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Calgary Surge Announce Steve Konchalski as Team's Senior Advisor

February 14, 2023

February 15, 2023 – Steve “Coach K” Konchalski, former Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations with the  Newfoundland Growlers, will be the Calgary Surge’s new Senior Advisor, the team announced  Wednesday. 


“Steve Konchalski will be an integral part of our basketball operations staff. He is a pioneer in the world of  basketball in our country. His wealth of knowledge and experience will prove to be valuable assets in  building a team culture that translates to winning championships,” said Surge General Manager Shane James. 


Konchalski served as the head coach of the St. Francis Xavier University men’s basketball team from 1975  to 2021. During his tenure at StFX, he led the X-Men to 13 National Tournament appearances, including  three National Championships in 1993, 2000, and 2001. He also earned CIS Coach of the Year honours  during the 2001 championship season. He ended his 46-year coaching career at StFX with 919 career  victories in 1495 games, making him the most winningest coach in Canadian university basketball history. 


"Steve Konchalski has been a close friend for over four decades. He is truly a world-class coach and  leader! He relates perfectly to everyone in the sport, from players to coaches to front-office personnel.  His invaluable experience of more than 30 years assisting with Canada's National team program and  developing the sport in that country will serve the Calgary Surge well. Certainly, Steve will help set the  culture for the franchise's future success. His experience, elite talent evaluation skills, and global  perspective will surely help the organization maximize its full potential," said five-time NCAA champion  (Duke University) and three-time Olympic gold medal winner (United States national team), coach Mike  Krzyzewski. 


Konchalski also served as the assistant coach of the Canadian Men’s National Team from 1973 to 1988,  including the Olympic Games in 1976, 1984 and 1988. He assisted Canada to fourth-place finishes at the  1976 and the 1984 Summer Olympics in addition to being a member of the coaching staff of the 1983  World University Games where Canada captured gold. He then became the head coach of the Canadian  Men’s National Team, from 1995 to 1998, where he coached two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve  Nash and led Canada to victory at the 1996 William Jones Cup in Taiwan. 


“I am honoured to be serving as the Senior Advisor for the Calgary Surge’s 2023 inaugural season. I have  dedicated my life to coaching basketball and developing basketball talent in Canada. I am thrilled at the  opportunity to build a championship-winning roster here in Calgary alongside General Manager Shane  James, Vice-Chairman and President Jason Ribeiro, and the rest of the Surge Front Office staff,” said Steve  “Coach K” Konchalski.


This is one of several exciting announcements about the team and the upcoming season from the Surge.  These will be celebrated at an evening community event held at the Genesis Centre on March 2, 2023. More details will be released soon. 

 

 

About the Calgary Surge 

The Calgary franchise originated as the Guelph Nighthawks in 2018, one of the six founding members of  the CEBL. The organization was relocated from the league’s smallest market to Calgary in August 2022 as  part of the growing league's business strategy to have teams in Canada’s largest metropolitan areas.  Chairman Usman Tahir Jutt and Vice-Chairman and President Jason Ribeiro saw an opportunity to bridge  Calgary’s diverse communities together through sport and entertainment and to create a sense of  belonging. For more information, visit www.calgarysurge.ca

 

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) 

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports  executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in  the country with 71 percent of its roster being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G  League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, top NCAA programs, and  USPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL  players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May to  August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter,  LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube

