The 2017–18 NBL Canada season is the seventh season of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchis ...

(NBLC). The regular season ran November 18, 2017 to April 2, 2018.

League changes

After two years as league commissioner,

Dave Magley David John Magley (born November 24, 1959) is an American retired basketball player and coach. He is currently the president of both The Basketball League (TBL) and the Basketball Super League (BSL) after previously serving as commissioner of t ...

left the league to found

North American Premier Basketball The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball league. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and has since expanded. TBL's regular season runs from Feb ...

. He was replaced on an interim basis by

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, with home games at Canada Life Place. The team competes in the Basketball Super League (North America), Basketball Super League. History The ...

owner and league president Vito Frijia. After years of league ownership, the

Moncton Miracles The Moncton Miracles were a Canadian professional basketball team in Moncton, New Brunswick. Established in 2011, they were a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The Miracles played their home games at the Moncton C ...

were folded to make way for an expansion team under new ownership called the Moncton Magic. The league also awarded expansion franchises in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

, and

Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and t ...

. However, the Sudbury ownership group delayed their launch in the league until 2019. The

Orangeville A's The Orangeville A's were a Canadian professional basketball franchise based in Orangeville, Ontario. Founded in 2012 in Brampton, the A's were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada, where they began play for the season. History ...

folded in the Central Division, leaving the league with six teams in the Atlantic region and four in the Central. As a result, the new

St. John's Edge The St. John's Edge were a Canadian professional basketball team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, that competed in the National Basketball League of Canada. From 2017 to 2020, they played home games at Mile One Centre. They were ...

were scheduled to play in the Central Division.

Offseason coaching changes

* The

Cape Breton Highlanders The Cape Breton Highlanders is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It was established in 1871, merged into The Nova Scotia Highlanders in 1954, and re-established as a distinct regiment in 2011. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's ...

hired longtime NBLC head coach

Rob Spon Robert Spon (born July 4, 1962) is an American professional basketball coach, most recently serving as the head coach for the Cape Breton Highlanders (basketball), Cape Breton Highlanders of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). H ...

away from the Saint John Riptide, replacing their fired inaugural head coach Dean Murray and the interim Ben Resner. *The

Island Storm The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...

hired Tim Kendrick to replace longtime Storm head coach, Joe Salerno. *The

hired

Keith Vassell Keith Christophe Vassell (born 28 July 1971) is a Canadian-Icelandic basketball coach and a former member of the Canadian national basketball team. He played seven seasons in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla, winning the national championship in ...

, former

Niagara College The Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology (frequently shortened to Niagara College and branded as Niagara College Canada) is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology partnered with the private Toronto School of Management withi ...

head coach and the interim head coach of the Niagara River Lions the previous season. During the 2017 playoffs, then-Lightning head coach

Kyle Julius Kyle Nicholas Julius (born June 20, 1979) is a Canadian former professional basketball player and coach, He currently serves as General Manager and head coach for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Taiwanese ...

notified ownership he would not return for the following season. *The Moncton Magic hired Joe Salerno as its inaugural head coach. Salerno had coached the previous season for the Island Storm. *The

Niagara River Lions The Niagara River Lions are a Canadian professional basketball team based in St. Catharines, Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. From 2015 to 2018, they were members of the Natio ...

hired Joe Raso as its permanent head coach after Grâce Lokole stepped down during the previous season and

coached the rest of the season. *The

Saint John Riptide The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division. ...

hired Nelson Terroba to replace Rob Spon. *The

hired Jeff Dunlap as its inaugural head coach.

Midseason coaching changes

*The KW Titans released

Serge Langis Serge Langis is a Canadian teacher and professional basketball coach, last serving as the head coach of the KW Titans in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). He previously served as assistant coach (2012–14) and head coach (2 ...

on 25 February 2018 after a 5–22 record, and replaced him with former Titans' player Cavell Johnson.

Teams

Map of teams

Regular season

Standings as of 2 April 2018: Notes *z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs *c – Clinched home court advantage for the division playoffs *x – Clinched playoff spot

Attendance

''As of games played 2 April 2018''

Playoffs

Bold Series winner
''Italic'' Team with home-court advantage

Draft

The 2017–18 NBL Canada Draft and Combine was held on October 20–22. The

selected Aaron Williams first.

Awards

Player of the Week award

Coach of the Month award

End-of-season awards

Source: *Most Valuable Player:

Carl English Carl Jerome English (born February 2, 1981) is a Canadian former professional basketball player and general manager for the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada. A shooting guard, he has also played for the Canadian nation ...

*Canadian Player of the Year:

*Newcomer of the Year: Franklin Session,

*Defensive Player of the Year: Du'Vaughn Maxwell,

*Rookie of the Year:

Jaylon Tate Jaylon Tate (born January 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Szedeák of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A. Tate played college basketball for the University of Illinois. High school career Tate attended De La Salle Institute f ...

*Sixth Man of the Year: Ta'Quan Zimmerman,

Halifax Hurricanes The Halifax Hurricanes were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Hurricanes were founded as members of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) to replace the Halifax Rainmen, who filed for bankruptcy ...

*Coach of the Year: Mike Leslie,

References

External links

NBL Canada website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 NBL Canada season National Basketball League of Canada seasons 2017–18 in Canadian basketball