LLOYD
PANDI

Lloyd Pandi scored the game-winning basket on a driving layup through a pair of Montreal defenders as the Ottawa BlackJacks (4-8) managed to hold off a hard-charging Alliance (3-10) in Target Score Time to squeak out a 92-91 win Thursday at The Arena at TD Place. Pandi, a 6-foot-4 guard from Ottawa, finished Thursday’s contest with a rugged 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He played with grit and toughness the entire game, and his efforts were rewarded by BlackJacks head coach James Derouin giving him the ball with the game on the line. “I just wanted to make a play,” Pandi told sideline reporter Jackie Perez of his game-winning take to the basket. “Coach put the ball in my hand for a reason. If somebody else was open I was gonna spray the ball, or, if I had the lane, I was gonna go to the bucket and that's what I do best.” The win caps off a successful 2-1 three-game homestand for the BlackJacks, who are desperately trying to chase down the Brampton Honey Badgers for third in the Eastern Conference. A win is always going to just be a win on paper, but Ottawa made earning Thursday’s one far more adventurous than it had to be. “We probably just had enough of a cushion going in to hang on, to be honest with you,” said Derouin after the game. “If you love [Target Score] then you enjoyed that, and if you don’t then time runs out and we win by 10. So that’s part of the game here in this league and, luckily, we had just enough cushion to hang on.” With 4:38 left to play in the fourth quarter, and Target Score Time looming, the BlackJacks held a 14-point lead, 83-69, that was fueled by a 14-5 Ottawa run that saw BlackJacks newcomers Tevin Brown and Shamar Givance contribute with Brown going off for three straight threes and Givance converting on a pretty and-one layup. “I’m just looking to come out and run through the sets that the coaches give us, and whenever I can get an open shot it’s my job to come here and take them, and that’s what I did tonight,” said Brown, who finished with a BlackJacks team-high 20 points, going 6-for-12 from three-point range. Ottawa carried a comfortable 83-72 lead when Target Score Time was officially called. That comfort wouldn’t last long, however, as Alliance guard Jordan Bowden erupted to begin the clock-off period, scoring nine of his game-high 26 points in Target Score Time, including a go-ahead three that put Montreal up 91-90. Unfortunately for the Alliance that ended up setting up Pandi’s game-winning drive, but Montreal did a lot of good work during Target Score Time, outscoring Ottawa 19-9. That’s still cold comfort for an Alliance team that’s now dropped five games in a row, and six of their last seven. Ultimately, as the Championship Weekend host, Montreal will get an opportunity to compete for the CEBL title at the end of the season, but this hasn’t been the momentum-building kind of season that Montreal envisioned. “We don’t give up,” said Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Jr. “This is a professional sport, this is our job, so I don’t really give out awards for participation. So, we’ve got to get better. But, the guys are fighting, I know they’re giving me everything they’ve got. We’ve just got to figure some things out.” For the BlackJacks, it wasn’t the prettiest way to win, but the name of the game for them is just finding ways to win and they did that Thursday night. The new additions of Brown and Givance look like they will give Ottawa a much-needed boost at the guard spots – particularly with Brandon Sampson out with injury – and the twin tower tandem of Zena Edosomwan, whose four rebounds he collected Thursday put him over 250 for his CEBL career in the regular season, and Isaih Moore ensure that at any given time on the floor opponents have to deal with a real load down low. “When they’re both in the lineup we can kind of use the Dallas Mavericks’ platoon system [with Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively II] brining in a fresh big over and over again to try to wear the other team down.” Up Next There will be no time for the Alliance to lick their wounds as they return home Friday for an encounter with the Winnipeg Sea Bears. Meanwhile, the BlackJacks will open a three-game road trip Saturday against the Niagara River Lions. 

The inconsistent Ottawa BlackJacks (3-8) will be looking to close out their three-game homestand with a win as they welcome in a Montreal Alliance (3-9) team hoping to snap their four-game losing streak Thursday. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET from The Arena at TD Place, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be televised on Game+ in Canada and NLSE in the United States. Ottawa’s had a rollercoaster-like season, with just enough highs to give hope that just might be a solid season to be salvaged, but more often than not the results just haven’t shown. Take what happened last time the BlackJacks played last Saturday against the Calgary Surge. Ottawa played a fabulous first half, leading by as much as 17 against one of the hottest teams in the CEBL right now, but squandered it in the second half and end up losing by 10. The game was like a microcosm of Ottawa’s entire season so far and with just nine games to play, including Thursday’s contest, the BlackJacks need to find ways to string together complete strong performances, as opposed to just the flashes they’ve shown here and there with an Eastern Conference that’s still very much up for grabs. Despite their record, a top-two spot in the Eastern Conference is still a very real possibility for the BlackJacks, and with a floundering Alliance team in town to close out what has been a 1-1 homestand so far before they hit the road for three games, the BlackJacks need to find a way to seize this opportunity. For the Alliance, there’s less concern for where they are in the standings as they will be hosting Championship Weekend and get an automatic bye to the title tournament. Still, having lost four straight and five of their last six games, the Alliance would likely like to build up some momentum over their last eight games so they can have a good showing during Championship Weekend. Facing Ottawa for the third time this season, Montreal should have as good a chance as it’s going to have facing off against the league’s second-worst offensive and defensive teams, according to points per game and points allowed per game. The Alliance should be able to reconnect with its second-leading scorer, Chris Smith, who missed the team's last game due to an injury. The team will also be able to rely on the duo of Jordan Bowden and Ahmed Hill. Neither team is where it wants to be midway through the season, but Thursday presents an opportunity for both to take a step forward towards their respective goals. Milestone watch · Ottawa’s Zena Edosomwan needs three rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season only. · Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate needs seven three-pointers made to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. 2024 season series This will be the third meeting between these two teams, with the season series split at 1-1 heading into it. Montreal won the last encounter, 104-89, but that was a much different BlackJacks team than the one that the Alliance will be seeing Thursday evening, with Deng Adel and Zena Edosomwan back in the fold for Ottawa. However, dynamic BlackJacks guard Brandon Sampson is expected to be out this time due to injury. Both sides will play each other one more time after Thursday on July 14 in Montreal.

