Calgary Surge Sign Simi Shittu
CALGARY, AB – The Calgary Surge have signed six-foot-ten forward Simi Shittu from Burlington, ON for their 2023 inaugural season, the team announced Friday.
Shittu most recently played for the Iowa Wolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League, averaging 9.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 19.3 minutes in 11 games. In 2019, he signed a contract with the Chicago Bulls where he played four NBA preseason games between 2019 and 2020. The centre also signed with the Orlando Magic in 2022.
“Simi is a great signing for our team. He will be one of the best Canadians in the CEBL. His ability to defend and score at a high level will be important for the way Coach Terroba wants to play. He is a versatile defender that will be able to switch and guard multiple positions. He only plays one way and that’s hard,” said Surge General Manager, Shane James.
The Burlington, Ontario local spent one National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season with the Vanderbilt University Commodores where he averaged 10.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 26.7 minutes in 32 games. In his freshman year he started in 31 games, led the team in rebounds, and scored more than 15 points nine times. Following that season, he declared for the NBA Draft.
“I am excited and ready for the season. We have a lot of talent and a good team put together and I know we are going to make a lot of noise in the CEBL,” said Shittu.
Prior to his time at Vanderbilt, Shittu attended Vermont Academy. He was selected to the BioSteel All-Canadian Game in 2017 and was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2018. He also boasts international experience and represented Canada at the 2017 FIBA U17 World Cup.
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 rosters 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.