Thierry Tshibola will have the chance to shine on the professional stage.
The second-year guard from Quebec City, QC, was chosen in the third round (29th overall) by the Niagara River Lions, the defending league champions, in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) U SPORTS draft on Thursday, April 10.
"It is always great when players come to our program and get opportunities at the next level," said men's basketball coach Willy Manigat. "Year after year, we have players getting a chance in the CEBL, and Thierry is another athlete who will benefit from his time at Brock."
This past season, Tshibola averaged 7.2 points per game in 21.6 minutes per contest. He was dynamic on both sides of the floor, grabbing 4.9 rebounds per game while also distributing 1.3 assists per game.
His career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds in the 91-81 over Windsor on Nov. 30 was the first double-double of his Brock career.
The River Lions finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 14-6 regular season in 2024-25 record. In the playoffs, the Niagara squad won close conference semifinal and final contests by three points each before defeating the Vancouver Bandits 97-95 in the championship final.
Jordan Tchuente, Tshibola's Brock teammate in 2023-2024, was drafted to the River Lions in April 2024 before becoming a CEBL champion in August.
This year's selection continues the long-storied tradition of the Badgers seeing players selected in the CEBL U SPORTS Draft. The list includes Tyler Brown (2019), Emmanuel Owootoah ('20, '21), Daniel Cayer ('20), Mitch Saunders ('20), Kascius Small-Martin ('20), Isaiah Bujdoso ('22), Jordan Tchuente ('23, '24) and Davanté Hackett ('24).
