Calgary Surge select U of C Dinos guard in CEBL draft
The Calgary Surge made three picks in the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League Draft on Thursday, including University of Calgary guard Noah Wharton.
The draft saw 30 Canadian student-athletes selected from 20 Canadian post-secondary institutions.
Through the three-round draft, the Surge selected Dondre Reddick, a guard from St. Francis Xavier University, in the first round; Mike Demagus, a guard from McMaster University, in the second round; and Wharton in the third round.
Hailing from Brampton, Ont., Wharton averaged 15.1 points per game in 2023-24 and was a sharpshooter from behind the arc – sinking nearly 42 per cent of his three-point attempts on the year.
“Being a professional basketball player has always been a dream of mine so having the opportunity to start off my professional career with the Surge is something I’m very excited about and grateful for,” Wharton said, in a news release.
The fourth-year guard started all 17 games he played in for the Dinos this past year and ranked second on the team in assists with 63. Wharton also had 49 rebounds and 13 steals.
Another Dinos player will be staying in Alberta, with guard Nate Petrone, from Calgary, selected by the Edmonton Stingers.
Petrone was a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian in 2023-24, averaging 20.7 points per game, with a team-high 80 assists.
The former Dinos will face off against each other as the CEBL season tips off on Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m., when the Surge take on the Stingers at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The CEBL draft was rebranded and expanded in 2024 and includes all eligible Canadian U SPORTS and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) student-athletes.
“The CEBL Draft presents a coveted opportunity for top players in U SPORTS and the CCAA to get a chance to experience professional basketball by practicing and playing alongside veteran pros from the NBA, NBA G League, Canadian National team and top international leagues,” the league said on its website.
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