10 Canada West student-athletes selected in 2024 CEBL Draft
Eight CW teams represented with draft selections
April 11, 2024 - Canada West’s deep talent pool in men’s basketball was on full display earlier Thursday, as a total of 10 Canada West student-athletes were selected by Canadian Elite Basketball League teams in the 2024 CEBL Draft.
The newly rebranded and expanded CEBL Draft serves as the league’s annual entry draft for eligible Canadian U SPORTS and CCAA student-athletes. This year’s draft was expanded to three rounds, with each CEBL team making three selections total of either returning or graduating Canadian post-secondary players.
Victoria’s Elias Ralph was the first CW student-athlete selected, going third overall to the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Ralph will bring his sharp shooting talents to Saskatoon after another strong season for the Canada West champion Vikes, where he averaged 15.8 points-per-game and shot 45.5% from beyond the arc.
UBC’s Adam Olsen was selected fourth overall by the Vancouver Bandits, while Manitoba's Simon Hildebrandt returns to the Winnipeg Sea Bears after being selected eighth.
A total of eight Canada West schools were represented in the draft, with Victoria and Calgary leading the way with two selections each. Victoria’s Renoldo Robinson was selected 21st by his hometown Montreal Alliance, while University of Calgary’s Nate Petrone (25th overall - Edmonton Stingers) and Noah Wharton (29th overall - Calgary Surge) were picked up by the CEBL’s two Alberta based clubs.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers were the sole CEBL team to dip into the Canada West talent pool with all three of their selections, also adding Alexander Dewar from the University of Saskatchewan at #18 and Isaac Simon of the Alberta Golden Bears at #23.
Trinity Western’s Connor Platz stays on the west coast after being selected #24 by the Vancouver Bandits, while the Winnipeg Sea Bears made another local selection by drafting University of Winnipeg standout Shawn Maranan at #28.
An Exciting Development Opportunity
The draft represents the first opportunity for a developmental player to join a CEBL team. CEBL clubs are incentivized to have developmental players on their active roster as up to a maximum of three will not count against a club’s per game active roster salary cap. All developmental players will become free agents at the conclusion of the CEBL season and can maintain eligibility to be selected in the 2025 CEBL Draft and/or sign with a CEBL club and re-enter the league as a developmental player next season.
The 2024 CEBL season tips off on May 21 when the Calgary Surge host provincial rival the Edmonton Stingers at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Click here to view full CEBL Draft results.
About Canada West
As the leading university athletic conference in the country, Canada West is home to student-athletes that excel in the classroom and their communities. The conference is comprised of 17 member institutions spanning from Victoria to Winnipeg, with over 3,200 student-athletes competing across 14 sports. Canada West’s mission is to train leaders and build champions by providing leadership in the delivery, regulation, and promotion of university level high performance sports programs throughout western Canada.