CEBL names Scarborough Shooting Stars as 8th franchise
Expansion club becomes 1st Greater Toronto Area based team
The Canadian Elite Basketball League has its eighth franchise.
On Monday, the league announced that the Scarborough Shooting Stars will become the first-ever Greater Toronto Area based team of the CEBL.
"Today marks an exciting milestone in the history of the CEBL as we announce our expansion to another market, while adding a tremendous new ownership group to help us continue to grow the game across the country," said Mike Morreale, CEO and Commissioner of the CEBL.
"Scarborough is a basketball hotbed that has produced some of Canada's very best players. When the new team hits the court in 2022 it will bring an elevated passion and love for the game, the Scarborough community, and for the next generation of CEBL stars."
Both are born and raised in Scarborough. The CEBL launched in 2018 and played its first season in 2019 with clubs in Hamilton, Edmonton, Guelph, Niagara, Fraser Valley and Saskatchewan, and then added Ottawa before the 2020 season.
The CEBL, which runs May through August, has the highest percentage of Canadian players — 75 per cent — of any pro sports league in the country.
The expansion franchise will begin play when the 2022 season opens next May and will host games at the Kimel Family Field House as part of the Goldring Centre at the University of Toronto St. George campus.
Additional details about the new club will be announced this fall and fans have already been offered secure priority access to season tickets.
With files from The Canadian Press
