Three R-Lions up for CEBL awards

Niagara River Lion Jahvon Blair (0) is a finalist for CEBL Canadian Player of the Year.

Three members of the Niagara River Lions are finalists for Canadian Elite Basketball League awards.

Jahvon Blair will go up against Koby McEwen of the Vancouver Bandits for Canadian Player of the Year; Omari Moore will square off against Lloyd Pandi of the Ottawa BlackJacks for defensive players of the year; and, Aaryn Rai and Stefan Smith of the Calgary Surge will battle it out for sixth man of the year.

The award ceremony will be held Wednesday, August 7 at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal.

Blair placed third in the league and first among Canadians in total points (329), was third among all players in the league in three-pointers made (53), free throw percentage (tied at 83.5 per cent) and target score winners (tied with 3).

River Lions head coach/GM Victor Raso described Blair’s nomination as awesome.

“Juggy (Blair) has improved a lot. Last year was sort of a breakout season for him and this year he has only been better. He has been absolutely phenomenal for us and he has added more to his game and he has been getting to the rim really well. He is still a prolific three-point shooter but he is scoring in multiple ways.”

Blair’s biggest improvement has come on the defensive end of the floor.

“The first week or so of training camp I was surprised with his level of intensity and effort defensively and he has kept that going the entire year,” he said. “That wasn’t always the case for the last few years but he has really, really improved as a rebounder and defender. And in turn, he is playing better offensively than he ever has. I am incredibly happy that he has played his way into this position.”

Moore ended up third in the CEBL and was tops among guards with 20 blocked shots and averaged 1.5 per game.

“He is really like a beautiful athlete. He is not the aggressive type of defender who is constantly trying to steal the ball off the other team or gambling all over the place. He is just a very fundamentally sound defender who happens to be all of 6-foot-6 with a seven-foot wingspan,” Raso said. “He uses his length incredibly well and he uses his quickness and jumping ability around the rim to get deflections, steals and blocked shots. For a point guard to be up near the top of the league in blocked shots, that is exceptional.”

Moore could potentially be Niagara’s fourth CEBL defensive player of the year. Previous winners include Sam Muldrow, E.J. Onu and Khalil Ahmad.

Rai suited up in all 20 of Niagara’s games for the River Lions, averaging 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. He ended up tied for third in the league with three target score winners.

“I love the way that Aaryn plays basketball and he probably shouldn’t be a sixth man in this league but he has embraced that role on this team and it has paid off,” Raso said. “He plays 24 minutes a game and he averages close to 13 points and seven rebounds. That is excellent, high efficiency work and he is shooting one of the best percentages from three in the entire league. It is awesome. Aaryn is a starter and he has fully bought into the role we have given him.”

Raso feels Ahmad would have been a finalist for MVP of the league if not for missing seven games at the start of the season because he was still overseas and another game late in the year with a back injury.

“This year we have three other guys up for awards which is quite cool and a testament to our team, but over the course of time, Khalil is a MVP candidate for this league,” Raso said.

Other awards that will be presented next Wednesday are CEBL Coach of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year (most Target Score Winners), Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award winner and All-CEBL First, Second, and All-Canadian teams.

Nominees and winners are determined by votes cast by the league’s head coaches, general managers, assistant coaches, select league broadcasters and internal media personnel. Teams are prohibited from voting for their own players or head coach.

Niagara hosts either Ottawa or Scarborough in the Eastern Conference semifinal Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.