Stingers, Growlers Matchup For First Time

The Newfoundland Growlers will be the first team to bring the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) to the east coast in their debut against the back-to-back champion Edmonton Stingers on Friday night. The Growlers will play their season opener at home in St. John’s at 7:30 NT/6:00 ET at Memorial University Field House. 

The Growlers enter the season with a talented squad that consists of experienced players from the CEBL, NBL of Canada, NBA G League and international basketball. The squad is put together by head coach and general manager Patrick Ewing Jr. along with senior basketball advisor Steve Konchalski. 

The pair brings experience and prestige to the newest CEBL franchise. Also known as Canada’s ‘Coach K’, Steve Konchalski is the U Sports/CIS all-time wins leader with 919 wins and 3 national championships as the head coach of the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Antigonish. Ewing Jr. was the lead assistant with the Ottawa BlackJacks during their semi-final run last season and was Director of Operations for Men’s Basketball for Georgetown University.

The roster is filled with familiar faces in Atlantic Canada and alumni from prestigious NCAA programs. The Growlers signed former St. John’s Edge players Junior Cadougan and Shaquille Keith along with a flurry of players with CEBL and NBL of Canada experience. Cadougan will face the Stingers after playing with the squad during the BCL Americas in the summer. He previously played for Ewing Jr. with the BlackJacks last season and brings a wealth of experience to the table. Cadougan pllayed four seasons with Marquette in college, advancing as far as the Elite 8. He also played in the United States and overseas before returning to Canada to play with the London Lightning, St. John’s Edge, Fraser Valley Bandits, and finally the BlackJacks and Stingers. Meanwhile, Keith has played for the Fraser Valleey Bandits, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Hamilton Honey Badgers, Ottawa BlackJacks, Windsor Express, St. John’s Edge and Cape Breton Highlanders. A well-rounded player, Keith also played his college ball in the region with the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers. 

Keith is joined by another former CBU big man, Meschack Lufile on the Growlers roster for their inaugural season. Lufile has experience in the NBL of Canada playing with the Halifax Huriicanes and Island Storm, along with the Guelph Nighthawks in the CEBL. In addition to their rival Capers, Kochalski has added a St. FX alumnus in Terry Thomas. A proven two-way player from Dartmouth, Thomas is extremely experienced in Candian pro basketball, suiting up for the London Lightning, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Guelph Nighthawks, Moncton Magic, and Halifax Hurricanes.  The Growlers also sport local talent in former Memorial University Seahawks stars Cole Long and Serbia native Boris Ristanovic. 

Newfoundland will also welcome players with experience for top-tier NCAA programs and in the NBA G League. Baton Rouge’s Brandon Sampson, who played at home for the LSU Tigers in the NCAA, also saw some brief action in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. Syracuse alumnus Allan Griffin also joins the squad after stints in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Westchester Knicks. Meanwhile the apty named centre Keanau Post, a 6’11 Vicoria native and Missouri alumnus, joins the Growlers after playing the better part of his recent career in Asia.  Georgetown alumnus Jahvon Blair will come to town to play for Ewing Jr. after playing for his father, NBA legend Patrick Ewing, in college. 

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Stingers enter the game at 1-1 after losing to the Niagara River Lions and defeating the Saskatchewan Rattlers last weekend. The defending champs closed out their game against the Rattlers on a 15-0 run with big shots coming from David Pekarek. 

Through two games, Brody Clarke, Aher Uguak and Pekarek are averaging double figures. Clarke leads the way averaging 14.5 points, while Uguak averages 13.5 and Pekarek 13 points. Edmonton native and Stingers veteran Jordan Baker has been showing off his complete game so far this season.  Baker is averaging 8.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals entering the contest against the Growlers. 

The game will stream on CEBL+ live internationally and in Canada at cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS

and Android devices and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Games are also available on the CEBL’s official app, CEBL Mobile, available on iOS and Android devices.

Newfoundland Growlers season tickets are available at https://am.ticketmaster.com/growlers/ while Edmonton Stingers season tickets are available at https://www.thestingers.ca/season-tickets17e760ad. 

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 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 runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us (@cebleague) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.