Sultan Haider Bhatti: Success in Brandon to CEBL first overall pick
Sultan Haider Bhatti’s determination and team-first mentality have carried him to the top of Canadian university basketball and toward the start of a professional career on the court.
In 2025, the Brandon University guard was selected first overall in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) draft by the Montreal Alliance, a milestone moment that recognized not only his athletic talent, but the leadership, work ethic and values he brings to every team. For Bhatti, the pick was a reflection of years of steady growth and a signal that his approach to the game resonates far beyond U SPORTS.
“It means a lot,” Bhatti said.
“But what’s more important is what comes next, how I keep growing and helping the people around me get better too.”
For Bhatti, basketball has always been about more than wins and losses. He’s long embraced the idea that true success in sport comes not through individual accolades, but through collective achievement. It’s a mindset he’s carried from high school all the way to university, and one he continues to model both on and off the court.
“Team success always comes first,” he said.
“If we win as a team, that’s real success. It’s not just about what I accomplish, it’s about what we accomplish together.”
That sense of shared purpose drives Bhatti’s approach to the game. Whether it’s making the extra pass, locking in defensively or encouraging a teammate, he sees his role as contributing to something larger than himself.
He credits much of his outlook to his time growing up, where he saw firsthand how sport could bring people together and offer opportunity. He says his high school experience shaped him, not just as an athlete, but as a person.
“Basketball gave me structure. It gave me discipline. And it gave me a place where I could grow,” he said.
As a young Canadian of Pakistani descent growing up in Quebec, Bhatti says he didn’t always see himself reflected in the sport’s culture or coverage. That absence has motivated him to lead by example and show other young people that they belong too.
“I didn’t see many Pakistani kids playing basketball when I was younger,” he said.
“Now I want to be that person for the next generation, someone they can look at and think, ‘I can do this too.’”
As he continued his journey, Bhatti remained committed to the values he first learned as a student-athlete — accountability, effort, and an appreciation for the role sport can play in young people’s lives. He sees basketball not just as a game, but as a pathway for youth to build confidence and discover who they are.
“I want kids to understand that success isn’t only about what you do on the court,” he said.
“It’s about your mindset, your education, and how you carry yourself every day.”
In turn, he believes the skills gained through sport, like teamwork, resilience, determination, can make a real difference in the academic setting.
“When you develop that work ethic through sport, it helps you everywhere,” he said.
“Whether it’s in your studies or in life after basketball.”
Bhatti believes strongly in creating space for all youth to feel included. For him, fairness and opportunity should be the foundation of any sports system.
“I believe in equity,” he said.
“It’s something I try to live every day, in how I treat people, how I compete, and how I contribute to my team.”
Bhatti acknowledges that the path through sport isn’t always easy. It comes with obstacles. Sometimes, there are moments of self-doubt, tough losses, and the pressure to perform. But it’s those challenges, he says, that ultimately shape a player’s character.
“You have to keep pushing. You have to stay focused,” he said.
“It’s about knowing who you are and staying true to that, no matter what.”