The Honey Drop

Get to know the fourth head coach in Honey Badgers franchise history, Sheldon Cassimy. Learn about his roots playing streetball with his uncles in Toronto, the coaching seeds being planted in him as a teenager, his experience training future NBA stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett and Andrew Nembhard, and how he learned to become a teacher of professional ballers.  Don't be fooled by the mild-mannered exterior. As he puts it, Cassimy has a little Kevin Garnett in him! 

As the CEBL turns six years old, we go on its founder's journey. A Hamilton kid, Morreale realized his childhood dream of playing for his home town Tiger-Cats. We talk about how Steeltown shaped Mike's style of play, the lifelong relationships from football that helped Mike reinvent himself after his self-described "forced retirement," and the most terrifying aspects of starting a new league.  PLUS: I throw out a potential new rule for the CEBL to adopt! 

Montreal's Bill Wennington joins Andrew Damelin for a heavy dose of nostalgia. From Ed Pinckney viciously dunking on him in high school, to a Jokic-like pass by Chris Mullen in college, to, yes, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, the anecdotes will rivet you. The former Chicago Bulls centre, current Bulls radio analyst, and new CEBL analyst also reveals his secret to winning, what it means to think the game, and his definition of a great broadcast.

Honey Badgers forward Zane Waterman joins host Andrew Damelin to discuss the perennial uncertainty of being a professional basketball player. Hear how close Zane was to taking a coaching job this past year, and the not-so-ideal playing conditions he chose in favour of it. Zane also re-lives the "crazy calls" and the euphoria in the Honey Badgers' dramatic championship game of 2022. Once "The Villain of the CEBL,"  Zane has grown into the team's connector as they look to defend their title. 

Honey Badgers forward Ashley Hamilton joins Andrew Damelin to recount his unique journey from London, England to Brampton, Ontario.  Find out why Ashley turned down a lucrative professional contract in favour of attending college. Then travel down a decade-long career that's taken Ashley from Spain to Ukraine to Lebanon and everywhere in between. Learn why every aspect of Ashley's professional career, good and bad, has been a blessing. This pod features about 19 pearls of wisdom. Please listen mindfully. 

Honey Badgers power forward Jeremiah Tilmon joins Andrew Damelin to re-live an eventful past year. Jeremiah takes us to Vegas for his bite at the NBA in Summer League, to Ottawa for a *very* stressful but triumphant Championship Weekend, to Romania for the hard lessons learned in an all-too brief trip overseas, and back to Southern Ontario to recap his time with the Raptors G League affiliate, Raptors905. We also take stock of what's been up and down season in Brampton, and Jeremiah tells us why he knows the Honey Badgers are still a contender. 

Honey Badgers swingman Nick Wiggins first felt the "juice" of basketball when he lit up a Toronto high school gym in his debut in Grade 9. Nick's natural talent led him to Tallahassee, Florida, where a legendary, hardnosed coach helped lay the foundation for Nick's collegiate career.  Travel the Road to the Final Four for Nick's Wichita State Shockers in 2013. And, after graduating college, go on a global tour from Tubingen, Germany, to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Baghdad, Iraq and everywhere in between for Nick's nine-plus seasons as a pro. Find out how Nick coped with the pressures of being an import player, and the loneliness of being in a new country, with a new team, year after year. Finally we touch on Nick's immense pride for his younger brother Andrew, who won the NBA championship with Golden State last season.  

The Honey Drop is BACK for Season Three! Host Andrew Damelin is joined by the Honey Badgers' new Head Coach, Antoine Broxsie. Learn about Broxsie's journey from Tampa, Florida, to his pro career which took him to eight countries, all the way to the coaching world, which has led him to the player development side with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hear about Coach Broxsie's give and take relationship with Cavs big-man Jarrett Allan, and the empathy that's required to gain a $100 million dollar man's trust. 

Coach of the Year and CEBL champion Ryan Schmidt joins the Honey Drop to reflect on one of the most emotional weekends of his life! Hear the incredible story of Ryan's wife going into labour the morning of the CEBL semi-finals, and hours later, giving birth to their first child SEVEN WEEKS early. After that Ryan takes us through the near-collapse in the final, as we measure Coach Schmidt's stress level using the "s****ing your pants" metre. 

As a teenager, Nikola Djogo almost quit basketball after a trying experience with his AAU coach. Learn about why he stuck with the game despite that coach sometimes going "overboard" (Nikola's word). Once Djogo reached Notre Dame, he faced another obstacle - a lesser role than he envisioned. Hear about Nikola's resilience at South Bend, and the lucky break he caught that allowed him to transfer to Northeastern. And hear the highly rare circumstance of how Djogo joined the Honey Badgers, and how Djogo's pride nearly prevented him from playing for his hometown team.