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The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), Canada’s largest professional sports league, announced today that the club has been acquired by Diamond Sports Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Global Sports Fund Management Group. The group is owned by Bandeli (Lee) Hagipantelis and Justin Pascoe, who also serves as Chief Executive Officer. Pascoe brings more than 20 years of executive experience in elite-level sports administration. He holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and has completed additional studies at Harvard University. Throughout his career, he has consistently elevated the profile of organizations across the sports, consumer products, automotive, and industrial sectors. In Australia, Pascoe has held senior leadership positions across multiple major sports, and he brings a global perspective through his work in private equity and the sports industry across North America and Europe. In addition to his role with Global Sports Fund Management Group, he also currently serves as Owner of the Newcastle Jets, an Australian soccer club competing in the A-League. Based in Newcastle, New South Wales, the club is currently preparing for the Final of the Australia Cup. "I feel incredibly privileged to be afforded the opportunity to help build a franchise that the entire community can be proud of,” said Pascoe. “This process has been nearly eight months in the making, and throughout that time, it’s become clear to me that the CEBL and the Ottawa BlackJacks represent a sleeping giant in the Canadian sports landscape.” Added Pascoe, “Our focus is on creating a basketball franchise that fosters authentic engagement across all stakeholders — fans, community members, government, and corporate partners alike. We believe that by bringing our global operating experience to the table, we can complement the hard-working and talented staff here and help elevate the organization to new heights. This goes beyond just the BlackJacks. It’s about collaborating with Mike and the CEBL to drive league-wide awareness, deliver unforgettable experiences for fans, and create a sustainable, thriving league that embraces a growth mindset — one that aims to position Canadian basketball as a force on the global stage." Diamond Sports Canada Inc. takes over ownership of the club from Canadian Basketball Ventures LP who had stewarded the team since their inception in 2020. They will serve as the first privately funded group with an ownership stake in the BlackJacks and the first international owners in CEBL history with their base of operations being located in New South Wales, Australia. “Justin Pascoe and the Diamond Sports Canada Inc. group bring valuable international perspective and a wealth of sports business experience and sophistication to the Ottawa BlackJacks,” said Mike Morreale, Commissioner & Co-Founder of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. “Their ownership strengthens both the team and the league as we continue building a sustainable model for professional basketball in Canada. The group’s commitment to innovation, community engagement, and long-term growth perfectly aligns with the CEBL’s vision for what our teams represent, and we truly value the extension of our ownership table beyond Canada.” Transition of team operations will begin immediately, with the seventh season of Ottawa BlackJacks basketball set to kick off in May 2026 at The Arena at TD Place . About Global Sports Fund Management Group A sports-specific investment strategy that aims to capitalize on the booming sports investment market by strategically acquiring sports-related assets that offer high returns. The company adopts a diversified approach, targeting a range of sports assets to mitigate risk and maximize returns for investors. The company adheres to stringent investment criteria, focusing on assets with strong growth potential and the ability to deliver sustainable returns while providing a vertically integrated approach to the investors and their other businesses. Interact with us on social media: Instagram: ottawablackjacks X: Ott_BlackJacks Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks TikTok: ottawablackjacks
Canadian Basketball Ventures L.P. (CBV), the corporate entity that owns the Ottawa BlackJacks, announced today that the organization has mutually agreed to part ways with BlackJacks’ President, Mark Wacyk, effective immediately. In his lone season with the organization, the team finished in second place in the CEBL’s Eastern Conference, and hosted the conference semifinal. Mark also played a role in expanding the BlackJacks’ presence through community partnerships and connections within Ottawa’s basketball network. CBV thanks Mark for his contributions and wishes him well in his future endeavors.
