Victor Raso & Antwi Atuahene Return to the River Lions
St. Catharines, ON – The River Lions announced today that Head Coach and General Manager Victor Raso will return as bench boss for the 2022 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, making it his fifth year with the organization. Antwi Atuahene will also return as Head of Basketball Operations and share the role of General Manager alongside Raso.
“It was an easy decision to bring back Victor for another season with our organization,” said River Lions President, Jeffrey Sotiriou. “Over the past several years, Victor has proven to be a successful leader on and off the court. In 2021, he overcame adversity and lead the team to the championship game for the first time in River Lions history, and we feel confident in his ability to go even farther in 2022.”
Raso has been with the organization since 2017 when he began as Lead Assistant Coach before eventually taking over as Head Coach and General Manager for the CEBL’s Inaugural Season. He went on to be named the CEBL Coach of the Year after leading the River Lions to a league-best regular season record of 15-5. Most recently, Raso steered the team to a second-place finish going 10-4 before winning the semi-finals to advance to the Championship Game in Edmonton.
With an overall record of 28-16 with the team, Raso looks to continue to build on the foundation he has laid over the past several years to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship. He will also continue to ensure that Niagara is the best place for professional basketball players to grow their game and grow as people.
“I love the River Lions and I am happy to be back as we keep hunting for a CEBL Championship,” said Raso. “Our entire organization is moving in a great direction, and I'm very proud of the role I play in that. I can't wait to get back to work with Antwi, our staff, and our front office as we prepare for 2022!”
Antwi Atuahene returns as Head of Basketball Operations and will also share the role of General Manager alongside Raso. As a well respected and well-connected figure in the basketball world, he will continue to play a significant role in player recruitment and acquisition, as he did in 2021 bringing the likes of Javin DeLaurier and Xavier Sneed who both went on to attend NBA training camps.
“Niagara is a special place to me,” said Atuahene. “I’m looking forward to continuing what we started through the past few seasons. The entire organization is first class from top to bottom. The hunt continues…"
The CEBL’s fourth season is set to start in May 2022 with the recently announced additions of Montreal and Scarborough. 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. CEBL 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.
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