Alberta's first professional basketball champions!

The Edmonton Stingers are bringing Alberta its first professional basketball championship, after defeating the Fraser Valley Bandits 90-73 in the final game of the 2020 Canadian Elite Basketball League Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ont., on August 9.

“On behalf of the entire basketball community, congratulations to the Stingers on their historic victory,” says Paul Sir, Alberta Basketball Association Executive Director. “The Stingers have made us proud in the way they have competed and represented our community, and we all share in their championship celebration.

“We look forward to seeing them play in Edmonton again in the future and helping to further build basketball in the city and province.”

ABA was well represented by the championship Stingers. Team Alberta alum Jordan Baker of Edmonton was one of the CEBL’s most dominant performers, leading all players with a rebounding average of 9.4, while shooting 56.7% from the field to rank fifth in the league.  Baker also hit two game-winning shots in Elam time. Baker’s fellow provincial team alum Zac Overwater, who hails from Didsbury, tied for third in the CEBL in three-point accuracy, shooting 50.0% from beyond the arc. Stingers assistant coach George Hoyt has worked with various ABA programs.

There are further Alberta connections on the team: Guard Mathieu Kamba is a native of Calgary, forward Brody Clarke played at the University of Alberta, and head coach Jermaine Small heads up the men’s basketball program at the University of Lethbridge. Additionally, ABA alum Kyle Landry led the CEBL with a three-point shooting rate of 80.0% as he helped the expansion Ottawa Blackjacks make a run to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Stingers.

Prior to the playoff round, the Stingers posted a 5-1 record in round-robin play, to finish first in the standings and earn the top seed entering the single-elimination phase.

This was the second year for the Stingers, who make their home at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

They were part of the 2019 inaugural season of the CEBL, which now features seven teams across Canada.

More information on the Stingers can be found at www.thestingers.ca and on the CEBL at www.cebl.ca