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{{short description|Basketball team in St. Catharines, Canada}}

factoids

{{color box#d4e1e8}}| president = Jeffrey Sotiriou| owner = Richard Petko, Michael Skrtich, Jeffrey Sotiriou| coach = Victor Rasowww.riverlions.ca/|riverlions.ca}}| h_pattern_b = _greensides| h_body = FFFFFF| h_shorts = FFFFFF| h_pattern_s = _greensides| a_pattern_b = _greensides| a_body = 1F2538| a_shorts = 1F2538| a_pattern_s = _greensides| championships =}}The Niagara River Lions are a Canadian professional basketball team based in St. Catharines, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. From 2015 to 2018, they were members of the National Basketball League of Canada. The River Lions play their home games at the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines.WEB, Dadson, Zach, Five facts about River Lions,bulletnewsniagara.ca/index.php?p=Sections&id=4677, BulletNewsNiagara.com, 7 July 2015,

History

In February 2014, the Niagara Basketball Group started the application process to get a local team.WEB, Niagara to get its own NBL Canada team,www.610cktb.com/news/2015/04/08/niagara-to-get-its-own-nbl-canada-team, CKTB, 28 May 2015, Over a year later, the NBL Canada announced that they would hold a press conference on the morning of April 8, 2015, regarding the expansion team.WEB, Professional Basketball Coming To The Niagara Region,www.nblcanada.com/news/100705/professional-basketball-coming-to-the-niagara-region, NBLCanada.com, 28 May 2015, The group also held an online contest in which fans had the opportunity to make suggestions as to what the team’s nickname should be. On May 14, 2015, the NBL held a Board of Governors’ meeting, in which it was approved and confirmed that Niagara would compete in the 2015–16 season.WEB, Optimism And Unity Highlights NBL Canada League Meeting,www.nblcanada.com/news/100741/optimism-and-unity-highlights-nbl-canada-league-meeting, NBLCanada.com, 28 May 2015, At a press conference on May 28, 2015, it was announced that the team would be called the “Niagara River Lions,” a nickname inspired by the Niagara Region’s coat of arms, which depicts the same animal. Ken Murray, a successful Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coach, came out of retirement to claim the head coaching and general manager (GM) position.WEB, Dube, Kris, River Lions ready to build winning team for Niagara,bulletnewsniagara.ca/index.php?p=Sections&id=4630, BulletNewsNiagara.com, 28 May 2015, However, during their inaugural season, Murray was fired from the team on February 20, 2016, and was replaced by assistant coach Grâce Lokole.NEWS,www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2016/02/21/river-lions-axe-head-coach-coachgm, River Lions axe head coach coach/GM, Niagara Falls Review, 21 February 2016, Lokole would step down from the head coach position during the next season on March 11, 2017.WEB, Keith Vassell taking over NBL Canada team on interim basis,www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/03/09/keith-vassell-taking-over-nbl-canada-team-on-interim-basis, stcatharinesstandard.ca, 11 March 2017,www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/03/09/keith-vassell-taking-over-nbl-canada-team-on-interim-basis," title="web.archive.org/web/20170310022554www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/03/09/keith-vassell-taking-over-nbl-canada-team-on-interim-basis,">web.archive.org/web/20170310022554www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/03/09/keith-vassell-taking-over-nbl-canada-team-on-interim-basis, 10 March 2017, dead, He was replaced by local Niagara College head coach Keith Vassell on an interim basis while Lokole stayed on as an assistant. Joe Raso would be named the head coach for the 2017–18 season.WEB,www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/7397586-niagara-river-lions-name-joe-raso-as-new-head-coach/, Niagara River Lions name Joe Raso as new head coach, Niagara This Week, June 28, 2017, In 2017, River Lions’ owner Richard Petko became one of the investors of a new basketball league called Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). On June 8, 2018, the River Lions announced that the franchise had moved to the CEBL after three seasons in the National Basketball League of Canada.WEB,www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/sports-story/8659456-river-lions-make-move-to-cebl-holding-court-in-2019/, River Lions make move to CEBL – holding court in 2019, St. Catharines Standard, June 8, 2018,

Mascot

For their first season, the River Lions announced that their mascot would be Dunkin the River Lion. Dunkin performs during every River Lions home game and attends events throughout the Niagara Region.

Players

Current roster

{{Basketball roster nationality note}}{{Basketball roster header| team = Niagara River Lions bg1 = #00CC00 bg2 = #000035}}{{player3 | num = 1 | nat = CAN | first = Jordan | last = Tchuente | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 6 | lbs = 200 | year = 2001 | month = 03 | date = 06 }}{{player3 | num = 8 | nat = USA | first = A. J. | last = Davis | dab = basketball | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 215 | year = 1995 | month = 03 | date = 15 }}{hide}Basketball roster footer| head_coach =

• {{player||CAN|Victor Raso{edih}|asst_coach =
• {{player||CAN|Danielle Bolago}}
• {{player||CAN|Marlo Davis}}
• {{player||CAN|Joel Friesen}}
• {{player||CAN|Chris Rao}}
• {{player||CAN|Troy Stevenson}}| roster_url =www.riverlions.ca/2023-roster| transaction_url =www.cebl.ca/transactions| accessdate = January 4, 2024| legend1 = (I) Inactive| otherlegend = (U) Current U Sports Athlete

}}

Honours

• CEBL

Season-by-season record{| class“wikitable” style@font-size: 95%; text-align:center;”

! rowspan=2|League!! rowspan=“2“|Season!!rowspan=“2“|Coach!! colspan=“4“|Regular season !! colspan=“4“|Post season!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!ResultNBLC2015–16 NBL Canada season>2015–16Ken Murray (basketball coach)Grâce Lokole>| Lost div. semi-finals2016–17 NBL Canada season>2016–17Grâce LokoleKeith Vassell 14 26 .350 5th Central colspan=4|did not qualify2017–18 NBL Canada season>2017–18Joe Raso 17 23 {{winpct23}} 4th Central 1 3 {{winpct3}} Lost div. semi-finalsCEBL2019 CEBL season>2019Victor Raso 15 5 {{winpct5}} 1st 0 1 {{winpct1}} Lost semi-finals2020 CEBL season>2020Victor Raso 2 4 {{winpct4}} 6th 0 1 {{winpct1}} Lost quarter-finals2021 CEBL season>2021Victor Raso 10 4 {{winpct4}} 2nd 1 1 {{winpct1}} Lost finals2022 CEBL season>2022Victor Raso 13 7 {{winpct7}} 2nd 1 1 {{winpct1}} Lost semi-finals2023 CEBL season>2023Victor Raso 13 7 {{winpct7}} 1st East 0 1 {{winpct1}} Lost semi-finals! colspan=“3“|NBLC totals!!47!!73!! {{winpct|47|73}} !!—!!1!!6!! {{winpct|1|6}} !!! colspan=“3“|CEBL totals!!53!!27!! {{winpct|53|27}} !!—!!2!!5!! {{winpct|2|5}} !!

Notable players

• Khalil Ahmad
• Javin DeLaurier
• Tidjan Keita
• Stephen Maxwell
• Xavier Moon

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Official website

{{Canadian Elite Basketball League}}{{National Basketball League of Canada}}{{Ontario Sports}}