Central Basketball Association

In the United States, the Central Basketball Association (CBA) is the fastest growing minor-league basketball organization, where players have the opportunity to obtain professional contracts with international organizations or the NBA D-League. In its first two seasons, the CBA has helped provide 22 international contracts to its players to date. 

In Canada, the fastest-growing minor league basketball organization is the North of the Border Basketball League (NBBL), which aids players in achieving opportunities in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL-Canada), which is Canada's top professional basketball league, or the NBA D-League. In its first two seasons, the NBBL has also helped a handful of its players be promoted to the professional ranks, including Brady Heslip, who played for the Blessed Sacrament Nation in the NBBL last season. Heslip, the three-point record holder at Baylor University and a member of the Canadian national basketball team, played for the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league team this past summer, before subsequently signing a contract with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. 

Last August, the all-star teams from both leagues squared off against each other in Hamilton, Ontario, where the Canadian hosts defeated the CBA All-Stars, 100-92, in a competitive matchup between the two squads. 

The relationship and cooperation has continued in the off-season, as individual teams from both the leagues will begin a series of annual exhibition games against one another. The first match-up for the 2015 calendar year will pit the Fort Wayne Flite of the CBA versus the Toronto 3D of the NBBL, at the Rise Centre in Brantford, Ontario on March 21st at 7:00 p.m. 

Fort Wayne finished the 2014 CBA season as the league's third-best team, and lost in triple-overtime in the semi-finals to the eventual champion, Middle Tennessee Storm. They will look to have key returning starters on their 2015 roster, including: 2014 CBA Most Valuable Player, Antonio Cannon, who averaged 25.0 points per game last season; former Division-I point guard from Georgia State University, Marques Johnson, who averaged 19.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 5.2 assists per game; and their all-star center, James Humphrey, who averaged 15.9 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game last season. 

The Toronto 3D were the 2014 NBBL Champions, finishing the season with an undefeated 13-0 record, including defeating the Hamilton Huskies in the league championship game. Their team was led by NBBL Finals Most Valuable Player, Tramar Sutherland, who averaged 23.0 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game last season, and ultimately landed a professional contract with the Moncton Miracles of NBL-Canada. Other key figures from the 2014 roster included: Nolan Gooding (10.3 points per game, 8.1 assists per game), Sean Nickel (15.9 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game), and Nigel Tyghter (10.7 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game). 

For Fort Wayne, this game presents an excellent opportunity to give their 2015 roster significant game experience, before they begin the 2015 CBA season the following week, March 28, at home versus the Mississippi Eagles. And for Toronto, the game provides another off-season litmus test for their club, before they begin their run for back-to-back championships in the NBBL season, beginning in May.