2024 Western Conference Season Preview: Battle of Alberta kicks off season six of CEBL

Season six for the Canadian Elite Basketball League tips off Tuesday and fans can expect even more nail-biting finishes, record-setting performances and premier Canadian talent on display.

It’ll all get underway May 21 with a battle of Alberta, as the Edmonton Stingers take on the Calgary Surge at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. local at Scotiabank Saddledome. Typically, home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the local landmark will host a roaring CEBL crowd on Tuesday night instead.

But before we dive into the action, let’s get a reminder of how last season went and what changes each Western Conference team made in their pursuit of earning a spot in Montréal for Championship Weekend 2024.

CALGARY SURGE | 2023 Record: 12-8 | 1st in West

Starting with the Surge, who’ll be hosting game one of 2024 and are the reigning Western Conference Champions. Much of their success last year was courtesy of boasting the league’s premier defence, holding opponents to a league-low 80.7 points per game.

The question heading into this year is whether they can maintain that identity with a revamped roster. Veteran additions like Malcolm Duvivier, who spent last season with the Bandits, or newcomers Matt Grace (Hamilton, Ont.) and Gabe Osabuohien (Toronto) will immediately have to step up in order to replicate the team’s front court dominance like the duo of Kylor Kelly and Simi Shittu did a season ago.

For what it’s worth, newly appointed head coach Tyrell Vernon has no doubts that he can recreate Calgary’s defensive magic from a season ago.

“It always has to start on the defensive end,” said the former Shooting Stars assistant coach. “This league is extremely talented, all teams try to spread you out and in order to win a championship in this league you have to be able to defend and take things personally, so it’s definitely an identity we’re going to need to keep from last year.”

Vernon won’t just be tasked with maintaining Calgary’s strong defensive play however, he also has to find ways to improve an offence that ranked last in 2023 (80.7 points per game). Fortunately for Surge fans, if anyone had the pedigree to do it, it’s the 2023 Atlantic University Sports (AUS) Coach of the Year and U SPORTS silver medalist.

“I think we’re extremely athletic and we have diverse skillsets at every position,” coach Vernon said of his team’s offensive potential this year. “If we can space it out, make defensives play in space, we’ll naturally get better as the season goes on.”

For all the newness of this Surge squad, fans coming to the WinSport Event Centre will get to see a familiar pairing in the backcourt. Canadians Sean Miller-Moore and Stefan Smith were the first players to sign (re-sign in their case) with Calgary this season and it’s clear the duo earned the trust of the front office after their success in 2023. 

Miller-Moore is coming off a CEBL All-Canadian campaign in 2023 as the league’s 10th highest scorer while leading the team with 16.7 points per game. Smith wasn’t far behind averaging 15.4 points while leading the team with 5.6 assists (fourth in the CEBL). The workhorse duo that led the team in field goal attempts and minutes will be relied upon once again in the “Stampede City,” looking to carry them one win further this time.

EDMONTON STINGERS | 2023 Record: 9-11 |3rd in West

Edmonton will be Calgary’s opponent for game one and the two-time champions are hoping to bounce back from a middling season. The Stingers were a “do it by committee” team in 2023, quick to share the wealth as one of just three teams to average over 19 assists a game, yet they struggled to establish an identity beyond that. 

Without an identifiable strength to translate effort into wins consistently, Edmonton found itself stuck in the middle. Better than Saskatchewan and Vancouver at the bottom, but not strong enough to threaten Calgary or Winnipeg at the top of the standings in the West. They did, however, pull together to upset the Sea Bears in the Play-In round of the playoffs before falling to the Surge in the Conference Semi-Final.

A “do it by committee” team still tends to need a No. 1 option to push them over the top though. Keep in mind this is the same team that won back-to-back titles with a well-built roster that was undoubtedly spearheaded by two-time MVP Xavier Moon. Which then begs the question, who’s going to step up and take that mantle in 2024? 

