UNB basketball player excited by pro opportunity

Oliver Pearson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 2:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Conner Landell returned from the U.S. this autumn to play hoops for the University of New Brunswick Reds with a extremity successful mind.

His anticipation for this outpouring was to get drafted into the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

He realized the longtime imagination past week erstwhile helium was selected successful the 2nd round, 19th overall, by the Brampton Honey Badgers.

"It was benignant of a daze to me, the archetypal first reaction," Landell said. "Because … that's what the extremity of a hoops subordinate is, to get to the adjacent level, and for that to really happen, it meant a batch to me."

The 21-year-old from Ontario started playing hoops implicit 15 years agone with his sister arsenic his archetypal coach.

What began arsenic "just for fun" for Landell became much superior successful precocious schoolhouse erstwhile helium started receiving offers from post-secondary schools.

Now, Landell likes his chances of making the Honey Badgers.

"I've been successful the value country and conscionable my crippled is benignant of different," helium said. "So I'm trying to amusement my strengths."

He spent 3 years playing successful the U.S., 2 successful inferior assemblage and another in NCAA Division II, earlier joining the Reds past season.

He said helium enjoyed his archetypal play successful Fredericton playing nether head coach Joe Salerno.

"He has large size and athleticism, archetypal and foremost," said Salerno. "He besides has an constituent of toughness that's been sometimes pugnacious to find these days."

He said the six-foot-nine Landell is simply a changeable blocker who plays champion adjacent the basket.

"I've seen Conner amended immensely implicit the people of the season," Salerno said. "I deliberation he's successful a presumption with our squad wherever … helium plays a large relation for us."

Landell is the 2nd subordinate drafted from UNB since the Canadian Elite Basketball League began successful 2019.

Student-athletes from crossed the state are chosen. There were 30 players drafted this year, 27 from U Sports and 3 from the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

The league runs done the summertime and features 10 teams crossed the country. More than 20 players successful the league's past person signed NBA contracts. 

The bulk of the league is Canadian, and players travel from different nonrecreational leagues, the Canadian nationalist squad programme and North American post-secondary schools.

Landell is hoping to "soak it each in" this summertime and larn from seasoned players connected his team.

He besides recognizes that the league is simply a bully accidental for Canadian players and noted that immoderate players are returning from the U.S. to play.

For his teammates, Salerno said that his accidental tin pave the mode for them.

"It conscionable shows that immoderate of the guys person a accidental of going pro, to the adjacent level, like, they've seen it happen," helium said.

Salerno is excited for Landell's instrumentality to the Reds. He said that the Canadian Elite Basketball League is gaining much planetary respect each year.

"I deliberation that playing against bigger, much carnal guys that play astatine the pro level is going to marque things a spot easier for him erstwhile helium comes backmost to UNB," said Salerno.

The CEBL opens May 11.