Honey Badgers' core returns to defend Canadian Elite Basketball League championship

The Honey Badgers group chat never slowed down. Even as the various players went their separate ways after winning the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship to play in other leagues, the texts and jokes and memes kept coming.

"We're here for the summer. This isn't a one-week, two-week thing. So knowing that, we all committed to the full summer of competing together and just being in each other's spaces. It was important knowing that it was always going to be this group of guys that I was going to do that with because I know it works."

Vital led the Honey Badgers with 17.4 points per game last season and re-signed with the team on May 10 as it prepares to defend its CEBL crown. The 26-year-old Vital is one of six players returning from last year's team and he said that knowing they "made it work" in 2022 drew him back to the team.

WATCH | Honey Badgers win 2022 CEBL title:

"We were able to stay with each other and no one jumped ship, no one abandoned the boat, everyone, if anything, locked in more," said Vital after practice on Tuesday. "We made sure that everyone was going to have a successful summer.

"That was big time. That was everything."

Forward Jeremiah Tilmon Jr., forward Zane Waterman, Canadian forward Prince Oduro, as well as Canadian guards Cody John and Kyle Johnson also re-signed with the team.

"It's exciting. A lot more talent came back this summer," said Tilmon, who re-signed with Brampton on April 13 after playing 12 games with the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League in the winter.

"We want to defend our title and run it back. That's what we're worried about: running it back."

Although the roster has remained largely untouched, there have been two major changes with the Honey Bears.

First, the team