Ottawa BlackJacks Lloyd Pandi Named 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year
Aug 21, 2020
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Friday that Ottawa BlackJacks guard Lloyd Pandi was named the 2020 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s coaches, General Managers and media covering the series. Pandi earned the award over fellow finalist Rashawn Browne, of the Saskatchewan Rattlers and will receive a custom-designed ring courtesy of the CEBL award partner, Jostens.
Despite being the youngest player at the CEBL Summer Series, the 6-foot-4 guard from Ottawa made his presence felt when on the court, averaging 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 22.0 minutes in six games as a member of the expansion CEBL franchise. Pandi led the team in steals, field goal percentage (.486), and offensive rebounds (2.3), and ranked fifth in points scored for the BlackJacks.
Pandi, who wasn’t on the BlackJacks inaugural training camp roster, joined the team July 29 in St. Catharines following the departure of guard Phil Scrubb. Pandi, who helped the BlackJacks win their first game in franchise history July 30 against Fraser Valley, had to quickly find his role within the team and adjust to professional basketball.
“I’m just trying to bring energy, just trying to help my team wins. Whatever they ask me to do, I’m just going to go out there and get rebounds, and just bring a lot of energy. I know we have a lot of good scorers; we have a lot of good players and I’m just trying to bring something that the older guys won’t have to worry about because I know they have jobs to do,” said Pandi after the last round-robin game against the Rattlers.
Pandi was drafted by the BlackJacks in the second round (14th overall) of the CEBL U SPORTS draft. Averaging 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 22.5 minutes in 22 games as a freshman for the Carleton Ravens this season, Pandi and his team captured the national championship. The native of Ottawa was named 2019-20 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year and was selected as a Second Team All Canadian. Pandi attended Ashbury College and earned a national championship with Team Ontario.
Other members of the Ottawa BlackJacks have been nominated for major CEBL awards. Head coach Osvaldo Jeanty is a finalist for the CEBL Coach of the Year award, while Thomas Scrubb is in the race for the Canadian Player of the Year. Both awards are scheduled to be announced next week.
The CEBL Summer Series tipped off July 25 and became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country. The Edmonton Stingers, who knocked off the BlackJacks in the Summer Series semifinals, raised the 2020
CEBL championship trophy after defeating the Fraser Valley Bandits in the title game. The final three contests were televised live nationally on CBC, the CBC Gem App and CBCSports.ca. The championship game was also available to more than 130 million viewers internationally thanks to distribution agreements secured in Australia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan by MEDIAPRO Canada, the international media rights and production partner of the CEBL. All Summer Series games were also livestreamed on Twitch.
Ottawa BlackJacks fans can now reserve their 2021 season seat membership by placing a $50 deposit before August and receive 12% off their purchase. For more information, visit www.theblackjacks.ca or call 1-613-690-0519.
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