed.
 
Hamilton’s misfortune struck early, with key imports Charles Cooke and Malcolm Rhett going down with injuries before games even began. That, combined with last year’s injury to guard Duane Notice that has kept him out all year long has forced the Honey Badgers to dive deeper into their rotation.
 
Niagara’s absences aren’t injury related but may be even more crucial to their success. Trae Bell-Haynes, last year’s leading scorer, suited up for the Canadian men’s senior national team for the Olympic qualifying tournament. Meanwhile, former Ottawa BlackJacks’ star Phil Scrubb has yet to join the team after his season ended in France. Both are expected to join the River Lions before season’s end.
 
While both teams have had their fair share of missed games, it has yet to have a major impact on their overall records. With Hamilton and Niagara each ranked in the top four of the CEBL standings, Sunday’s contest should be an entertaining one to watch.
 
All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
 
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube