Veteran Marauders basketball assistant coach Sheldon Cassimy returns as the Brantford Honey Badgers head coach for a second year
On Tuesday, Mar. 11, 2025, the Brantford Honey Badgers announced that their head coach, Sheldon Cassimy, will return for another season. Cassimy also serves as the assistant head coach for the Marauders men's basketball team.
The Honey Badgers are one of 10 teams in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, a men’s professional basketball league in Canada.
While Cassimy appreciates the Honey Badgers bringing him back, he understands there is still work to be done.
“The re-signing was great and I’m grateful for that, but I’m more so focused on taking care of business. The jitters and excitement might hit me once training camp starts, but I’m pretty even-keeled right now,” said Cassimy.
The re-signing was great and I’m grateful for that, but I’m more so focused on taking care of business.
Sheldon Cassimy
Head Coach, Brantford Honey Badgers
Cassimy has been coaching basketball since he was 19. He started as a coach for a church league, working his way up the ladder. Last March, he was announced as the new head coach for the Brantford Honey Badgers.
Despite finishing his first year with more losses than wins, Cassimy told The Silhouette that he learned valuable skills.
“From that first season, I really learned how important communication was and how to communicate better, whether it be with your players or coaching staff. It’s something I am consciously trying to get better at and I hope it can help us develop better team chemistry,” said Cassimy.
In addition to coaching the Badgers, Cassimy has served as the assistant head coach for the Marauders men's basketball team for the past four years.
“It’s been great coaching the Marauders. Being able to help and mentor these players to hopefully be pros is great and I enjoy it,” said Cassimy.
The Marauders did not finish where they wanted to last season, ending with six wins and 16 losses and missing the OUA playoffs. Still, Cassimy believes there is a lot to take away from the season.
“I feel like from the Marauder season, I’m able to learn and get better through different experiences. And I’m excited to try out different things. Whether it be new terminology, different schemes, or trying things out in practice, I'm excited to implement what I learned with the Marauders for next season with the Badgers,” said Cassimy.
Cassimy acknowledged the difficulty of coaching two separate teams. Due to his responsibilities with the Honey Badgers, he is unable to be as active as he wants to be during the Marauders’ summer training camps. Still, he praised his coaching staff for making it easier to balance both positions.
“I’m lucky to work with a great coach, Patrick Tatum, who wants his assistant head coaches to continue to grow. He makes it easy for me to do both jobs. I think being a part of the CEBL and coaching the Honey Badgers helps enhance the Marauders team. Both positions work hand-in-hand for me,” said Cassimy.
Being a part of the CEBL and coaching the Honey Badgers helps enhance the Marauders team
Sheldon Cassimy
Assistant Head Coach, McMaster Men’s Basketball
The Badgers' CEBL season will begin on May 18, 2025, when they take on the Montréal Alliance.
Despite strong performances from their stars, the Marauders men’s basketball season comes to an end with two losses
Over the weekend of Feb. 15, 2025, the McMaster Marauders men’s basketball team faced off against Toronto Metropolitan University’s Bold and the University of Toronto’s Varsity Blues in their two final games of the Ontario University Athletics season. Despite their strong efforts, the Marauders lost both games, falling 70–68 against TMU and 77–53 against the Blues.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Marauders played a tight game against TMU. The teams traded baskets, and despite shooting poorly from the field in the first quarter, the Marauders scored more field goals and three-pointers in the second quarter, keeping the score close at 37–35 by halftime.
In the third quarter, TMU outscored the Marauders, but clutch shots from Moody Qasim and Mike Demagus kept the game close in the fourth quarter.
In the third quarter, TMU outscored the Marauders, but clutch shots from Moody Qasim and Mike Demagus kept the game close in the fourth quarter.
Both Demagus and Qasim led the team in total points over the season, with 244 and 220, respectively. Qasim had a strong season overall, making 26 three-pointers.
Despite the Marauders’ strong efforts, the TMU Bold scored a few final, decisive points in the last seconds of the game, winning 70–68 and dropping the Marauders’ record to 6 wins and 14 losses for the season.
Despite the Marauders’ strong efforts, the TMU Bold scored a few final, decisive points in the last seconds of the game, winning 70–68 . . .
While their first game was close, the same could not be said for the second. The Marauders played the Varsity Blues at home and lost 77–53.
The Marauders had a strong first quarter, holding a 16–15 lead. Both Qasim and Demagus led the Marauders, scoring 12 and 8 points, respectively. Despite the two making pivotal shots throughout the half, the Blues proved too much to handle, outscoring them in the second quarter and ultimately securing the win.
The two losses eliminated the Marauders from OUA championship contention. They finished the season with 6 wins and 16 losses, placing them second last in their division.
Despite their results this season, the Marauders men’s basketball team will look to come back stronger next year.
Toronto has always been known as a hockey town. The wide-reaching brand of the Toronto Maple Leafs consumes nearly every sports bar, home television and water cooler discussion during peak sports season.
But had two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash signed with the Toronto Raptors, and not the L.A. Lakers, the popularity of basketball could have taken a significant step towards becoming as meaningful as the Maple Leafs to the Toronto sports identity.
The Raptors have been a team stuck in insignificance since the departure of Vince Carter. With two trips to the playoffs since 2004, Toronto fans have had little to be excited about.
But the future looked bright for Canada’s team, as Raptor brass appeared to be pulling out all the stops to coax Steve Nash towards signing a new contract with them. Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo had been pitching the Raptors unique ability to cement Nash’s legacy in Canadian basketball. Colangelo even recruited Wayne Greztky to help in persuade Nash to sign with Toronto, with Gretzky likening what his time with the Los Angeles Kings meant to U.S. hockey to the impact Steve Nash could have on Canadian basketball.
Was making that extra push to sign Steve Nash the right basketball decision for the Raptors? That’s a tough question to answer. With the current roster, the Raptors have the talent to possibly compete for a low-seeded playoff spot, but more than likely end up with a lottery draft pick. But with Nash, the Raptors would have gotten a boost on offense (an area of concern from last season) and likely made the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
But bringing in Steve Nash meant more than just winning and losing. It meant beginning a new chapter in Toronto Raptors history. It would have been one of the first times a major free agent chose to play for the Raptors. Bringing in Nash would have created a larger fan base, giving management more money to spend on further improvements to the team. A more prominent fan base could turn Toronto into a free agent destination, with the city already praised by players around the league for its culture, entertainment and nightlife, as well as it’s winning attitude, demonstrated by the pursuit of the former MVP.
No one is saying that Steve Nash was the final piece to a Toronto Raptors an NBA championship. But he offered something else vitally important to the franchise’s future: relevancy in the Toronto sports market.
Time for plan B, Raptors.