The Montreal Alliance (1-3) are looking to build on the momentum of their first win of the season as they welcome in an Ottawa BlackJacks (0-3) team that’s still searching for its first victory in the 2024 campaign. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Verdun Auditorium, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+, RDS.ca, the RDS app, Courtside 1891 (outside of North America) and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The game will also be televised on TSN, RDS and NLSE in the United States. The Alliance managed to defeat the Brampton Honey Badgers Sunday, 95-77, despite being without leading scorer Jordan Bowden, who was placed on the injured list on May 30 with a lower-body injury. In his absence, fellow Alliance starters Chris Smith and Ahmed Hill chipped in with 23 and 19 points, respectively as Montreal routed Brampton. The 95 points Montreal put up Sunday was an encouraging step in the right direction for an offence that’s been inconsistent this season. In two of the Alliance’s four games thus far, they’ve been held to below 78 points, while in their other two contests, they’ve put up 90 and the 95 from Sunday’s outing. “Staying consistent in what we do,” said Alliance interim head coach Ryan Thorne Sunday. “Where we would fall short often times was we would play iso ball. … We [have] to trust each other, move the ball side to side, make the defence move to create greater opportunities.” Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr., who has been away from the team as he completed his obligations as head coach of Pioneros de Los Mochis of CIBACOPA in Mexico, will coach his first game with the club Wednesday. For Ottawa, the 0-3 start is the worst in franchise history. The team has been shorthanded to begin the year, with key starters from last season Deng Adel and Zena Edosomwan away completing their professional seasons overseas. With some key absences across the roster, there’s been a need for other players to step up for the BlackJacks, and American imports Brandon Sampson and Isaih Moore look to be those guys. Both are averaging 19 points per game in just their second and first CEBL seasons, respectively. If Ottawa is going to finally win a ball game this season, it’ll more than likely be because of the efforts of Sampson and Moore. Key matchup The battle between Montreal’s Smith and Ottawa’s Moore should be a fun one to watch. Both men are long, athletic bigs that can rim run with the best of them. Moore is listed to have an inch over Smith (6-foot-10 compared to 6-foot-9), so that might be a small advantage in favour of Moore. However, with both players doing such similar things on the floor and emerging as key contributors for their respective teams, it’ll be interesting to see who can get the better of the other – particularly because that could just be the deciding factor in the game. Milestone watch · Montreal’s Guillaume Payen-Boucard, of Montreal, Que., needs 12 points to reach 500 for his career, regular season only. · Montreal’s Ahmed Hill needs seven rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Ottawa’s Jermel Kennedy, of Malton, Ont., needs eight rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Montreal’s Guillaume Payen-Boucard, of Montreal, Que., needs two assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season only. · Ottawa’s Lloyd Pandi, of Ottawa, Ont., needs three assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate needs seven assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Montreal’s Ahmed Hill needs four steals to reach 50 for his career, regular season only. 2023 season series The Alliance finished their season series 2-1 against the Blackjacks last season. In the third and final matchup between the two sides in 2023, Hill drilled a three-pointer in Target Score Time to seal the win and the season series for Montreal.

Coming off a pair of 40-point outbursts to begin the season, Teddy Allen and the Winnipeg Sea Bears (1-1) are looking to keep momentum rolling at home when they host the Ottawa BlackJacks (0-2) Saturday. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. local/8:30 p.m. ET from Canada Life Centre, with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor , TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. Allen, last season’s CEBL MVP, is in fine form to begin the season, averaging 40.5 points per game with a 40-point performance to begin the season against the Saskatchewan Rattlers, followed up by 41-ball in Winnipeg’s last game versus the defending champion Scarborough Shooting Stars. Following up on a thrilling home victory that saw them come from behind and win on an Alex Campbell three, the Sea Bears are welcoming in the BlackJacks, who are off to a rough start to the season and could be in for another tough time Saturday heading into what will almost assuredly be a raucous Canada Life Centre. The Sea Bears fans packed the arena with 9,116 last game, the second-largest attendance ever for a regular-season CEBL contest. “Honestly, I’ve been in a lot of arenas in my career and that was one of the loudest I’ve ever heard,” said Winnipeg guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson after the Sea Bears’ win over the Shooting Stars. “It felt like your head was going to fall off.” Ottawa’s had a difficult time finding offence over its first two games, averaging 83 points per game, third-worst in the league. This early-season issue was most indicative by the way the BlackJacks dropped their last game, falling 92-84 to the Edmonton Stingers in their home opener Wednesday. Both Ottawa and Edmonton entered Target Score Time knotted up at 81 apiece, but the BlackJacks only managed three points during the finishing period, dooming their chances. A bright spot for Ottawa, however, is newcomer Isaih Moore, who only played his first-ever CEBL game Wednesday. The 6-foot-10 Moore, who played 10 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League last season, finished Wednesday’s game with 22 points and six rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting. The addition of Moore looks to give the BlackJacks a much-needed offensive lift as Ottawa still remains without 2023 starters Deng Adel and Zena Edosomwan, who are currently completing their professional seasons overseas, and possibly starting guard Yasiin Joseph, who was forced to exit Wednesday’s contest with an elbow injury. The Sea Bears will also be seeing additional reinforcements heading their way, just not in time for Saturday’s game. Winnipeg native Emmanuel Akot will be coming home to play for the Sea Bears this season after the conclusion of his season with Heroes Den Bosch of BNXT League. The 6-foot-8 forward played a couple games with the BlackJacks last season. Key matchup Allen has been terrorizing the CEBL with this ability to score at all three levels, but if there’s one weakness to be found in his game, it’s an inconsistent three-point stroke. Through two games, Allen has taken 27 threes, but has only made nine of them (33.3 per cent). If you compare that to the 14-for-26 (53.8 per cent) he’s shooting on two-point attempts, it’s fairly obvious which areas of the floor he should be looking to attack from more often. It’s unlikely that any one BlackJack will be able to slow Allen down, but if they can send multiple defenders his way and make a concerted effort to stick to a gameplan that forces him to take tougher threes then Ottawa could find some success. Milestone watch · Ottawa’s Jermel Kennedy, of Malton, Ont., needs nine rebounds to reach 250 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Winnipeg’s Chad Posthumus needs 14 rebounds to reach 400 for his career, regular season only. · Winnipeg’s Teddy Allen needs seven assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season only. · Ottawa’s Lloyd Pandi, of Ottawa, Ont., needs eight assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Ottawa’s Tyrrel Tate needs eight assists to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. · Winnipeg’s Teddy Allen needs five steals to reach 50 for his career, regular season only. · Winnipeg’s Teddy Allen needs nine three-pointers made to reach 100 for his career, regular season and playoffs. 2023 season series The Sea Bears and BlackJacks saw each other just once last season in Ottawa, with the BlackJacks emerging as 99-86 victors, despite a 26-point, 10-rebound effort from Allen.

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday its official training camp roster in preparation for the 2024 CEBL season. Led by General Manager and Head Coach James Derouin, and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Jevohn Shepherd, Ottawa’s current training camp roster consists of 16 players. Earlier today, the BlackJacks also announced the signing of six-foot-six forward Alonzo Walker, who just completed his fourth professional season in Slovakia. Walker has experience in the CEBL, having competed with the Niagara River Lions in 2022 and 2023. Highlights of the 2024 Ottawa BlackJacks roster include: Five players with NBA G League or NBA Summer League experience (Abu Kigab, Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson, Peter Jok, and Tyrrel Tate). Six players who have suited up for the BlackJacks in the past (Abu Kigab, Dragan Stajic, James Jean-Marie, Lloyd Pandi, Tyrrel Tate, and Yasiin Joseph). Seven players with ties to the nation’s capital (Dragan Stajic, JD Muila, Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Kevin Otoo, Lloyd Pandi, Michael Kelvin II, and Yasiin Joseph). Two American players (Brandon Sampson, Ibi Watson). One Sudanese player (Peter Jok). Three players who have signed their first professional contract (Justin Ndjock-Tadjoré, Michael Kelvin II, Kevin Otoo). 10 players with CEBL experience. 11 NCAA Division I alumni. The Ottawa BlackJacks have previously announced the signing of American forward Jakeenan Gant, Canadian guard Javon Masters, and Canadian guard Keevan Veinot. These players have been placed on the club’s suspended list and will join the team upon the completion of their current international season. Training Camp is set to on Saturday, May 18, at Collège La Cité. Members of the media who are seeking accreditation for BlackJacks Media Day, training sessions and home games are invited to apply through the BlackJacks portal: https://www.theblackjacks.ca/media-accreditation . The BlackJacks will be responsible for the review process and delivery of the accreditation decisions. Further information will be sent to media once accreditation is approved. Ottawa BlackJacks 2024 Training Camp Roster