Surge open 5-game homestand against Rattlers vying for 1st victory
When Saskatchewan visits Calgary on Wednesday, both teams will be looking to get back into the win column.
It’s been a long wait for the Surge, who haven’t felt the joy of victory since last year’s semifinals. Since then, Calgary has lost the championship game to Scarborough as well as its first three games of the current campaign.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, won its first three games in 2024, but dropped a battle of previously undefeated teams against Edmonton on Sunday.
The Rattlers and Surge tip off at Calgary’s WinSport Event Centre at 7 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET, with live streaming coverage available on TSN+ and CEBL+.
Calgary is still searching for last season’s winning formula. In just three games, its point differential is already minus-51, and it is the only team in the Western Conference with a record below .500.
But the game against the Rattlers marks the start of a five-game homestand — one that, while still early in the season, could prove critical to the team’s playoff chance. The Surge’s home opener drew a CEBL record 12,327 fans.
The loss of Simi Shittu, the CEBL’s leading rebounder last season, seems to have plagued the Surge, whose defence has allowed about 100 points per game.
Sean Miller-Moore, one of the returnees from last season, has once again led the way with 18.7 points per game.
The Rattlers, meanwhile, have been led by Jalen Harris, who was part of the Shooting Stars team that beat the Surge in the 2023 final.
Harris, the former second-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, is averaging 25 points and 5.5 assists per game. He was held to just 19 points amid foul trouble in the loss to the Stingers.
The ex-NBAer has been central to the blueprint of a Rattlers team that underwent an off-season overhaul following its playoff miss last season that also included a new coach in Larry Abney, who is also on the bench of the G League’s Ontario Clippers.
Under Abney, the Rattlers have averaged the fourth-most points per game while connecting on 36.4 per cent of their three-point attempts.
Key matchup
The Western showdown could be decided in the frontcourt.
The Rattlers lead the league with 45.8 rebounds and 12.3 offensive boards per game, while the Surge have snagged just 33 rebounds per contest.
Key to Saskatchewan’s success on the glass guard Elijah Harkless, who takes down 7.3 balls per game himself and previously played for Abney with the Clippers.
It’ll be up to Calgary guard Mathieu Kamba, then, to box out against Harkless. At 6.3 rebounds per game, the Calgary native, who won a pair of titles with the Edmonton Stingers, leads the Surge.
Milestone watch
- Calgary’s Kamba is two points away from 500 for his career, regular season only
- Saskatchewan’s Harris is 27 points away from 500 for his career, regular season only
2023 season series
Calgary won all three games against Saskatchewan including the last two games of the season as the Rattlers missed out on the playoffs.
- 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 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen 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. More information about the CEBL is available at
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