CEBL MVP Joins Sask Rattlers

Saskatoon, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday that the club signed 6-foot-6 guard Teddy Allen for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The reigning MVP from Phoenix, Arizona will return to the CEBL to continue his third season. Allen will make his Rattlers debut this Friday at SaskTel Centre in a match-up against one of his former teams, the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

“Teddy is a tremendous basketball talent, and he will have an immediate and profound impact on the court. Through extensive conversation with him I realized that with support of his teammates, coaches, our loyal fan base, and the community at large, he can also make a real positive difference in our locker room and the City of Saskatoon,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “Teddy is a personable, well-spoken, thought-filled, and insightful individual, and I am convinced that he has the capacity to positively impact this franchise and community for the remainder of the season and hopefully years to come.”

During his three-year professional career, Allen has played with three teams in Great Britain, Canada, and NBA Summer League. He has a career average of 23.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 33.1 minutes in 56 games.

Allen made his professional debut with the Scarborough Shooting Stars during the 2022 season playing seven games and averaging 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 26.3 minutes per game. During the 2022 offseason, he spent some time with the Denver Nuggets during the NBA Summer League.

Allen returned to the CEBL in 2023 during the inaugural season with the Winnipeg Sea Bears. He helped lead the Sea Bears to a conference best 12-8 regular season record. Allen put up 27.2 points per game becoming one of just two players to average greater than 25 points in the CEBL since its inception. Allen finished the season among the league’s top 10 in nine major statistical categories, including points, assists, defensive rebounds, steals, three-point field goals, free throw percentage, and minutes. He led all CEBL guards in average rebounds with 7.9 per game.

His MVP season was highlighted by a then CEBL-record 42-point performance against his former team, Scarborough, on June 2.. Less than two weeks later, he matched another single-game high (at the time) when he sank nine three-pointers against the defending champions, Brampton Honey Badgers. During the 2023 offseason, he spent time with the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League where he was named Player of the Month multiple times, finishing his season with 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 32.1 minutes in 20 games.

For the 2024 CEBL season, Allen returned to Winnipeg. After eight games played, he currently sits with a league-high 28.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 34.0 minutes. Allen will finish what he started in Saskatchewan, and continue to battle 2023 CEBL MVP Runner-Up, former Rattlers player, former Sea Bears teammate – Justin Wright-Foreman. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan meet again at SaskTel Centre on July 11, where they will be competing for the series tiebreaker.

“I am thankful to Barry and the Rattlers organization for the opportunity to come on,” said Allen. “I look forward to getting right to work in Sask, as we try to get hot for the playoffs. Very excited and blessed.”

Prior to his professional career, Allen finished out his NCAA career averaging 19.6 points per game with the New Mexico State Aggies and earning the Western Athletic Conference’s prestigious ‘Player of the Year’ title. He’s well-known for his 37-point effort that led the Aggies in a 2022 March Madness upset of the fifth-seeded UConn Huskies. In total, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 119 university/college games throughout his time at New Mexico State, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Western Nebraska CC.

The Rattlers play four more games at SaskTel Centre and four more on the road leading up to Championship Weekend (CW24) happening in Montréal, QC from August 9-11, 2024.

(CEBL Comms)