Eddy: How different was the task of working through a pandemic and setting up the CEBL Summer Series to replace the regular season?

John: I’ve been on organizing committees of numerous NBA and NHL All-Star Weekends and Drafts, worked three NBA Finals, several NCAA Championships, and other major international sports events, but helping the CEBL navigate through the complex challenges caused by a constantly changing pandemic was as unique as some of those. I don’t think anyone could grasp what we’ve been through unless they went through it with us.

The league staff is small in number, but everyone has been all-in with their commitment to deliver basketball in some form this summer. Unlike those other events I’ve mentioned where a couple dozen people work together for 18 months, the CEBL had about two months and a handful of people to determine if and how basketball could be played. The scope of this endeavor, all within the constraints of health and safety issues, would take all day to describe.

Commissioner Mike Morreale is a very positive and optimistic leader who empowers his staff and holds them accountable for results. There is a great deal of camaraderie within the league, and people consistently look to help out their teammates. This will be one of those times when CEBL staff looks back and wonders, ‘how did we actually make that happen?’, and then should feel very proud for the rest of their lives.

Eddy: How important is it for the league to be attracting former NBA draft picks like Justin Jackson and players with NBA experience like Brianté Weber?

John: One of the best qualities about the CEBL is that unlike in the NBA every player is here for a different reason. Some are here to develop their game to take it to the next level, to get that opportunity to compete in the NBA. Some are here recovering from injury and preparing for next season, whether that may be in the NBA or with a USport program. Some are here to earn income in between the seasons they play during the traditional period of basketball seasons. Eighty-four players have 84 different reasons.

The CEBL is able to attract players like Justin Jackson and Brianté Weber because we operate a first-class league that truly puts the players first. Their participation reinforces the fact that the caliber of play and the caliber of coaching in the CEBL is world class. It provides fans with an opportunity to see in person players or coaches that they may be watching on television in the future.

Eddy: Take us through the process of identifying Ryan Schmidt and Jermaine Anderson for their positions and why they are the best for their roles?

John: Chantal Vallée, the Honey Badgers head coach and general manager last season, connected me with Jermaine Anderson last summer when she had an interest in him playing for us. We spoke on the phone and then met in person in the fall so that I could learn what his future basketball interests might be and answer his questions about the CEBL. When it became apparent that Chantal would not be able to return to Hamilton on a full-time basis in 2020 and that I would be looking for a new general manager, Jermaine and I deepened our conversations. 

I liked Jermaine’s vision for how he would build a team of world class players and high character men. He had finished his MBA, was as embedded as anyone in Canadian basketball, shared my vision and values for building an organization, and also for using our platforms to serve others in the community. Jermaine has done a great job, and I’ve enjoyed working with him and getting to know him.

As I did when I hired Chantal in 2018, I cast a wide net with my coaching search this winter, sourcing my NBA network and listening to referrals from the NBA G League and NCAA. If you’re going to attract the level of players I want in Hamilton, you have to have a highly regarded coach with a track record of success. Jermaine introduced me to Ryan. I spoke with Raptors 905 head coach Jama Mahlalela, who had been on my staff with the Raptors, and with others in the Raptors organization about Ryan and learned how highly he is viewed there and also outside of their organization. We’re both from the state of Oregon and have mutual acquaintances who I value. 

I was immediately impressed with Ryan’s passion for developing as a coach, for his emphasis on player development, and for embracing my requirement of high character when we were bringing on players and staff. I felt comfortable that Ryan, Jermaine, and I would work effectively together. Unfortunately, the pandemic has restricted us to electronic interactions, but I really enjoy working with Ryan and Jermaine. 

Eddy: When putting together the team, what input do you provide to Jermaine and Ryan in terms of what type of players you want with the Honey Badgers?

John: During my interview process with Jermaine we were reviewing the 2019 season and he asked if there were players I definitely wanted or didn’t want back from last season. I provided that input and also mentioned three players I really wanted on our team last season who we were unable to sign. I reviewed the list of players Jermaine had already identified as prospects and was pleased that they were already on his list.

