Sharma goes 2nd overall to lead nine OUA picks in CEBL-U SPORTS Draft

Toronto, Ont. (via U SPORTS) - The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced the results of the 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Draft on Wednesday after 10 CEBL franchises drafted 20 student-athletes from 17 Canadian universities over two rounds of selections. This presents a coveted opportunity for top players in U SPORTS to get a chance to experience professional basketball by practicing and playing alongside veteran pro's from the NBA, NBA G League, Canadian National team, and top international leagues.

Each team had one pick in each of the two rounds. The order of selection had the latest expansion team, the Winnipeg Sea Bears, pick first, followed by the reverse order of finish in the 2022 regular season standings. Winnipeg drafted Simon Hildebrandt as their first-ever CEBL U SPORTS Draft pick, a second-year 6-foot-9 forward from the University of Manitoba. The Winnipeg native averaged 16.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in the 2022-23 season and received the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy for U SPORTS Rookie of the Year honours. Hildebrandt was named a Second Team All-Canadian and given U SPORTS All-Rookie Team honours this past season.

The Montréal Alliance selected Aryan Sharma of Western University with the second pick of the first round. The Milton, Ont. native averaged 23.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 2022-23 while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. The Calgary Surge then selected current year graduate Mason Bourcier of Trinity Western University who averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 20 games played. The 6-foot-4 guard was also named a Canada West Team All-Star and a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian. The Kelowna, B.C. native was drafted 18^th overall in the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Draft by the Newfoundland Growlers and sixth overall in the 2019 CEBL Entry Draft.

Somto Dimanochie of York University was selected fourth overall by the Edmonton Stingers. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged a career and team-high 20.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 2022-23. Dimanochie was picked 11^th overall by Edmonton in the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Draft. The Saskatchewan Rattlers picked Anthony Tsegakele of Brandon University fifth overall. This is Tsegakele's third consecutive year being drafted in the CEBL after being picked fourth overall last year by Saskatchewan and sixth overall in 2021 by the Vancouver Bandits.

Vancouver selected Diego Maffia of University of Victoria with their seventh pick. Maffia, a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian and Canada West First Team All-Star in 2022-23 averaged 24.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 20 games played. The Ottawa BlackJacks then selected Sukhman Sandhu of University of British Columbia. The 6-foot-10 Surrey, B.C. native was drafted 14^th overall by Vancouver last year.

The Niagara River Lions picked four-time U SPORTS national champion Aiden Warnholtz of Carleton University eighth overall. The first-team All-Canadian averaged a career-high 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2022-23 before winning the Jack Donohue Trophy awarded to the U SPORTS Championship Finals MVP.

David Muenkat of STFX University was picked ninth overall by the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Muenkat, a first-overall pick of the 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Draft, won the 2022-23 U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year and was named a Second Team All-Canadian. Muenkat also led STFX to the U SPORTS National Championship final this past season as he averaged a career-best 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 20 games played.

The 2022 CEBL champion Brampton Honey Badgers selected Najee Brown-Henderson of the University of Windsor 10^th overall with the final pick of the first round. Brown-Henderson averaged 20.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and five assists in 22 games played in the 2022-23 season.

The complete 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Draft results are below: