Ottawa BlackJacks Announce 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Draft Picks
The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday their two picks from the 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Draft. Selections included Sukhman Sandhu of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (seventh overall) and Guillaume Pépin of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (14th overall).
A six-foot-10 centre from Surrey, British Columbia, Sukhman Sandhu has averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 19.1 minutes in 97 games split between the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (47) and the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades (50).
It won’t be Sandhu’s first experience in the CEBL. He was chosen by the Vancouver Bandits with the fourth pick in the second round of the CEBL U SPORTS Draft last season and played three games with the team.
This past Winter, Sandhu averaged 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 22.7 minutes in 31 games with the Thunderbirds. He recorded four double-doubles and posted a season-best 26 points, shooting six-for-eight from behind the arc on February 4 against his former U SPORTS team in Fraser Valley. The sharpshooter also hit a season-high six three pointers during a November 16 rivalry clash with Trinity Western.
In 2021-22, after playing his previous three years at the University of the Fraser Valley, Sandhu set career highs across the board with the Cascades; including points per game (16.4), rebounds per game (6.8), as well as field goal percentage (.554) and three-point field goal percentage (.551). On November 12, Sandhu scored a career-high 30 points in a 99-65 victory against UBC Okanagan.
A familiar face in the nation’s capital, Guillaume Pépin is no stranger to the BlackJacks. He will be participating in his third training camp with the team after being selected 16th overall during the 2022 U SPORTS Draft and 11th overall by Ottawa the previous year.
A six-foot-six forward from Montréal, Pépin has averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10 games with the BlackJacks. He played one game with the team during the 2021 post-season, totalling eight points and five rebounds in a crucial quarter-final victory against the Honey Badgers.
As a member of the Gee-Gees, Pépin has averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 29.9 minutes in 82 games. This past season, he earned U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian and OUA First Team All-Star honours and helped his team win the OUA title. He recorded a career-high .380 from three-point range and led Ottawa in scoring for the third time in his career, finishing the season with seven 20-plus point scoring performances. On January 20, he crossed the career 1,000-point scoring mark, becoming only the 12th player in program history to reach the milestone.
The 2023 CEBL U SPORTS Draft will give 20 student-athletes from 17 Canadian universities the opportunity to experience professional basketball by practicing and playing alongside veteran professionals from the NBA, NBA G League, Canadian national team, and top international leagues. Each CEBL 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.
The Ottawa BlackJacks 2023 season opener will take place at the Arena at TD Place on May 24. Fans can now purchase BlackJacks season seat memberships, Flex Packs and single game tickets at theblackjacks.ca/tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected].
Quotes:
"The CEBL U SPORTS Draft is always an exciting time because we truly get to dive into homegrown talent. This year, we used our second-round pick for Guillaume, who’s concluded an exceptional collegiate career at the University of Ottawa. He has also come up big for us on several occasions, dating back to the 2021 quarter-final game against the Honey Badgers. With our first-round pick, we opted to add some size and shooting to our front court with Sukhman Sandhu out of the University of British Columbia. Sukhman has the tools and skillset to impact the game and we’re excited to be a part of his growth.”
- Jevohn Shepherd, General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations,
Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club