Sports This Week: CEBL's exciting new season sees expansion teams thrive

YORKTON - If you are a sports fan in general, or a basketball fan in particular, hopefully by now you are following the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).

And, if you are in Saskatchewan well the team to follow is the Saskatoon-based Rattlers.

But, this week it’s a broader view of the Canadian loop now in its fifth season, as I was able to catch up with Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Co-Founder of the CEBL to talk about the start of the new season that has saw several sell outs and growing interest.

“It’s kind of the way I hoped it would start,” he told Yorkton This Week.

Of course one could never be too sure after a season that saw several changes, from the renaming of the Fraser Valley Bandits to the Vancouver Bandits, the move of Guelph to Calgary where the team was rebranded the Surge and the addition of the expansion Winnipeg Sea Bears.

“So you’re never sure until you start bouncing the basketball,” said Morreale.

But the Sea Bears sold out their first two home games and Calgary started the season 5-1, so the moves appear to have worked.

Morreale said it’s a case where the CEBL really anticipated the two cities would be good markets and it’s proving out.

In the case of Calgary the league even did some live action research with the CEBL hosting The Basketball Champions League America games there.

Morreale admitted the BCLA games were a trial balloon of sorts for Calgary, and it worked.

Now it’s Quebec City’s turn to show interest in the CEBL.

The CEBL and Gestev, a subsidiary of Quebecor Sports and Entertainment Group, announced recently that the Videotron Centre will host the CEBL Clash Saturday, Aug. 26. The game will be an east versus west showdown between the league’s top players following the conclusion of the 2023 CEBL season.

The teams representing each conference will include the best talent the league has to offer.

The game is a likely prelude to a serious look at the CEBL expanding to Quebec City.

“There’s a willing group that put their hand up,” in terms of ownership, said Morreale, adding the city would be a great fit in particular as a rival for the Montreal Alliance.

It builds on the interest in the sport in the province too.

“Quebec basketball has come a long, long way,” said Morreale.

A team could hit the court as early as 2024.

Logically the CEBL would look to a add a team in the west too to keep things balanced.

Asked if Regina could be in the mix, if not in 2024 – a second B.C. team seems more likely – then one day, Morreale replied “you never know.”

But, back to the current season where not every game has been a nail-biter. Edmonton defeated Winnipeg one night 97-68 and Scarborough topped Montreal 104-72 and the Rattlers succumbed to Calgary 80-63.

“Sometimes you chalk it up to an off night,” said Morreale, adding “at the end of the day you want to have high scoring games.”

As commissioner Morreale said he also hopes home teams win as that spurs fan interest, but basketball can be fickle in terms of who wins, especially in a league showing a lot of parity early in the season.

Overall though, Morreale said he is pleased where the CEBL is at as of June 2023.

“There’s always work to do, looking a few steps ahead . . . but everything is trending in the right direction,” he said.