In the end, the Scarborough Shooting Stars were just too much. During the early stages of Saturday’s Eastern Conference Semifinal, the short-handed Ottawa BlackJacks scratched and clawed and put a jolt into the favoured Shooting Stars, threatening an upset victory. But by the time the final buzzer sounded, Scarborough had safely punched its ticket to Championship Weekend in Winnipeg. The Shooting Stars wound up with a 114-81 win over the BlackJacks on Saturday at Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, Que., an Ottawa home game that was forced across the provincial border due to a scheduling conflict. Scarborough’s offensive output broke a CEBL playoff record, surpassing the mark of 108 it set in 2022. “When you’re going against a team that is missing some of their guys, oftentimes the overall sentiment is it’s going to be easy. Nothing is easy in basketball. You have to make it easy and I thought we really had that mindset in the second half,” Shooting Stars head coach Mike De Giorgio said. The Shooting Stars move on to face the top-seeded Niagara River Lions in the East final. The BlackJacks, meanwhile, will head home after a promising season was derailed by mass roster changes. Ottawa lost 70 points from its lineup with the absences of league-leading scorer Javonte Smart, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Zane Waterman, longtime BlackJack Deng Adel, big man Isaih Moore and Canadian Keevan Veinot. Instead, head coach Dave DeAveiro dressed an all-Canadian lineup for the first time in league history — and saw his troops start the game with a 9-0 run, only to fizzle out from there. DeAveiro said he was proud of his team for how it fought amid the turbulence. “Those guys played, left everything [on the court] and represented the organization as best as they possibly could,” he said. “My hat’s off to all the guys.” Still, the Shooting Stars — who were missing some players of their own — were able to take advantage of their undermanned opponent. Scarborough led by a playoff-record 26 points at 105-79 when the clocks stopped for Target Score Time. And it finished things off quickly, scoring on four straight possessions to end the game. Kobe Elvis punctuated the victory with a pair of game-winning free throws. “That’s kind of like the step-on-their-neck mentality that we wanted to have. And that’s something that we’ve been missing a lot this season. We get big leads, and [Target Score Time] they get back in, so today was really a test for us to get a lead … and hold it,” said Donovan Williams, who led the team with 27 points to go with five assists. With the Shooting Stars missing guard Cat Barber and forwards Kalif Young and Jaden Campbell, De Giorgio dressed practice player Samuel Wong and assistant coach Daniel Mullings. But, as it turned out, the extra depth wasn’t necessary as Scarborough shot a blistering 50 per cent from three-point range. Terquavion Smith, the hero of the play-in game, added 17 points, five rebounds and five helpers. Elvis came off the bench to pour in 19 points and seven dimes. And forward Khalil Miller broke a team record by hauling in 17 rebounds, completing a double-double with 19 points, too. Miller said “it feels great” to be moving on to Winnipeg. “Everyone said we just had to come together and take care of business and that’s what we did,” he told sideline reporter Heather Morrison in a post-game interview. On the other side, the BlackJacks’ season comes to an end despite a second-place finish in the East at 12-12. One positive that came from the loss, however, was the all-Canadian roster. “That’s what this league’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a breeding ground for young Canadians as they move forward in their professional careers and giving them opportunities,” DeAveiro said. David Walker, who played 14 games for the Shooting Stars earlier this season, paced the BlackJacks with 19 points off the bench while adding five rebounds. Ottawa captain Tyrrel Tate had 17 points, while big man Christian Rohlehr had 16 points and eight rebounds. Walker said it was fun going against his former squad. “There was a lot of extra motivation. Those guys were talking trash,” he said. He added that the pre-game mindset for Ottawa was simple. “It was just like we got guys in the locker room, we’re gonna go out with these guys, battle with these guys,” Walker said. While the BlackJacks started the game with that 9-0 run, the Shooting Stars settled in and led 26-25 through 10 minutes. Scarborough then poked ahead even further in the second quarter, taking a 54-42 advantage into halftime. Through three quarters, the Shooting Stars led 81-67, and they finished the job without much stress in the fourth. Now, their next challenge — in Winnipeg, against the defending champion River Lions — awaits. “To be the champ you gotta beat the champ,” said De Giorgio, “so we’ll be ready to go.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2700442 Up Next The Shooting Stars will meet the River Lions in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. Next CEBL Action Championship Weekend in Winnipeg begins with the Eastern and Western Conference finals on Thursday. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games . Interact with us on social media: Instagram: ottawablackjacks X: Ott_BlackJacks Facebook: OttawaBlackJacks TikTok: ottawablackjacks
