Burlington cager Simi Shittu named to All CEBL First Team

Burlington’s Simi Shittu made his presence felt in his first Canadian Elite Basketball League season.

The 6-foot-10 Calgary Surge power forward was named to the All CEBL First Team as well as the league’s All-Canadian team. He was also one of three finalists for the league’s player of the year.

The 23 year-old was the only CEBL player to average double figures in rebounds, pulling down 10.6 per game. He averaged 15.5 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 46.1 per cent from the floor. He was also among the league leaders with 16 steals while playing 27.7 minutes per game.

Shittu’s play helped Calgary finish the regular season tied for first in the CEBL’s West Conference with a 12-8 record. The Surge reached the league final, losing 82-70 to the Scarborough Shooting Stars, but had to do it without their star forward, who left the team prior to the playoffs after signing with Limoges CSP, a top-tier team in France.

Shittu played high school basketball for Burlington’s Corpus Christi Longhorns before moving to the U.S. to play prep basketball at Vermont Academy. He signed with Vanderbilt University, where he played one season before declaring for the NBA draft.

Though he wasn’t drafted, he was signed by the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2019-20 season. He played three seasons in the G League, the NBA’s development league, and one season in Israel before signing with Calgary in 2023.