OTTAWA BLACKJACKS ANNOUNCE FINAL ROSTER

The first roster of the Ottawa BlackJacks was assembled by GM Dave Smart, a 14-time national champion as the head coach and Director of Basketball Operations at Carleton University. Smart chose former Carleton student-athlete and coach Osvaldo Jeanty to be the first head coach in BlackJacks history. A five-time national champion as a player for Carleton, Jeanty went on to a successful professional career before making the move to coaching following his retirement in 2013. He will look to use his vast experience and coaching ability to guide the BlackJacks through the 2020 season. Jeanty might be the most competitive person in the gym.

With the GM and coach both proven winners, it only makes sense that the roster would be filled with players who fit that same mold. The players on the BlackJacks roster have won a combined 26 national championships in their university careers, and the majority attended either Carleton University or the University of Ottawa, further establishing the BlackJacks as a team with deep Ottawa roots. The BlackJacks also stayed local in this spring’s U SPORTS Draft, selecting three current Carleton players in TJ Lall, Lloyd Pandi, and Alain Louis. Although the team has plenty of youth, many of the BlackJacks players went on to great international success after their time in school. Jeanty knows how valuable that will be to his team as they prepare to take on the challenge of a condensed tournament and the unusual situation of professional sports during COVID-19. “I think the experience is definitely going to help us,” Jeanty said. “We have a good combination of youth and guys who have been doing it for a long time.” The coach spoke to the benefits that combination brings on the court as well, as he detailed the ways that he could rely on the younger players to bring energy, while the veterans use their high basketball IQ to play a different style.

The BlackJacks may be the only pro team in the country to be 100% Canadian with five players also having experience on Canada’s national team. 

As one looks up and down the BlackJacks 2020 roster, it is clear that the team was constructed with a specific vision in mind. While some teams have chosen to stock up on big men, Ottawa has seemingly adopted a different philosophy. Forward Kyle Landry (six-foot-nine) is the only player on the team who is listed as taller than six-foot-eight. The BlackJacks have many players who carry a strong three-point shot in their bag of tricks. Chief among the collection of sharpshooters are the renowned brother duo of Philip and Thomas Scrubb. The talent is deep on this team, including electrifying guards Johnny Berhanemeskel and Utah Jazz draft pick Olivier Hanlan, in addition to aforementioned Landry, who recently represented Canada on the FIBA 3x3 circuit. Jeanty confirmed that Ottawa will lean on its outside shooting this season, saying that “basketball has changed quite a bit overall, and the three-point shot has been a big part of it. It’s definitely something we like as our strength, and it doesn’t clog the paint as much, which leaves more options for the dribble drives.”  

The BlackJacks will certainly hope to use their floor spacing effectively due to the lack of overwhelming size on the roster, but another thing that fans can count on when watching the BlackJacks is up-tempo, entertaining basketball. Jeanty plans to use Ottawa’s speed to counteract any trouble that they may have with opposing big men, emphasizing the importance of Ottawa’s ball movers to the team’s success. “We wanted the best players available (when making our roster), and ball movement was important,” the coach confirmed. “To have the guys who can really think the game, pass the ball, and handle the ball. For us, there were a lot of guys from Ottawa who had that type of talent.” The BlackJacks roster is full of skilled passers, and Jeanty will look to established pros like Philip Scrubb and Hanlan to keep the ball moving, as well as recent graduates Yasiin Joseph and Munis Tutu.  

One of the few non-Ottawa players is Shaquille Keith, a six-foot-six energetic guard that can play multiple positions. He won a CEBL championship with the Saskatchewan Rattlers last season, after starting the 2019 campaign with the Hamilton Honey Badgers. Add Ottawa-native and six-foot-eight forward Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles, who moves like a guard but can handle the rock inside, and the BlackJacks seem to have a complete package.

On paper, the 2020 Ottawa BlackJacks have as good a shot as anyone to hoist the trophy at the end of the CEBL Summer Series. Talented, smart, and athletic, this team knows how to deal with the pressure that will come from nine games in 16 days. Will the nation’s capital be basketball’s capital in 2020?