My biggest priority is that we have an organization that puts a premium on high character because I believe you can have both high character and high achievers. Lots of organizations say that but then will compromise on character when it comes down to it. If you have high character people who are also high performers, and can interject some fun into it, then you have a formula for success. I’m hoping that shows during the abbreviated Summer Series, but I’m fully confident that our roster would bear that out over a 20-game 14-week season. 

My style of leadership through the years has been to hire exceptional people who share my vision and values, maintain healthy communications, ensure that they have the tools needed to be successful, and then let them do what they were hired to do. I’m thankful to have a great deal of confidence in our basketball staff as well as in our business and events staff.

Eddy: You have an extensive career in the highest levels of basketball, spending nine years in management with the Portland Trail Blazers, helping establish the Toronto Raptors during their first 13 years, and spending 10 years as a senior executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs. How has that experience helped you in your role with the CEBL and Hamilton Honey Badgers?

John: I rely on my experience in the NBA and NHL, but just as much on having spent many years working around professional minor league baseball teams. Launching the CEBL has much in common with how we launched the Raptors organization. We knew the NBA would be successful in Toronto, even though most outside the organization were skeptical. By taking a similar methodical, patient, long-term approach the CEBL will be built to last.

It will take four to five years to complete the launch phase of the CEBL. It’s off to a terrific start, but you can’t get too far out in front of your skis and think you’ve got it made before you do. Avoiding arrogance and complacency will be critical. 

Minor league baseball has long been the leader in providing that combination of high-quality sports and family-friendly entertainment. I refuse to present basketball in the same boring way that people are too used to experiencing when they go to a sports event. I want people to know they got full value for their entertainment dollar when they drive home from our games. So, we have a live band or a petting zoo of animals on the concourse before every game, some of the same halftime acts you’ll see at Raptors games, a DJ who works courtside throughout the entire game, and our players sign autographs on the court after every game. When you come to a Hamilton Honey Badgers game it will be an event unlike any you’ve attended before.

We were the first team in the history of men’s professional basketball who had a woman serving simultaneously as both head coach and general manager—who happened to be a five-time national champion and one of the most successful coaches in Canadian history. We had a 12-year-old DJ performing courtside at every game, and a 12-year-old anthem singer—both who the fans loved. We are proudly inclusive because basketball is a home for everyone who wants to take part. We have fans on their feet during every time out dancing, clapping, or grabbing for t-shirts that get tossed into the stands. We quickly noticed that other Hamilton sports teams and other CEBL clubs were adopting entertainment elements we had introduced. 

Eddy: How much have you seen basketball grow in Canada since the launch of the Raptors in 1995?

John: There have been two defining moments in the history of basketball in Canada—the launch of the Toronto Raptors and the launch of the CEBL. I’ve been blessed to have been at the epicenter of both. When I was recruited to Canada from Portland in 1995 it was almost impossible to find a basketball hoop in any driveway around the GTA. The Raptors news wasn’t mentioned until 25 minutes into the sports news hours on tv—we would time that. Most nights at the SkyDome the Raptors played in front of 8-10,000 fans, about as many people as the Raptors had at Jurassic Park last June. There were two Canadians playing in the NBA.

To become known around the area we had our Raptors players everywhere. We executed 300 community events per year not just in Ontario but across Canada. We put up backboards and nets in public parks without asking permission or going through the approval process. We were everything that the Leafs and the hockey establishment were not. And we were inclusive of every demographic, and we made ourselves accessible because people want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to belong. They chose us, and quickly the Raptors belonged to them.

Now, basketball is the number two sport, and the fastest growing sport, in Canada. There are basketball hoops on almost every street. Canada trails only the United States in producing world class basketball talent. A lot of that talent is playing now in the CEBL.

Eddy: With plans to expand into Quebec and other markets in the future, what do you envision the CEBL looking like in five years time?

John: I expect to see a dozen or more teams across Canada, playing in loud arenas of 5-6,000 fans with an international viewing audience on digital platforms. I see the CEBL playing a vital role in developing future world class players, elite level coaches, and the next generation of sports administrators.

I envision people of all demographics coming together to experience that shared excitement of exceptional entertainment and basketball. And I see CEBL teams making a positive difference in their communities, bettering the lives of people regardless of whether they’re fans of that team. 

Maria Suriani

Manager, Operations & Community Engagement

msuriani@honeybadgers.ca