Abbotsford’s Joel Friesen is heading to the nation’s capital.
It was revealed on Friday (April 16) that the Yale Secondary grad has inked a deal with the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Same beast. New team.🔥@jf_hoops x @ott_blackjacks #OurGame #JerseySwap pic.twitter.com/xUZWTF4Hri
— CEBL (@CEBLeague) April 16, 2021
Friesen previously suited up for the CEBL’s Guelph Nighthawks during the 2020 Summer Series event and also spent the 2019 season with the Fraser Valley Bandits. He was also the first-ever draft pick in league history, chosen by the Bandits with the number one pick back in 2019.
RELATED: Fraser Valley Bandits draft Abbotsford’s Joel Friesen first overall
“I am grateful to be a part of this Blackjack organization and look forward to working with everybody associated with it,” he stated in a press release. “I cannot wait get on the court and do everything I can to help this team be successful.”
The 6-5 guard played university basketball for both the UFV Cascades and the University of Alberta Golden Bears. He famously hit one of the biggest shots in Cascades history back in 2012, nailing a buzzer beater to send UFV into the Canada West final four.
RELATED: Friesen’s buzzer-beater lifts Cascades into Final Four
His final season in 2014-15 with Alberta saw him average 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He was named a Canada West all-star that season.
His high school days saw Friesen lead the Yale Lions to a B.C. 3A senior boys basketball title in 2008, and he was named the most valuable player of that tournament. He also earned a Canada West championship with the Bears in 2013.
Prior to his time in the CEBL, Friesen also played professionally with the Niagara River Lions, Halifax Hurricanes, London Lightning and Kitchener Waterloo Titans in the National Basketball League of Canada. He won an NBLC title in 2016 with Halifax. Friesen also played professionally in the Ukraine in 2019.
In his three seasons in the CEBL he has averaged 7.7 points per game. Friesen and the Blackjacks are scheduled to take on the Bandits inside the Abbotsford Centre on July 3.
Welcome to the nation’s capital Joel @jf_hoops 🇨🇦🙌 Bienvenue à @ottawacity.#HopOn | #OurGame pic.twitter.com/awSx8VyksH
— Ottawa BlackJacks (@ott_blackjacks) April 16, 2021