Basketball fans in Mississauga can begin to feel the energy now that City Council and Power Basketball have joined forces to bring the National Basketball League of Canada to the City of Mississauga for the upcoming 2013-14 NBL Canada season. “We’re very pleased to welcome the National Basketball League of Canada to Mississauga,” said Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. “It’s a natural fit to now have the exciting sport of professional basketball here in our city. We’re looking forward to cheering on our own team at the Hershey Centre with this great addition to our dynamic sport community.” The Power franchise’s relocation from Oshawa to Mississauga was approved by the NBL Canada Board of Directors with great enthusiasm for the potential that the city holds. CEO and President, Andre Levingston anticipates that the NBL Canada will be warmly welcomed. “Mississauga is a city that we’ve always been excited about,” said Levingston. “With its unique diversity and commitment to bringing the very best to all that live there, we feel this team will be welcomed with open arms.”

The Oshawa Power got a season high 38 points from point guard Nick Okroie, on their way to upsetting defending champions London Lightning 105-101 on the Road. Okroie shot 12-of-22 from the floor, 4-of-8 from downtown and a perfect 10-from-10 from the charity stripe. The victory snaps the defending champs (11-1) perfect start to the season and improves the Power's record to two games over .500% at 8-6, a game up on third-place Windsor Express. The last time the two teams met, London put a league record 153 points as they blew out the Power 153-115. For Okorie the points came in bunches as he finished the game two points shy of the league-best 40 points, put in by the Greg Plummer of the Summerside Storm earlier this month.

Down 16 after three quarters of play, the Windsor Express huddled in search of inspiration. In the midst of the bodies, the voice of an unseen player offered up these words: “We can’t play any worse,” was the phrase he opted to bellow at his teammates, not exactly the sort of thing they teach during a Dale Carnegie course. You know what? It almost worked. An improbable Windsor rally fell one point short, as the Oshawa Power hung on for an 84-83 decision in Saturday’s National Basketball League game at the WFCU Centre.

It's time for those running the show of the Oshawa Power and the basketball community of Durham Region to come together and decide if pro hoops is really going to happen here. Both sides have been neglectful, it would seem, but after speaking to a source close to the team, who wished not to be identified, there is some optimism that the National Basketball League of Canada could still fly in these parts. Very guarded optimism, mind you, and the type that could easily die if certain things don't happen. First, the Power need to communicate better with their fans, or more importantly, their potential fans. They need to explain who will be replacing Gary Durrant, last year's president of basketball operations, who will be coaching the team and, of course, who will be making the layups, slam dunks and three-pointers.

NBL Canada announced the regular season MVP and All-NBL teams.

Papa Oppong, for the first time in a long time, is close to home and playing basketball. And while he is quite happy to hit the court as a member of the NBL Canada's Oshawa Power, his feelings pale in comparison to those of his mother, as she hasn't had the chance to see the Pickering native in action for quite a while. "I was telling everyone that my mom hadn't seen me play since Grade 11. So it was a great experience for her to be able to come and see me play for the first time since high school," Oppong said last week, moments after playing his first home game since signing with the Power last month. "The atmosphere was great. I loved it." Oppong, who originally caught the eye of Power brass at the league's combine last August, started the season out east as a member of the Halifax Rainmen after being selected in the second round of the draft. Oppong appeared in eight games with the club, but was cast aside and released in December, free to sign elsewhere in the league. A quick return home had him on the Power radar, and after he hit the practice court a couple of times with the club, Oshawa's director of basketball operations Gary Durrant wanted another look at the Eastern Kentucky alum.

Expectations for minor pro basketball leagues, especially those in their first year of operation, shouldn’t be too high. Past attempts have shown that the success rate for new leagues generally isn’t impressive. With that reality in mind, it’s time to judge the first-year National Basketball League of Canada in several key areas, now that it has reached the midway point of its initial season:

The visiting Storm defeated the Quebec Kebs 100-92 on Wednesday afternoon for their second win in a row after losing seven straight. Both of the Storm’s recent wins have come on the road, including a 101-100 win in Oshawa on Dec. 22. “It was a really big win for us,” said Storm head coach Joe Salerno in a phone interview. “Quebec is a tough team, they are one of the top two or three teams in the league. “For us to come in here on their home floor and get a win, it’s big for us confidence-wise and our morale.” The Storm improved to 7-10 (won-lost) while the Kebs fell to 13-7.

"We're going to do our best to see to it that no franchise folds, this season or next or into the future," Kennedy said. "I'm going to work to make sure this is a success, and it may mean that there are some changes but nobody's going away any time soon, not if we can do anything about it." Kennedy, who was hired last month as the league's first commissioner, admits it's been a tough slog.

A busy week filled with trades and transactions as teams scramble to find their groove. We hit you up with the latest BasketballBuzz NBL Canada Power Rankings. #1 London Lightning - (11-3) (LW: 1) The Lightning retain their top spot despite dropping a close home game against the Oshawa Power in the battle of the 401. Gabe Freeman is making a strong case for league MVP, the Phoenix Arizona native is averaging 17 points and a league leading 12 rebounds per contest. Previous: @Oshawa Power W, 100-76, Oshawa Power L 93-98, @Oshawa Power W, 87-80 Upcoming Games: Idle #2 Quebec Kebs - (9-5) (LW: 2) The Kebs had their four game winning streak snapped courtesy of the Rainmen. Quebec welcomes a six game home stretch after playing a league-high 9 of their first 14 games on the road. Previous: @Halifax Rainmen L, 93-83, @Saint John Mill Rats W, 74-63 Upcoming Games: Oshawa Power, Saint John Mill Rats #3 Halifax Rainmen - (6-4) (LW: 4) The Rainmen picked up their first road victory of the season in fine fashion as NBL Player of the Week, Justin Johnson nailed a three-point basket with six seconds remaining. Halifax released Orien Greene and Canadian Pappa Oppong. Previous: @Summerside Storm W, 97-96, Quebec Kebs W, 97-83 Upcoming Games: @Summerside Storm, Oshawa Power #4 Saint John Mill Rats (6-6) (LW: 3) The Mill Rats just missed out on a key victory against the Kebs and a made huge splash by acquiring the services of the best Canadian player in the league, as versatile big men Kevin Francis from the Oshawa Power relocates to east coast. Previous: Quebec Kebs L, 89-91 Upcoming Games: @Moncton Miracles, Moncton Miracles, @Quebec Kebs #5 Oshawa Power - (6-8) (LW: 5) The Power beat the London Lightning for the second time this season and were active in the trade front by shipping Kevin Francis in exchange for Canadians Jerome Brown and 7'0 centre David Collins. Previous: London Lightning L, 76-100, @London Lightning W, 98-93, London Lightning L, 80-87 Upcoming Games: @Quebec Kebs, @Halifax Rainmen, @Moncton Miracles #6 Summerside Storm - (5-7) (LW: 6) The Summerside Storm lost at the buzzer and have now dropped four straight games including seven of their last nine. Previous: Halifax Rainmen L, 96-97 Upcoming Games: Halifax Rainmen, Moncton Miracles #7 Moncton Miracles (0-11) (LW: 7) Miracles had no games last week, and shipped Toronto native Tristan Smith (9.9 PPG) to the London Lightning in exchange for Nick Lother (Winnipeg, MB) and a first round pick in next years draft. Previous: Idle Upcoming Games: Saint John Mill Rats, @Summerside Storm, @Saint John Mill Rats, Oshawa Power