River Lions Make Home Debut Against Undefeated Bandits

Starting a season on a four-game road trip isn’t easy under any circumstance, but for the Niagara River Lions, it was an especially challenging time. Beginning the year without standout guards Trae Bell-Haynes and Phil Scrubb – lined up to be two of Niagara’s best players, the team was left with holes to fill and limited time to recover.

Despite the situation they were dealt, the River Lions bounced back nicely, finishing their early-season road trip at 2-2, with both losses coming against the CEBL’s two undefeated squads. Even better for Niagara, both Bell-Haynes and Scrubb are in line to join the team in the games ahead, creating a dynamic roster capable of making noise at the top of the league’s standings. 

Their reward for battling through a tough road trip? A visit from the CEBL’s lone 4-0 squad, the Fraser Valley Bandits at the Meridian Centre. With Niagara looking to see the right side of .500 and Fraser Valley hoping to remain unbeaten in its first road game of the year, plenty will be on the line Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The CEBL is a league filled with players coming from countless avenues and pathways to reach their respective teams. Few have had to travel quite like Fraser Valley forward Kenny Manigault. 

Manigault’s basketball journey started at Wichita State in 2009 and included stops at both the DII and NAIA levels. Following his standout college career that saw him win NAIA player of the year in 2015, Manigault began a lengthy pro career that has taken him to leagues in Australia, Poland, Finland, China and Israel. 

Despite playing for different teams in different leagues seemingly every year, Manigault has fit right in with the Bandits. He’s second on the team, averaging 13.8 points per game, and leads the entire CEBL in steals per game with 2.5.

Manigault plays a large role in Fraser Valley’s aggressive, fast-paced style of play, and his value will be heightened against the strong guard play of the River Lions.

After impressing in limited minutes as a rookie for the Ottawa BlackJacks last season, Niagara’s Lloyd Pandi held a fair share of expectations this year. Despite still being a student at Carleton University, Pandi has lived up to the hype.

The 6-foot-3 guard may not put-up eye-popping stats, but his versatility and ability to play a multitude of roles has been crucial for the River Lions early on this season. On the year, Pandi ranks in the top five amongst his teammates in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and minutes per game. 

Always cool and composed, Pandi has served as the team’s de facto point guard with Bell-Haynes and Scrubb currently inactive. While his role is likely to diminish once the veteran guards return, Pandi’s ability to fill many holes for Niagara should allow River Lions head coach Victor Raso to keep him in a prominent place in the rotation.

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