YORKTON - The Saskatchewan Rattlers have added a Canadian player to its 2024 roster who just might be the surprise of the season.
The Saskatoon-based Rattlers recently announced the club had signed six-foot-four Quebec City, QC native Emmanuel Bandoumel for the 2024 season.
Bandoumel made his collegiate debut playing with the Hill College Rebels of the NJCAA, where he started in 27 of 30 games averaging 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 53.0 per cent from the field. As a sophomore, he made his NCAA debut with Southern Methodist University (SMU), playing in all 30 games with 18 starts before the season was cut short by COVID-19. Bandoumel returned to SMU for his junior and senior year, where he started in 50 consecutive games averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 29.9 minutes. In his final SMU season, the Mustangs finished in second in the AAC Conference during the regular season with 13 wins and four losses, detailed a team release.
For his final NCAA season, Bandoumel transferred to Nebraska starting in 20 consecutive games – where he averaged 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 31.1 minutes. Before his mid-season injury, the Huskers were ranked in the top 35 nationally for their defence which was largely due to Bandoumel pressure on the defensive end.
The injury is where the upside for Bandoumel as a Rattler may come from.
In an interview with Yorkton This Week, Bandoumel said signing with the Rattlers was a good fit in his mind as he makes his way back to 100 per cent.
“It was a big decision, especially coming out of the injury,” he said. “It was kind of crucial to find the right team for me.”
Bandoumel said from everything he has learned the Rattler organization is great with dealing with its player needs, and that is huge as he returns to form.
“They gave me a chance,” he said, adding not every team was willing to do that given the ACL injury.
“It was a little bit more than a year before I got back on the court,” he said.
But, back on the court Bandoumel has been.
“I was lucky enough to do rehab in Nebraska (where he was in college),” he said, adding the approach taken helped him be ready to play.
He made his professional debut during the 2023-24 season in Denmark, playing with the Svendborg Rabbits of Basketligaen averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 27.5 minutes playing in seven games. He is currently ranked in the top five on the roster in field goal percentage (50.0 per cent), three-point percentage (45.8 per cent), rebounds per game (3.7), and assists per game (2.1).
“I’m not 100 per cent,” said Bandoumel, but he added the injured knee is strong, so it’s just a case of getting the rhythm of the game back.
Getting a chance with the Rattlers is all about taking another step toward carving out better things in the future in terms of basketball for Bandoumel. He said he wants to play at higher levels.
“That’s the goal,” he said, adding he is aware a number of Canadian Elite Basketball League league players have moved up.
“They’ve used it (the CEBL) to propel themselves to the NBA or G-League . . . I think that’s the dream of everybody in the league.”
So what can fans expect from Bandoumel as a Rattler?
“I’m a guy who brings a lot of energy whether on defence or offence,” he said. “ ... Fans will feel my energy every night.”
Bandoumel said he also respects an organization who works hard for its players “so I just try to work just as hard.
Bandoumel joins the 2024 roster which includes Cody John, Maurice Calloo, Adong Makuoi, and 2023 Rattlers Defensive Player of the Year - Anthony Tsegakele. The Rattlers are led by Head Coach Larry Abney, who joins Saskatchewan from the Los Angeles Clippers organization.
The full 2024 Rattlers schedule has been released, which features a full 20-game slate with one potential home playoff game and Championship Weekend (CW24) happening in Montréal, QC from August 9-11.
