New CEBL draft format unveiled for 2024
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday that beginning in 2024, the newly rebranded and expanded ‘CEBL Draft’ will serve as the league’s annual entry draft for eligible Canadian U SPORTS and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) student-athletes.
The priority of selection in round one will be in the reverse order of how each team finished the 2023 regular season, thus the Winnipeg Sea Bears will have the draft's eighth overall pick. The following rounds will revert to a 'snake format' in reverse order of the previous round, giving Winnipeg the 13th and 28th overall picks in rounds two and three.
Results of the 2024 CEBL Draft will be announced Thursday, April 11.
The CEBL’s amendments to its roster composition rules in 2024 adds CCAA athletes alongside U SPORTS athletes as eligible developmental players (recognized Canadians with experience as a student-athlete with remaining eligibility). CEBL teams are incentivized to have developmental players on their active roster as up to a maximum of three will not count against a club’s per game active roster salary cap.
The first opportunity for a developmental player to join a CEBL team is via the 2024 CEBL Draft. Beginning this year, the CEBL Draft will expand to three rounds with each club making three selections total (one in each round) of either returning or graduating Canadian post-secondary players. All developmental players will become free agents at the conclusion of the CEBL season and can maintain eligibility to be selected in the 2025 CEBL Draft and/or sign with a CEBL club and re-enter the league as a developmental player next season.
The full 2024 CEBL Draft order is as follows:
| ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Team | Pick | Team | Pick | Team |
| 1 | Montréal Alliance | 11 | Niagara River Lions | 21 | Montréal Alliance |
| 2 | Brampton Honey Badgers | 12 | Calgary Surge | 22 | Brampton Honey Badgers |
| 3 | Saskatchewan Rattlers | 13 | Winnipeg Sea Bears | 23 | Saskatchewan Rattlers |
| 4 | Vancouver Bandits | 14 | Ottawa BlackJacks | 24 | Vancouver Bandits |
| 5 | Edmonton Stingers | 15 | Scarborough Shooting Stars | 25 | Edmonton Stingers |
| 6 | Scarborough Shooting Stars | 16 | Edmonton Stingers | 26 | Scarborough Shooting Stars |
| 7 | Ottawa BlackJacks | 17 | Vancouver Bandits | 27 | Ottawa BlackJacks |
| 8 | Winnipeg Sea Bears | 18 | Saskatchewan Rattlers | 28 | Winnipeg Sea Bears |
| 9 | Calgary Surge | 19 | Brampton Honey Badgers | 29 | Calgary Surge |
| 10 | Niagara River Lions | 20 | Montréal Alliance | 30 | Niagara River Lions |
“Expanding the pool of eligible players for our CEBL Draft to include CCAA talent in addition to U SPORTS ensures that every Canadian post-secondary student-athlete playing basketball across the country has an equal opportunity to be drafted into the CEBL,” said Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Co-Founder of the CEBL. “The rising level of basketball talent in Canada is undeniable, and our partnerships with U SPORTS and CCAA will continue to provide opportunities for student-athletes nationwide.”
The Sea Bears open the 2024 campaign on the road in Saskatoon, SK on May 22. They return to Winnipeg for their home opener on May 24 against the defending CEBL champions, Scarborough Shooting Stars. Flex packs and season tickets are available now. For more information on single game tickets, visit seabears.ca/2024-game-tickets
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About the Winnipeg Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer, David Asper, is the organization's owner and chairman.
More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
Social Media:
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