University of Victoria Vikes star guard Diego Maffia will take his seamless long-range shooting skills to the pro level this summer. The sa国际传媒 West MVP, who led the conference and nation in scoring this past season with a 24.9 points-per-game average, was selected sixth overall in the first round by the Vancouver Bandits in the Canadian Elite Basketball League-U Sports draft on Wednesday.
The CEBL, much like the professional soccer Canadian Premier League, has an arrangement in which U Sports players can be drafted and play pro without losing their university eligibility. Maffia will enter his fourth season with the Vikes in the fall.
“Facing the physicality, toughness and pro mind-set of stronger, older players will make me learn quickly and make me a better player,” said Maffia, from Sao Paulo, where the Oak Bay High graduate is visiting his native Brazil.
“The opportunity to be drafted into the CEBL and learn from the pros is a special privilege and I am grateful to be selected by my home province’s professional team. I think it so cool that there is this arrangement between U Sports and the CEBL. I have followed the CEBL since its inception and watched it grow year after year.”
This experience will hold Maffia in good stead: “My goal is to play pro basketball at the highest level I can, whether in Europe, Asia or South America.”
Playing against bigger, more mature pro players at this stage can only aid in Maffia’s development, said UVic head coach Craig Beaucamp.
“It will be a great challenge and will get him uncomfortable, in a good way, against older pro players,” said Beaucamp.
“Diego will benefit by being pushed. Pros are not only talented to be making a living in their sport but they have self-discipline, and that is a valuable lesson to learn. It will be good for our players when Diego brings the lessons learned in the pros back to our Vikes team.”
Bandits head coach and GM Kyle Julius knows he has a potential gem in Maffia: “We are really excited about working with Diego. He is an outstanding young Canadian player with an extremely bright future. He has an elite knack for scoring and making big plays. We are looking forward to helping him grow as a player.”
The Bandits stayed regional by selecting Brian Wallack out of the UBC Thunderbirds in the second of the two rounds. The former Semiahmoo Secondary star was taken by the Bandits 15th overall and will be entering his fifth season with the Thunderbirds in the fall.
“Brian [Wallack] and I have had a few good UVic-UBC clashes in sa国际传媒 West but we know each other from Team sa国际传媒 and are friends and will be teammates once again [with the Bandits],” said Maffia, who led UVic to the sa国际传媒 West championship and the U Sports national semifinals this past season.
The expansion Winnipeg Sea Bears selected six-foot-nine forward Simon Hildebrandt first overall out of the University of Manitoba Bisons. The Montréal Alliance selected Aryan Sharma second overall from the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The Calgary Surge took graduating Trinity Western Spartans star Mason Bourcier third overall. The Edmonton Stingers went for six-foot-eight forward Somto Dimanochie from York University fourth overall. Anthony Tsegakele from the Brandon University Bobcats went fifth overall to the Saskatchewan Rattlers.
The Ottawa BlackJacks took six-foot-10 Sukhman Sandhu from the UBC Thunderbirds seventh overall. The Niagara River Lions went for four-time U Sports national champion Aiden Warnholtz, of the dynastic Carleton Ravens, eighth overall. The first round concluded with the Scarborough Shooting Stars selecting U Sports defensive player of the year David Muenkat out of St. Francis Xavier at No. 9.
The Bandits open the 2023 CEBL season May 27 in Winnipeg against the Sea Bears at sa国际传媒 Life Centre. The home opener is June 3 against the Calgary Surge at the Langley Events Centre.
