Stingers on the hunt for redemption at the CEBL Summer Series

“Everyone of them wanted to get better and redeem ourselves. Last year, losing to Saskatchewan (at Championship Weekend) was not how we wanted to go out,” Small said. “I felt we had a successful season, but it’s not hard to feel like we came up short.”

Small wasted no time in signing reigning Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Player of the Year and team leader Xavier Moon to a contract on the opening day of free agency.

He followed it up by re-signing guards Mathieu Kamba, Adika Peter-McNeilly, as well as power forwards Travis Daniels, Zac Overwater, Brody Clarke and Edmonton’s own Jordan Baker for the 2020 season.

The Stingers will bring back four starters and three reigning CEBL all-stars (Moon, Daniels and Baker) for the Summer Series.

“The team chemistry and cohesion was so important to our success last year. This team was so close on and off the court, we really felt we had the right pieces to win a championship,” Small said.

“Our whole off-season was focused on, ‘How do we get better from last year?’”

So how did Small improve the team for the 2020 CEBL season?

He signed former University of Calgary Dinos star and product of Montreal, QC, Mambi Diawara. The shooting guard joins the Stingers with a strong resume that includes helping the Dinos win their first-ever national championship in 2018. He’s represented Canada twice at the FISU Games as well as the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Diawara played his first year of pro basketball last year in Romania and averaged 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.9 steals.

 “Knowing he won a championship is big. If you want to win, you need to have winners on your roster and know what it takes. Him playing in two FISU Games and the Commonwealth Games and representing his country — he’s earned it,” Small said. “His versatility and ability to play both ends of the floor and defend multiple positions – and he’s proven to be a scorer at every level he’s played. He’s going to play a big role on our team in the Summer Series.”

Getting Clarke in the navy blue and yellow on a full-time basis this season is also a big addition. The former University of Alberta Golden Bears star was limited to just six games last year and will have a bigger role on the team, this time around.

“Brody’s a big addition,” Small said. “Even though he’s a young guy in age. He played for a successful program at the U of A, and he’s represented his country. I see a lot of value in Brody, not just on the court, but he’s a natural leader off of the court.”

Two of the Stingers’ U SPORTS draft picks have also joined the team for the Summer Series.

Sascha Kappos and Xavier Ochu of the Dalhousie Tigers will be looked upon to contribute in their own way to the roster.

“They’re both such strong character guys who come from a great program in Dalhousie and they have a history of winning,” Small said. “They’re going to get their opportunity. The year they just had at Dalhousie and knowing how hard they’re coached, I know they will adapt quickly and contribute for us.”

American Kirk Williams Jr. was a late addition to the Stingers roster and will bring much needed pro experience to the team.

“He’s an eight-year NBLC pro. I’ve coached him before and he’s a junkyard dog type of player,” Small said. “We pride ourselves on defending and rebounding and his experience will be big for us.”

On the coaching front, Small brought back assistant coach George Hoyt for a second season and added three new additions to the coaching staff. Joining the Stingers are David Joseph, the father of Sacramento Kings guard Cory Joseph, as well as Borko Popic and Jermain Holness, who are part of the Ryerson Rams’ coaching staff.

“I really wanted to have George back on the staff, because he’s so important to the player development side of things. He will work tirelessly in the gym with our guys,” said Small. “Borko and Jermain have coached under Roy Rana and we all come from that Ryerson tree. After talking with Roy about them, he knows they’ll really help out the staff.”

Adding Joseph to the staff was a big priority for Small this off-season.

“DJ, he was one of my mentor coaches. He made me fall in love with the game. He coached me in high school. He has a son who’s a 10-year pro in the NBA and another son who has been a nine-year pro in Europe,” Small said. “DJ will be hands on with me and he’s someone that I’ve always listened to. He’s an amazing teacher of the game.”

With the Stingers bringing back their core group, the team was expected to once again contend for the title in 2020.

With the CEBL season shortened to a 15-day Summer Series due to COVID-19 shutting down the sports world, the team’s familiarity and chemistry will be a big advantage when they tip-off the tournament on July 26 versus the Fraser Valley Bandits.

“No question, I think we’re coming in strong. A lot of teams had turnover and we didn’t have to make a lot of moves. We can continue to build off that synergy from last year and the new pieces we’ve added are all familiar with a lot of our guys already having played with each other in the past,” Small said.

“Our group is hungry. The team has redemption on our minds and I know our guys are going to do everything they can to take care of business and win the championship.”

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Jason Hills

Communications and Marketing Manager

jhills@thestingers.ca 

Edmonton Stingers