Reddick and Thomas drafted into CEBL

X-Men Basketball guard Dondre Reddick was selected in the first round - ninth overall - in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) by the Calgary Surge, while guard Koat Thomas was drafted 15^th overall by the Scarborough Shooting Stars. The STFX athletes were two of three Atlantic University Sport student athletes drafted Thursday that featured 30 U SPORTS athletes being selected. Dalhousie's Malcolm Christie was selected sixth overall by Scarborough.

Dondre Reddick is a 6'3" guard from Antigonish, NS who was recognized as a U SPORTS second team all-Canadian this past season. He led the first place X-Men in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game, while also pulling in 6.0 rebounds per game. He was honored as an AUS first team all-star, following up on his second team nod from last year. Named to the AUS tournament all-star team, he helped guide the X-Men into the AUS championship final where they narrowly lost in overtime to Dalhousie.

Koat Thomas is a 6'6" guard from Waterloo, ON who had a breakout season with the X-Men in his freshman campaign. He garnered The AUS rookie of the year award, in addition to being named to the AUS all-rookie team and the national U SPORTS all-rookie team. Thomas averaged 8.3 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game starting in 14 games for the AUS finalist X-Men this season.

Reddick and Thomas become the fourth and fifth X-Men to be drafted in the CEBL. David Muenkat was drafted in both 2022 and 2023 and Deon Ejim in 2023.

The complete 2024 CEBL U SPORTS Draft release and results follow below.

2024 CEBL DRAFT CLASS ANNOUNCED

Thirty Canadian student-athletes from U SPORTS, CCAA selected over three rounds

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced the results of the 2024 CEBL Draft Thursday that saw 30 Canadian student-athletes selected over three rounds from 20 Canadian post-secondary institutions.

In March, the CEBL announced a newly rebranded and expanded draft format beginning in 2024 that includes all eligible Canadian U SPORTS and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) student-athletes. The CEBL Draft presents a coveted opportunity for top players in U SPORTS and the CCAA to get a chance to experience professional basketball by practicing and playing alongside veteran pros from the NBA, NBA G League, Canadian National team, and top international leagues.

Each CEBL club made three selections total (one in each round) in 2024 of either returning or graduating Canadian post-secondary players. The priority of selection in round one was the reverse order of how each team finished the 2023 regular season, and the following rounds reverted to a 'snake format' in reverse order of the previous round.

Some highlights from the 2024 CEBL Draft include the following:

• The Montréal Alliance drafted three local players including Ismaël Diouf (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) with the first overall pick, Bahaïde Haïdara (Montréal) and Renoldo Robinson (Montréal). Diouf led Laval University to the 2024 U SPORTS Men's Basketball National Championship and was named MVP of the tournament. Haïdara was named a 2024 RSEQ First Team All-Star at the Université du Québec à Montréal.
• The Brampton Honey Badgers selected three returning CEBL development players, including Callum Baker, Cole Syllas and David Walker. Baker was the 2024 OUA MVP and a First Team All Canadian at the University of Toronto. Walker was a finalist for the CEBL's 2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year Award last season with the Scarborough Shooting Stars.
• Two of the Saskatchewan Rattlers draft picks were local players, including Alexander Dewar (Saskatoon) and Isaac Simon (Regina).
• The Vancouver Bandits selected three local players, including Adam Olsen (Surrey), Jerric Palma (Richmond) and Connor Platz (Langley).
• The Ottawa BlackJacks selected two players from the University of Ottawa, including Dragan Stajic and Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré.
• Malcolm Christie, the 2024 AUS MVP and a First Team All-Canadian at Dalhousie University, and Koat Thomas, the 2024 AUS Rookie of the Year and U SPORTS All-Rookie Team member from St. Francis Xavier University, were selected by Scarborough with the sixth overall and 15^th overall picks, respectively.
• Taye Donald, a 2024 Second Team All Canadian and First Team OUA All-Star at Wilfrid Laurier University, and Nate Petrone, a 2024 First Team All-Canadian and Canada West First Team All-Star from the University of Calgary, were selected by the Edmonton Stingers with the 16^th and 25^th overall picks, respectively.
• The Winnipeg Sea Bears brought back 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year and back-to-back (2023, 2024) Canada West First Team All-Star Simon Hildebrandt from the University of Manitoba with the eighth overall pick.
• The Calgary Surge selected Dondre Reddick out of St. Francis Xavier University with the ninth overall pick. Reddick was a 2024 Second Team All-Canadian and First Team AUS All-Star.
• The Niagara River Lions drafted 2024 U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All Canadian Luka Syllas from Queen's University with the 11^th overall pick. The team also made CEBL history by drafting Jerry Jr. Mercury out of Mohawk College with the 30^th overall selection, making him the league's first-ever CCAA draft pick.

The full 2024 CEBL Draft results are as follows:

For more information on each player selected in the 2024 CEBL Draft, please visit cebl.ca/cebl-draft-2024-results.