Ottawa BlackJacks BlackJacks d'Ottawa | |
---|---|
Leagues | CEBL |
Founded | 2019 |
History | Ottawa Blackjacks (2019–present) |
Arena | TD Place Arena |
Capacity | ~9,500 (10,585) |
Location | Ottawa, Ontario |
Team colours | Black, Grey, Red |
Vice-president(s) | Marika Guérin |
General manager | James Derouin |
Head coach | James Derouin |
Website | theblackjacks.ca |
The Ottawa BlackJacks (French : BlackJacks d'Ottawa) are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Ottawa, Ontario. [1] The BlackJacks compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). They play their home games at TD Place Arena, an arena shared with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League.
The BlackJacks are the second professional basketball team in Ottawa, the Ottawa Skyhawks played at Canadian Tire Centre in 2012 to 2014.
2020 Season
Dave Smart was named the inaugural General Manager of the Blackjacks on December 18, 2019. [2]
2021 Season
On July 17, the BlackJacks signed former CEBL champion and NBA G-Leaguer Negus Webster-Chan after he was released by the Saskatchewan Rattlers. [3] On July 19, guard Johnny Berhanemeskel was inactivated due to his contractual obligations with the French team Chorale Roanne Basket. On July 23, the BlackJacks signed three new players, Jadon Cohee, Mamadou Gueye, and Antonio Williams. Additionally, forward Eric Kibi was released after appearing in only one game. [4] On July 27, the BlackJacks secured a playoff spot for the second straight season with an 82-69 win over the Saskatchewan Rattlers. [5] In August, the BlackJacks signed former Saskatchewan Rattler center Chad Posthumus. In the playoffs, the Blackjacks upset the 3rd seeded Hamilton Honey Badgers 96-94 in the quarter-finals. However, they went on to lose to the eventual champion Edmonton Stingers in the semi-finals for the second straight year. [6]
2022 Season
In August 2021, the BlackJacks announced Jevohn Shepherd had signed a contract extension to return as the general manager. [7] In November, they announced that Charles Dubé-Brais would also return as head coach. [8] On February 16, 2022, they re-signed Chad Posthumus, who had previously joined the Edmonton Stingers for the 2021–22 BCL Americas. [9] After a disappointing 0-3 start to the season, the team parted ways with Head Coach Charles Dubé-Brais. [10] Ottawa Gee-Gees Men's Basketball Head Coach and BlackJacks Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics James Derouin was appointed Interim Head Coach and lead the team to five wins in its last six games.
Prior to the beginning of the season, the BlackJacks announced James Derouin would remain Head Coach of the team, removing the Interim title from his position. [11] During the 2023 CEBL–U Sports Draft, Ottawa selected UBC Thunderbird Sukhman Sandhu and University of Ottawa star Guillaume Pepin. [12] Former Washington State Cougars sharpshooter Michael Flowers and Toronto Raptors Summer League team member Abu Kigab were among the new signings joining the team. [13] [14] On July 15, in the midst of an 8-game win streak, the BlackJacks clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a victory on the road against the Scarborough Shooting Stars. [15] After finishing the regular season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, the BlackJacks were eliminated from the playoffs by the Shooting Stars in the Conference Semi-Final. [16]
In January 2024, the BlackJacks announced James Derouin would serve as both Head Coach and General Manager of the team for the 2024 Season. [17] The BlackJacks selected a trio of U Sports players with ties to Ottawa during the 2024 CEBL Draft, adding guard Dragan Stajic and forward Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré from the Ottawa Gee-Gees and forward Michael Kelvin II of the Queen's Gaels. [18] Notable signings include former Iowa Hawkeyes wing Peter Jok, former Chicago Bulls and Newfoundland Growlers guard Brandon Sampson, and Atlanta Hawks Summer League participant and Dayton Flyers standout Ibi Watson. [19]
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
James Derouin
Updated: April 17th, 2024 |
League | Season | Coach | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | |||
CEBL | ||||||||||
2020 | Osvaldo Jeanty | 3 | 3 | .500 | 4th | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost semi-finals | |
2021 | Charles Dubé-Brais | 4 | 10 | .286 | 6th | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost semi-finals | |
2022 | James Derouin | 8 | 12 | .400 | 8th | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost semi-finals | |
2023 | James Derouin | 12 | 8 | .600 | 2nd East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost Quarter-finals | |
Totals | 26 | 33 | .441 | — | 2 | 4 | .333 |
The Ottawa Gee-Gees are the athletic teams that represent the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.
