A standard CEBL season is 20 games, but the league said it can t go beyond a late-August playoff finish because most of its players must report to their international pro teams by September.
The season will kick off with a rematch of the 2020 championship game between the defending champion Edmonton Stingers and the Fraser Valley Bandits, as well as a match in Hamilton between the Honey Badgers and the Ottawa Blackjacks.
The other teams in the league are the Saskatchewan Rattlers, Guelph Nighthawks and Niagara River Lions. Each team will play seven home and seven road games during a nine-week period.
(Saskatchewan Rattlers/Facebook)
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team unveiled its 2021 season schedule Thursday.
There are to be 14 games, pared down from the usual 20-game season to accommodate a June start to the season instead of May.
“The health and safety of fans, players, officials, and staff is our top priority, and we want to maximize the odds of having fans in the stands for as many games as possible this summer,” Rattlers vice-president Brad Kraft said in a statement.
“It is our hope that by summer our province will be better positioned in the fight against COVID-19 and restrictions around public gatherings and events may allow for some number of fans to attend games even if they must be socially distanced within our arena.”