J. Cole, Shooting Stars lose CEBL debut to Nighthawks

GUELPH, Ont. — The expansion Scarborough Shooting Stars and rapper J. Cole left as losers Thursday night in their Canadian Elite Basketball League debut.

The Guelph Nighthawks won 89-80 in their season opener with Ahmed Hill, an undrafted free agent who played four pre-season games for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2019-20 season, showing a hot hand in the final quarter.

Cat Barber led Guelph with 20 points while Hill and A.J. Lawson had 18 apiece.

Jalen Harris and Kam Chatman had 21 points each for Scarborough.

The 37-year-old Cole finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting, all from distance, with one rebound, one assist and one foul in 14 minutes 49 seconds of action. Scarborough was outscored by nine points while he was on the floor.

Cole, whose full name is Jermaine Lamarr Cole, started on the Scarborough bench at the Sleeman Centre with Harris a former Toronto Raptor draft choice, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who saw action in five Memphis Grizzlies games in 2017-18, in the backcourt.

Harris played in 13 games for the Raptors, who drafted him in the second round (59th overall) in 2020. He was "dismissed and disqualified" from the league last July for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA anti-drug program.

The six-foot-three Cole entered the game to cheers with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter and Scarborough leading 10-8. He shared a smile with Guelph's Barber, who pounded him playfully on the chest.

Cole's first shot attempt was a three-pointer that bounced off the rim. It was the only shot he tried in his first stint on the court, which featured some somewhat frantic defence.

He entered the game again with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. His second shot attempt, also from behind the three-point line, was an