Article Author:
The Canadian Press
Lori Ewing
Four years ago, the fledgling Canadian Elite Basketball League became the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of
Now he cannot imagine the landscape of basketball in Canada without it. Can you imagine if CEBL didn't exist?' There will be that void.
Moreale will be the league's champions ahead of the league's championship weekend starting Friday in Ottawa.
"Because of what has happened in the last four years and what we have been able to create, we employ about 500 people: staff, coaches, players and everyone,” he said.
"This is a big part of basketball in Canada in general. These are jobs that people aspire to or can learn. Saying we play basketball As much as it is, it's really about everything else: We're working with Canadian Basketball, U Sports, NBA Canada, and the (Toronto) Raptors to try to build a big basketball picture."
Morereale said he hosted breakfast Wednesday morning with coaches and general managers across the league. Among them are retired players Joel Anthony and Brady Heslip, who are his GMs in Montreal and Scarborough, respectively. It was a great example of the league's connection to Canadian basketball alumni.
“Just listening to their experiences and what they like, and any recommendations they may have, or just sharing stories, can get you jumping on the wall,” he says. "It's been interesting to see the dynamics off the court and it's all about building a culture."
This past season saw three new teams join the Montreal Alliance, Added Scarborough Shooting Stars and Newfoundland Growlers for a total of 10 teams.
He said: The successful expansion of the league from seven teams to three teams is a "huge leap". That's why it's been his highlight this season.
"It's a little bit like rolling the dice. This is unbelievable. But it's been incredible. 10 teams added by moving from coast to coast Flavor, the ability of these guys to move in. Fans get to experience different teams coming in and the level of talent is certainly incredible.
"So this year it's really level felt like it was different okay ok this league belongs we are coast to coast we have 10 teams and we have a foothold... now what do we want to do and where do we want to go or?”
Morereale hinted that there may be more expansion news in the coming weeks.
Morreale said Montreal's attendance average is around 90%, another highlight of his one season. And the fact that Scarborough made it to the Final 4 in his first season is his story of success.
"It speaks to their approach to the game and how they run the team, because they are our first outside (ownership) group," said Moreale. "I mean, you don't know, but you build in one way, you want it to go through the torch, and the group embraces it the rest of the way and does great things.
Shooting Star is owned by Nico Carino and Sam Ibrahim, one of the founding members of Drake's OVO brand.
Former Raptors guard Jalen Led by Harris, Scarborough advanced to the championship weekend with a 108-96 play-in win over Saskatchewan.
In the semi-finals, the Shooting Stars (12- 8) will take on the Niagara River Lions (13-7) in the other semifinal of Friday's All-Ontario Final Four, where the Hamilton Honey Badgers, who have the best regular season record of 14-6, will take on the Ottawa Blackjacks (8
"(The Shooting Stars) being here from a basketball standpoint is also a piece of cake. It's a great way to get into the league. Play well. and get them to experience the championship weekend first-hand, Moreale said, "Once you've experienced it, you'll want to come back year after year." Building a team in the FIBA Basketball Champions League of Americas. Thanks to winning his CEBL title last year, the Edmonton Stingers played in the Champions League but didn't make it past the first round. The winner of this weekend's final will represent Canada in action for the 2022-23 Champions League.
Last season's competition featured 12 teams from 7 countries.
TD Place will be hosting the championship weekend, with the final scheduled for Sunday. Moreale said the Blackjacks regular has averaged around 2,000 fans per season and expects a season-high of over 4,000 fans.
This Canadian Press report was first published on August 10, 2022.
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