Lufile finds home with River Lions
It took all of nine minutes for Niagara River Lions head coach/GM Victor Raso to decide he wanted Elijah Lufile to be on his Canadian Elite Basketball League roster for the 2024 season.
“I brought him here to rebound because Elijah really, really hurt us in the semifinal game last year for Scarborough,” he said. “He played nine minutes and had seven rebounds and I value that. I value his ability to contribute to winning and he is playing good basketball. He is more than just a good rebounder but he knows what he needs to do. I start him to set a tone and he answers the call.”
The 6-foot-7, 280-pounder, who is coming off a season where he averaged,12.9 points, a team-high 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Joensuun Kataja of the Korisliiga, Finland/s first division league, has excellent mobility.
“He is a scary athlete and he is just all muscle,” Raso said. “He should be in the NFL and I would not want to deal with that guy if I was on the basketball court.”
The 26-year old power forward from Milton was thrilled to join Niagara.
“Coach Raso put out an offer that I couldn’t refuse and it was just seeing some of the guys on the team who I was familiar with,” the former Oral Roberts University scholarship player said.
He played with Niagara teammate Jahvon Blair with the Brampton Honey Badgers in the Basketball Champions League Americas.
“It was also the culture here. I turned it down last year but I felt this was the year to be part of the River Lions and I am glad I made the choice.”
He was immediately comfortable with his new team.
“I knew right away that I had made the right choice and it also gives me the opportunity to showcase more of what I can do with my talents and my abilities to make plays,” said the former member of the Salt Lake City Stars of the G-League.
“It was giving me the minutes that I deserve versus some of the teams in the past that didn’t. I appreciate that.”
He is clearly much more than a rebounder.
“I feel like I am an all-around player in terms of being a defender, rebounder, I talk a lot on defence and I am very athletic. I know I look slow because of my size but I am pretty quick.”
Lufile is in his third season professional hoops and believes he is evolving into a better player each year.
“It is my IQ, understanding the game. I started out in the G league Salt Lake City Stars and not only playing but I learned so much information from the two-way guys, the guys who play with the (Utah) Jazz, and the coaches. It is also playing the NBA game and the FIBA game which has more defence. I am fortunate to have learned about the game in several different places.”
He still wants to get better at three-point shooting, improve his handle and work on his angles and screen setting.”
When Lufile first signed with Niagara he concluded a quote with ‘Praise God’ and his faith is an integral part of his life.
“I am a firm believer and I grew up in the church. My dad is a pastor and we have a very strong faith in our household. I am here because of God. I have had a rough story much like everyone else and I would not be here without God. I would probably be in a completely different place. I don’t how I got here but God brought me here.”
Niagara hosts the Winnipeg Sea Bears Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Meridian Centre.
Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
