Shiny, bright, and golden, too, just like the gold-coloured trim of the winning team's jerseys. The Canadian Elite Basketball League trophy - as new as the league itself - found a home Sunday. The maple-leaf-crested trophy, a golden basketball crowning it like a cherry on top, was hoisted by the host Saskatchewan Rattlers on Sunday to cap off the CEBL championship weekend and inaugural season. Saskatchewan downed the Hamilton Honey Badgers 94-83 before 3,119 enthusiastic fans at SaskTel Centre. 'This,' said CEBL commissioner and CEO Mike Morreale, proudly pointing to the golden trophy, 'is what I want to become iconic. Call me crazy. I am a little crazy, but I'm going to continue to do everything to make this (league) work.' Golden confetti rained down on the victorious hometown squad. Rattlers head coach and general manager Greg Jockims and point guard Michael Linklater (5'10''-PG) - who won a Canadian university championship together in 2010 - reunited for yet another national championship, this one at the pro level. 'It's a repeat with about nine years in between,' said Jockims. 'This one is certainly special, the inaugural season, and how hard we had to work in the first year of the league as the head coach and GM, and putting the team together, of course, is extremely challenging. 'To see these guys come together and find a quality roster as we moved down the last third of the year, because we did have some transition, is pretty neat to see and pretty fulfilling to see that we were able to find the right pieces and the players did a fabulous job this weekend.' It was the perfect swan song for Linklater, who played his final pro game. Linklater had received a standing ovation one day earlier when his retirement was announced while he sat out Saturday's semifinal, in which Saskatchewan knocked off the No. 2 seed Edmonton Stingers 85-83. He made a grand exit Sunday with his spirited play and hustle. He chipped in four points, one rebound and one assist during six minutes of court time. 'I couldn't have been going out with a better group of guys,' said Linklater. 'Give all these guys the credit, the work they put in. It was just phenomenal to see the professionalism and the leadership that each and every one of these guys have, what they've all contributed to this team to win a championship. 'I lost my father this year and he was a big supporter of me. My mother was here in a physical form and I know my father was here in spirit form. It's really meaningful and I'm extremely, extremely grateful for these guys. 'I can't say enough about them, how great they are - clutch shots, clutch plays, staying together through the ups and downs throughout the entire season. It's just been a tremendous experience and I'm grateful.' Team captain Alex Campbell (6'2''-G, college: Windsor) led Saskatchewan with 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds and two assists. 'I'm just happy we were able to pull it out, (after) going through the lows, ups and downs, roster changes throughout the summer,' said Campbell. 'I'm proud of these guys right here that we were able to rally back and win the championship for Saskatoon.' Negus Webster-Chan (6'7''-G, college: Hawaii) added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. His four three-pointers in the second quarter to help the Rattlers pull away for good. Shaq Keith chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Shane Osayande (6'6''-F-93, college: Saskatchewan, agency: Promo Sport ID) helped out with 14 points and nine boards. Osayande, a former U of S Huskies, had a pair of thunderous dunks, his second one coming on a put-back off a missed three-point attempt by Webster-Chan with 6:04 remaining. Ryan Ejim (6'7''-F-93, college: Carleton) contributed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with 13 points for a double-double. Hamilton's Xavier Rathan-Mayes (6'4''-G-94, college: FSU) led all scorers with 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and five assists. A lot has happened since pro basketball first landed in Saskatoon some 29 years ago. Four teams. Multiple leagues. And now a trophy to call it home. Nearly three decades since the Saskatchewan Storm rolled into town, and just hours after the latest summer storm struck the city, the latest Saskatoon pro basketball incarnation has a championship.
Courtesy of: thestarphoenix.com
Tags : ALEX CAMPBELL, SASKATCHEWAN RATTLERS, CANADIAN BASKETBALL
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Jockims