Dave Smart is a Canadian college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Pacific Tigers men's basketball team. Regarded as the most successful Canadian university coach of all time, Smart was the head coach of the Carleton Ravens from 1999 to 2019, leading them to 13 of the team's 17 overall U Sports national championships. During his 18 seasons at Carleton, he also led the Ravens to 11 OUA championships — the most by any coach in conference history. Smart has also served as an assistant coach with the Canadian men's national team on multiple occasions, working with former NBA player Leo Rautins, and Jay Triano.
Jevohn Shepherd is a Canadian basketball executive who is the vice-president of basketball operations and general manager for the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He is a former professional basketball player, playing the majority of his career oversees. Shepherd played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines, and was a longtime member of the Canadian men's national basketball team. He also serves as a color commentator for the Toronto Raptors on TSN 1050.
Chad Ryan William Posthumus is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He played college basketball with UBC, Howard College, and Morehead State.
Abu Haef Kigab is a Sudanese-Canadian professional basketball player for the MLP Academics Heidelberg of the German Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and for the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. He was a key player on a Canada team that won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2017.
Johnny Berhanemeskel is a Canadian professional basketball player for BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the LNB Pro A.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League is the premier men's professional basketball league in Canada, as recognized by Canada Basketball. The CEBL was founded in 2017 and began play in 2019 with six teams all owned and operated by ownership group Canadian Basketball Ventures.
The Brampton Honey Badgers are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Brampton, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. They play their games at the CAA Centre. The team was founded in 2018 as the Hamilton Honey Badgers and played at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario from their inaugural season in 2019 until 2022.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). They play their home games at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
The Vancouver Bandits are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Langley, British Columbia, that compete in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The Bandits play home games at Langley Events Centre, located in the Fraser Valley. They were formerly known as the Fraser Valley Bandits but after they sold the team, they changed the name to the Vancouver Bandits.
The 2019 CEBL season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. It included six teams: Saskatchewan, Fraser Valley, Edmonton, Hamilton, Niagara, and Guelph. The regular season ran from May 9, 2019 to August 15, 2019, and the Championship Weekend took place on August 24 and 25, 2019, hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. On August 25, the Saskatchewan Rattlers won the CEBL's first ever Championship after beating the Hamilton Honey Badgers.
The 2020 CEBL season was the second season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). It was played from July 25 to August 9 at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario.
The 2020 CEBL–U Sports Draft is the second CEBL Draft, being revealed on March 26. Seven Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) teams will select 21 athletes in total.
Eric Mania Kibi is a Congolese-Canadian basketball player for Colegio Los Leones de Quilpué. Standing at 198 cm, he plays as small forward or power forward. He has been a member of the DR Congo men's national basketball team and is currently not under contract.
Lloyd Kanda Pandi is a Canadian professional basketball player for Darüşşafaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played university basketball for Carleton.
The 2022 CEBL season was the fourth season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). It began on May 25, 2022, and ended on August 1, 2022. There will be play-in games on August 4 where the 5th to 8th seed will compete to play in the playoffs. The playoffs will start on August 6. The Championship weekend will be from August 12 to the 14; the Ottawa Blackjacks will be hosting the event. It is also the inaugural season for the Montreal Alliance, Newfoundland Growlers, and the Scarborough Shooting Stars. The Hamilton Honey Badgers defeated the Scarborough Shooting Stars 90–88, for their first CEBL championship in franchise history. They will represent Canada in the 2022-23 BCL Americas season.
The 2022 CEBL–U Sports Draft is the Fourth CEBL Draft, being revealed on April 19. 10 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) teams will select 20 athletes in total.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). They play their home games at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
Jamil Abiad is a Canadian basketball coach and former player currently working as an assistant coach for Valur of the Úrvalsdeild karla basketball Icelandic League. He played college basketball for Bishop's.
The 2024 CEBL Draft, the 6th edition of the Canadian Elite Basketball League's annual draft, was announced on April 11th, 2024. The 10 teams of the CEBL took turns selecting U Sports and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association athletes to add to their rosters. The first overall selection was made by the Montreal Alliance, who selected 2024 U Sports Men's Basketball Championship MVP Ismaël Diouf of the Laval Rouge et Or. The 2024 Draft marked the first time teams could select student-athletes from the CCAA, with Jerry Jr. Mercury of Mohawk College becoming the first such selection.