SARNIA, Ont. — Is there ever a wrong time to do a Fantasy Draft?
The answer is a rather simple one.
No.
Let’s face it. During this unprecedented time of self isolation and social distancing, we’re always looking for new ways to pass the time. We are no different, and we’re looking for ways to get people involved and engaged while keeping the conversation going year-round when it comes to both Men’s and Women’s Basketball at the U Sports and CCAA levels.
Back on March 26th, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced their 21 draft picks in the 2020 CEBL U Sports Draft. A total of 21 U Sports men’s basketball players from across the country were selected for the 2020 CEBL season, the league’s second campaign overall.
That gave us an idea.
What if there was a Women’s CEBL?
Then, what if we replicated the draft process, but the talent pool was from the five leagues across the CCAA women’s basketball landscape? We gathered players, coaches, and media members from coast to coast in Canada to serve as the GM of their own team thanks to some social media outreach, and we were off.
Here’s how we went about our business:
- The seven draftees were assigned a random Canadian city to serve as their expansion team.
- The draft order was randomly assigned thanks to a Random List Generator.
- Much like the CEBL Draft, the order follows a snake format, meaning Round Two is reverse order in comparison to Rounds One and Three.
- Any player from coast to coast in Canada was eligible to be selected, as long as they were listed on the school’s roster on their Athletics website at year’s end.
The draft was conducted offline to give those from different areas of the country enough time to make their own selections.
Outside of those guidelines, the main focus was to have a bit of fun with it. With each GM drafting just three players, the focus was to essentially draft the best 3-on-3 team that you could assemble with players from all across Canada. The stress levels went higher than expected when players on your Draft Board went earlier than expected, but a ton of fun was still had by all.
Here’s a look at the Draft Field and their randomly selected city, and how the picks all sorted themselves out over the Three Rounds.
Draft Order
- Anonymous OCAA Player – CALGARY
- Anonymous ACAC Coach – NIAGARA FALLS
- Josh Fleck (Sports Information Officer, St. Thomas Univ.) – SASKATOON
- Anonymous ACAA Head Coach – BURLINGTON
- Anonymous ACAC Head Coach – LAVAL
- Anonymous PACWEST BC Coach – QUEBEC CITY
- Tyler Bennett (Founder, College Court Report Canada) – TORONTO
Draft Results
Round One
Round 1, Pick 1: Brittney Thibeaux, Olds College Broncos
2019-20 Stats: 25.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.2 apg; 50.8% FG, 32.6% 3PT, 70.1% FT
Round 1, Pick 2: Chuot Angou, Fanshawe Falcons
2019-20 Stats: 18.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg; 40.2% FG, 36.2% 3PT, 89.6% FT
Round 1, Pick 3: Taisha Exanor, Dawson Blues
2019-20 Stats: 16.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg; 39.1% FG, 32.4% 3PT, 70.2% FT
Round 1, Pick 4: Vanessa Soffee, St. Thomas Tommies
2019-20 Stats: 10.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.7 apg; 41.1% FG, 35.0% 3PT, 61.3% FT
Round 1, Pick 5: Emily Wagner, St. Mary’s University Lightning
2019-20 Stats: 21.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.6 apg; 48.7% FG, 34.9% 3PT, 66.9% FT
Round 1, Pick 6: Tessa Lannon-Paakspuu, Camosun Chargers
2019-20 Stats: 14.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.7 apg; 40.0% FG, 20.8% 3PT, 71.4% FT
Round 1, Pick 7: Mikhaila Wright, Fanshawe Falcons
2019-20 Stats: 13.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.2 apg; 41.1% FG, 35.2% 3PT, 73.1% FT
Round Two
Round 2, Pick 1: Kendra Oliver, Durham Lords
2019-20 Stats: 19.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 2.0 apg; 45.5% FG, 68.9% FT
Round 2, Pick 2: Mackenzie Ash-Smith, Dawson Blues
2019-20 Stats: 19.6 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 2.0 apg; 52.0% FG, 72.2% FT
Round 2, Pick 3: Miea Campbell-Johnson, Humber Hawks
2019-20 Stats: 14.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.1 apg; 47.2% FG, 80.0% FT
Round 2, Pick 4: Aki Kobayashi, Holland College Hurricanes
2019-20 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.4 apg; 46.5% FG, 29.2% 3PT, 67.1% FT
Round 2, Pick 5: Emma Jones, Langara Falcons
2019-20 Stats: 15.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.6 apg; 43.8% FG, 35.6% 3PT, 72.2% FT
Round 2, Pick 6: Angenay Williams, Briercrest College Clippers
2019-20 Stats: 30.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.8 apg; 41.3% FG, 26.4% 3PT, 77.9% FT
Round 2, Pick 7: Julia Kokonis, MSVU Mystics
2019-20 Stats: 12.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.6 apg; 38.9% FG, 26.8% FT, 83.5% FT
Round Three
Round 3, Pick 1: Jade Addai, UTM Eagles
2019-20 Stats: 22.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg; 55.6% FG, 40.7% 3PT, 63.7% FT
Round 3, Pick 2: Rita Sibo, Algonquin College Thunder
2019-20 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.8 apg; 55.3% FG, 40.8% 3PT, 74.1% FT
Round 3, Pick 3: Claire Hickman, UKC Blue Devils
2019-20 Stats: 13.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 0.6 apg; 59.2% FG, 72.2% FT
Round 3, Pick 4: Nikki Arsenault, MSVU Mystics
2019-20 Stats: 11.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.0 apg; 37.9% FG, 23.6% 3PT, 67.9% FT
Round 3, Pick 5: Katelyn Rozdeba, Medicine Hat Rattlers
2019-20 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 0.8 apg; 38.2% FG, 73.2% FT
Round 3, Pick 6: Zae Sellers, George Brown Huskies
2019-20 Stats: 19.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.7 apg; 41.0% FG, 34.4% 3PT, 81.8% FT
Round 3, Pick 7: Amber Lease, VIU Mariners
2019-20 Stats: 11.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.6 apg; 38.6% FG, 36.8% 3PT, 74.0% FT
Here are the full 3-on-3 rosters:
Calgary
Brittney Thibeaux – Olds
Julia Kokonis – MSVU
Jade Addai – UTM
Niagara Falls
Chuot Angou – Fanshawe
Angenay Williams – Briercrest
Rita Sibo – Algonquin
Saskatoon
Taisha Exanor – Dawson
Emma Jones – Langara
Claire Hickman – UKC
Burlington
Vanessa Soffee – St. Thomas
Aki Kobayashi – Holland
Nikki Arsenault – MSVU
Laval
Emily Wagner – St. Mary’s
Miea Campbell-Johnson – Humber
Katelyn Rozdeba – Medicine Hat
Quebec City
Tessa Lannon-Paakspuu – Camosun
Mackenzie Ash-Smith – Dawson
Zae Sellers – George Brown
Toronto
Mikhaila Wright – Fanshawe
Kendra Oliver – Durham
Amber Lease – VIU
Who has the best 3-on-3 team of the bunch? Leave a comment and let us know!
Or, join the conversation on Twitter (@CCR_Canada) and use #CCRFantasyDraft to let us know your picks!
– T. Bennett
All-Canadian Sports Network 