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Les BlackJacks d'Ottawa de la Ligue Élite Canadienne de Basketball (LECB), la plus grande ligue sportive professionnelle du Canada, ont annoncé aujourd'hui que l'équipe a signé un contrat avec le arrière Shakur Daniel pour la saison 2025. Daniel, 25 ans, se joint aux BlackJacks après avoir récemment terminé sa première année dans la G-League de la NBA, où il obtient une moyenne de 2,4 points par match et de 2,4 rebonds par match pour les Clippers de San Diego. Il est l'un des 11 Canadiens à avoir joué dans la ligue au cours de la saison 2024-25. Ses 27 matchs joués au cours de la campagne l'ont placé à égalité au deuxième rang parmi les Clippers de première année, tandis que ses 2,0 passes décisives par match l'ont placé à égalité au premier rang parmi tous les joueurs canadiens recrutés dans la G-League. « Shakur est un compétiteur de haut niveau qui a la capacité d'influencer le jeu de différentes façons », a déclaré le directeur général des BlackJacks, James Derouin. « Tout au long de son expérience dans la NCAA, au niveau international et dans la G-League, il a montré qu'il était prêt à faire tout ce qu'il fallait pour gagner. Nous avons hâte de le voir démontrer cette compétitivité dans la capitale nationale cet été. » Le natif d'Ajax, en Ontario, qui mesure 6'6 », a déjà une expérience internationale du basketball puisqu'il a passé la campagne 2023-24 avec le KK Feniks 2010 de la première ligue macédonienne, où il a joué en moyenne 29,2 minutes par match en 25 rencontres de MA Superleague. Ses 4,8 rebonds par match l'ont placé au troisième rang de l'équipe et son pourcentage de .451 à trois points sur 3,6 tentatives par match l'a placé au deuxième rang de tous les joueurs du KK Feniks. L'un des cinq meilleurs joueurs canadiens de niveau secondaire classés par USA Today à sa sortie de la Southwest Christian Academy de Little Rock, en Arkansas, Daniel a entamé sa carrière collégiale à Southern Mississippi (Conference USA) en 2018, où il s'est classé deuxième pour les passes décisives par match (0,7) parmi les joueurs de première année, tout en se taillant une place au tableau d'honneur de la CUSA. Lors de sa deuxième campagne, il a joué pour le Ranger Junior College sous la direction de Billy Gillispie, ancien entraîneur de la division I de la NCAA, où il a été nommé joueur défensif de l'année de la NTJCAC et a mené son équipe à un record de 28-3 en saison régulière. En 2020-21, Daniel rejoint son ancien entraîneur principal à Tarleton State (WAC) alors que le programme passe de la Division II à la Division I. Au cours de ses trois saisons avec les Texans, il réalise une moyenne de 2,6 passes décisives par match tout en jouant en moyenne 33,4 minutes par match, y compris en menant toute la conférence avec 35,6 minutes par match lors de sa saison diplômée. Il est actuellement possible d'acheter des forfaits de billets flexibles en visitant le site theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/tickets . Les abonnements de saison des BlackJacks 2025 sont disponibles dès maintenant. Pour plus de détails, les amateurs sont invités à envoyer un courriel à ticketing@theblackjacks.ca ou à composer le 613-690-0519. À propos des BlackJacks d'Ottawa Première franchise d'expansion de la Ligue de basket-ball de l'élite canadienne (LECB), les BlackJacks d'Ottawa présentent le meilleur du basket-ball et du divertissement dans la capitale nationale. Le bureau de direction d'Ottawa apporte à la franchise son expérience de la NBA, de la NBA G League, de l'équipe nationale, de la NCAA et des grandes ligues professionnelles internationales. Dirigée par le directeur général James Derouin et l'entraîneur-chef Dave DeAveiro, l'équipe d'Ottawa joue ses matchs à domicile dans l'aréna de classe mondiale de la Place TD, dans le parc Lansdowne. Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site theblackjacks.ca .
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His overseas basketball career has also featured stints in Switzerland with Geneva Lions (2022-23) and the Czech Republic with Basket Brno (2022-23). “James has been an incredibly impactful player in the CEBL, he is an absolute beast on the court and a great presence in our locker room. It is truly a privilege to be able to coach and work with someone like James.” Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius said. Holding a Czech passport, Karnik represents the Czech Republic in international FIBA play. Most recently, he was called up to the national team at both the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers and 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers appearing in four games across both competitions. Prior to turning professional, Karnik played in 130 games across a five year NCAA DI career. Split between Lehigh University (2017-20) and Boston College (2020-22), he owns collegiate career averages of 9.1 points on 56.2 per cent shooting and 6.1 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game. Karnik played high school basketball at Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey and BC Christian Academy in Port Coquitlam before wrapping up his high school career at Orangeville Prep in Mono, Ont., the alma mater of several current NBAers including Jamal Murray, Oshae Brissett, Luguentz Dort and other recent NBA draft selections. Season Tickets and Jam Packs are currently on sale for the Bandits’ seventh CEBL season and are available for purchase at this link . Single game tickets are expected to go on sale later this spring. The Bandits tip-off the 2025 CEBL campaign on Thursday, May 15 when the club hits the road to take on the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Fans will have their first chance to watch the club at home on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. PT when Vancouver hosts the Niagara River Lions in a rematch of the 2024 CEBL Final. Vancouver will play a total of 12 regular season home games in 2025 between Thursday, May 22 and Sunday, August 3. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road in Ottawa on Sunday, August 10 at 12 p.m. PT. All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ , and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ upcoming 2025 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter . ### About the Vancouver Bandits: The Vancouver Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC). About the CEBL A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 12 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. More than 20 players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ , TSN, TSN+, RDS , Game+ and Next Level Sports & Entertainment . More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .
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