Year-round development options, CEBL pipeline could help keep Canadian hoops talent at home

When Queen's guard Cole Syllas hit the game-winning 3-pointer last weekend, the 2,400-plus crowd inside the school's athletic centre stormed the court. For Golden Gaels fans, tt was a buzzer-beater reminiscent of Kawhi Leonard's famous shot for the Raptors in the 2019 playoffs.

That Syllas so cooly drained his shot might have much to do with the experience he has gained playing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), a summer pro circuit that began play in 2019. He is one of a number of U Sports stars who have been given a chance to play professionally while maintaining their university eligibility.

The CEBL  has 10 teams across the country, and its U Sports partnership has effectively turned Canadian cities, and that city's respective province, into basketball hubs that retains Canadian talent.

According to Martin Timmerman who runs the go-to database for U Sports basketball, usportshoops.ca, eight U Sports players with CEBL experience will be competing in the men's basketball Final 8 this weekend. Most notably, first-ranked Victoria Vikes' star Diego Maffia played 14 games for the Vancouver Bandits last season.

CEBL's U Sports player of the year, Winnipeg Sea Bears' Simon Hildebrandt, will be missing from nationals as the Manitoba Bisons failed to qualify for the tournament.

WATCH | Queen's clinches OUA Wilson Cup at the buzzer:

St. Francis Xavier's star player Deon Ejim, who played for the Calgary Surge last summer, was sidelined from playing in the AUS championships, but learned to develop a pro's approach to the game.

"You go [back] into U Sports and you work on [your weaknesses]," Ejim said about what he learned this past season. "You have a whole summer, where you're living [and breathing] basketball,