Lovelace Promoted to Lead Assistant Coach of the Rattlers
Lovelace has served as an assistant coach with the team since the 2023 season
The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that they have promoted Rob Lovelace to Lead Assistant Coach for the 2025 season after he served as an assistant coach with the team since the 2023 season.
“Rob will step into the role of Lead Assistant this year after proving his great value as an assistant coach over the last couple of seasons,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “Rob brings a fiercely competitive spirit and a tremendous work ethic to the team, and his strong interpersonal skills make him a very valuable asset in the organization. He will continue to play an important role in advanced scouting and game planning as well as work in player development.”
A local of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Lovelace transitioned into an assistant coaching role in 2023 after two seasons of being a part of the Saskatchewan Rattlers and CEBL Broadcast Team alongside Simon Hiatt, Heather Morrison, and Ryan Flaherty. In his first two seasons as an Assistant Coach, Lovelace worked alongside Coach Magdanz as integral parts of the Rattlers Basketball Operations staff.
“Very excited to have Rob return for a third season and move into the role of Lead Assistant with Rattlers! Proud to have an all Saskatchewan coaching staff building the basketball ecosystem in the province,” said President Lee Genier.
Prior to working in basketball, Lovelace played at the U SPORTS level for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in 2001. He finished his fifth season sitting in the top 20 for career points and the top 10 for minutes played and eventually returned to the Huskies as an assistant coach under current Rattlers General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk in 2011 for two seasons.
Lovelace served as the 2023-24 President of Basketball Saskatchewan Board of Directors. During his downtime, he has worked alongside Living Skies Basketball, Basketball Saskatchewan, and a variety of youth basketball programming. In the offseason, Lovelace and Magdanz have worked with the Rattlers to help develop their youth basketball programming.
“Excited to be back coaching basketball with the Rattlers,” said Coach Lovelace. “Can’t wait to hit the court, work with an amazing group of players, and build something special together. Let’s get to work!”
Coach Lovelace will reunite with the Rattlers and join forces with Head Coach Magdanz and Associate Head Coach Burrows. The current roster consists of returning players Cody John and Jaden Bediako, and NBA-experience guard Nate Pierre-Louis. Canadian Elite Basketball League free agency will continue leading up to the announcement of the full training camp roster prior to the Saskatchewan Rattlers home opener on May 15, 2025 at SaskTel Centre.
The full 2025 Rattlers schedule has been released, which features a new 24-game slate. The 2025 CEBL Playoffs are scheduled to begin Thursday, August 14 with the Conference Play-In games, followed by the Conference Semifinals on Saturday, August 16. The winners will advance to CW25 to join the Winnipeg Sea Bears (host team) and the top-ranked team from the Eastern Conference who are automatically seeded into the Conference Finals. The full playoff schedule with tipoff times will be announced at a later date.
General public and returning season ticket members can claim their seats for the entire Rattlers 2025 season by using
Account Manager. Season tickets starting at $235 in the bronze. All tickets can also be purchased through the
Rattlers Front Office (306) 244-2181,
Saskatchewan Rattlers website, or via
Ticketmaster. Flex Ticket Bundles can be purchased
online or at the
Rattlers Front Office, which features a minimum of four-tickets in any section with a bonus gift card to Moxies. Single game tickets are available now via
Ticketmaster. For more seating options, suites, and group rates; fans can contact an
account executive.
- CEBL -
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.
