With the NBA basketball on its summer break, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) has filled a gap. Over the past seven years, the league has been building a stage for Canadian basketball fans to witness professional-level basketball in their backyards.
But fans are not just watching players with professional experience in Europe, NBA, and G-League — they are watching the landscape of Canadian basketball shift with every dribble of the ball.
Among the veterans and imports stand U SPORTS student-athletes in a pseudo-internship where they have the opportunity to not only develop their skills as basketball players but as professional athletes in the making.
With products of U SPORTS going on to sign contracts with pro teams in Europe or transferring to D1 programs in the NCAA, the U SPORTS basketball landscape is developing alongside the CEBL.
For many fans, this may be the first time they are realizing Canadian university basketball players are up to par with products of the NCAA. But for most of these university basketball players, this is their first taste of seeing what they could be.
Exhibit A: Sam Maillet, Vancouver Bandits (Dalhousie University and University of Victoria)
Take Sam Maillet, for instance. After suiting up for Dalhousie University in 2023–24, the Moncton guard joined the Vancouver Bandits as a U SPORTS Development Player. Training and competing alongside seasoned professionals gave him a sharper edge, both mentally and physically.
When he returned to school, this time at the University of Victoria for his fifth and final year of U SPORTS eligibility, he brought that pro-level mentality with him — helping guide the program to a national championship, earning U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year honours, and ultimately signing his first professional contract with the Bandits.
His path captures exactly what this partnership was designed to achieve: creating a homegrown bridge between Canadian university basketball and the professional game.
Exhibit B and C: Ben Kamba and DJ Jackson
Maillet's standout journey serves as just one example of how the CEBL can serve as a platform for U SPORTS players to hone their talents.
Emerging players like Ben Kamba and DJ Jackson were busy writing their own chapters this past season with the Calgary Surge. Ben Kamba's path to the CEBL has been less conventional. A fourth-year guard from the University of Regina Cougars, he played for NAIT and SAIT in the CCAA before stepping into the Cougars' roster.
After overcoming an injury-plagued season in 2023–24, he played a full season in 2024-25, posting a 13.5 points per game average and a 48.6 field goal percentage. He joined the Surge as a practice roster player for the 2025 season before signing a pro-contract on Aug. 10 and debuting in Calgary's final regular-season game at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
But that opportunity to train and compete at a pro level offered him a vital glimpse of what he could become and the standards he now carries back to the Cougars.
DJ Jackson and Ben Kamba honed their skills with the Calgary Surge this past summer, gaining professional experience that will elevate their games back in U SPORTS. Photo: Mia Gilje/The Gauntlet
Kamba feels his approach to how he plays his game has changed over the past few months.
"I feel like things were slowed down for me a little bit," he said in an interview with OB.SESSED. "I [will be] bringing back some leadership skills. Like, how to talk to guys, how to bring guys up, how to work hard, how to lead a team in the world."
Meanwhile, DJ Jackson of the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men has been blazing his trail. The Mississauga guard dominated the 2024–25 AUS season, becoming the U SPORTS scoring champion with 24.4 points per game and leading the country in free throws made with 124.
His exceptional season earned him AUS MVP, U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian, and St. FX’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Soon after, he was selected sixth overall in the 2025 CEBL Draft by the Calgary Surge — an opportunity he called “a blessing… just because I want to develop. I’m grateful.”
Now with Calgary, Jackson is embracing the challenge of playing alongside pros. “I’m with pros, my big bros — it’s a big experience. I think I’m a way better player, just staying locked in,” he said, noting that the environment is sharpening his game in ways that will pay off when he returns to U SPORTS.
For Jackson, the mission is clear: “Always be better. Better season. Last year we needed a title, and hopefully we'll get one this year.”
Shifting Perceptions
For coaches, the transformation is just as visible as it is for players.
Tyrell Vernon — head coach at St. FX with experience coaching in the CEBL with both the Scarborough Shooting Stars (2022, 2023) and Calgary Surge (2024) — is a prime witness to how the league has changed the way U SPORTS athletes are viewed.
In an interview with OB.SESSED, he describes the CEBL as a “stepping stone” that has made Canadian university basketball not only a developmental path but also a recruiting pitch.
Top-tier U SPORTS players are no longer simply chasing elusive NCAA scholarships or waiting for a chance overseas; instead, they’re stepping into professional locker rooms, sharing meals and film sessions with former NBA and G League players, and returning to their universities with sharpened routines, stronger habits, and clearer goals.
Victor Raso, head coach and general manager of the Niagara River Lions, brings a deep connection to U SPORTS basketball, having won a national championship as a player with Carleton in 2015 and then won another under Dave Smart on their coaching staff. Photo: Mia Gilje/The Gauntlet
He is anticipating this change in his players, including Jackson with the Surge and Gatlauk James, who was also selected in the 2025 CEBL Draft by the Niagara River Lions. With both teams competing in the CEBL’s Championship Weekend, it’s a valuable opportunity for all of these athletes to gain experience on a big stage.
Or, as Vernon puts it, the CEBL has given U SPORTS athletes “clarity” — a sense that if they put in the work, there is money, opportunity, and a sustainable career in basketball waiting on the other side.
"I think it's all a part of the process," Vernon says. "It's all about the growth part of growing. As long as we keep that lens on it, I think basketball [in Canada] is growing and we're in a great place."
What's next? Or what could be?
In just seven seasons, the CEBL–U SPORTS partnership has already reshaped the basketball pipeline in Canada. From breakout stories like Sam Maillet to emerging talents such as Ben Kamba and D.J. Jackson, student-athletes are no longer just developing in relative obscurity — they’re testing themselves against pros, gaining the habits and mindset of professionals, and bringing that elevated standard back to their campuses.
For fans, it’s a chance to witness Canadian talent blossom at home; for athletes, it’s proof that U SPORTS can be a springboard to Europe, the NCAA, or a long-term career in the CEBL itself.
The message is clear: Canadian basketball doesn’t need to look south of the border for validation — the future is being built here, one summer season at a time.