Perhaps one of their four returning players as the Stingers brought back a core of Brody Clarke, Adika Peter-McNeilly, Nick Hornsby and Elijah Miller. Clarke led the team in scoring last year with 14.4 points per game and Hornsby was right behind putting up 12.9 points a night. Hornsby was also a Swiss army knife as he led Edmonton in rebounding (8.4) and assists (4.8) to go along with his offensive production. Meanwhile, Peter-McNeilly returns for his sixth season and although slotting into the No. 1 option spot isn’t likely for him, the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year will be a good option off the bench.

Maybe Edmonton finds their new No. 1 through one of their offseason acquisitions. The Stingers brought in a pair of NBA G League experienced players in Jacob Evans III, a former first round NBA draft pick, and Davion Warren – both of whom have the potential to be the latest import guards to dominate the Western Conference.

Evans III has four years of G League experience under his belt, primarily with the Santa Cruz Warriors, while Warren spent the last two seasons with the College Park Sky Hawks and Long Island Nets. In 2023-24, Warren averaged 11.6 points on over 50 per cent shooting from the field.

WINNIPEG SEA BEARS | 2023 Record: 12-8 | 2nd in West

The Sea Bears are ready to follow up the growling success that was their inaugural season. In 2023, the team not only set attendance records, selling out Canada Life Centre on more than one occasion, they were also a Western Conference powerhouse. 

“We got off to a great start last year,” said head coach and general manager Mike Taylor reflecting on Winnipeg’s inaugural season. “It was something special as an expansion team, but again, we want to continue to push further. Our dream goal is a CEBL championship and we’re trying to pursue that in every way possible.”

Much of their good fortune was thanks to a breakout campaign for reigning league MVP Teddy Allen. The American guard averaged 27.2 points (second in the CEBL), eight rebounds (seventh) and 1.7 steals (fourth) while leading the league in average minutes played and total three-pointers made. Allen didn’t stop at just taking home some hardware as he also added his name to the record books tying single-game records for most points scored (42) and three-pointers made (nine).

Another part of what made the Sea Bears such a tough team to face in 2023 was how physically imposing they were as the No. 1 rebounding team in the CEBL. And based on their offseason moves, it’s looking like that area of strength is something coach Taylor has chosen to double-down on.

“We felt like we did a great job upgrading our perimeter with great Canadian players, so it then became a focus for us to get size and skill around the rim,” Taylor said. 

The Sea Bears not only brought back local favourite Chad Posthumus who was one of the premier rebounders in the CEBL last season, they’ve added even more depth with the additions of Darius Days and Byron Mullens.

“What we love about Byron and Darius in particular is the fact they can score inside and out,” said Taylor on adding NBA experienced players to their roster for the first time ever. “We needed more frontcourt three-point shooting and we’ve addressed that with both guys.”

Days, 6-foot-7, has nearly 100 games of NBA G League experience with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and was named to the league’s 2022-23 All-Rookie team. Meanwhile, Mullens was the 24th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft and played in nearly 200 games, with his best season coming in 2012 with the Charlotte Bobcats when he averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.

And as coach Taylor eluded too, the team made those signings after loading up on local backcourt talent. Players vying to join Teddy Allen as one of Winnipeg’s starting guard’s will be Mason Bourcier (Kelowna B.C.), Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and Shawn Maranan (both from Winnipeg) and the CEBL’s all-time leading Canadian scorer Alex Campbell.

VANCOUVER BANDITS | 2023 Record: 8-12 | 4th in West

Another team that predicated much of their production by eating up rebounds last season was Vancouver. The Bandits were the league’s No. 2 rebounding team in 2023, but they weren’t able to translate their production on the glass into wins like the Sea Bears did. 

In 2024, the Bandits have opted for a balanced roster chock-full of talent. Notably, Vancouver’s biggest offseason move was likely nabbing McEwen from Brampton and bringing him out West. The Honey Badgers franchise leader in minutes played and assists will surely help a Bandits’ guard rotation that became a bit of a carousel last year. 

McEwen will look to bring his championship pedigree to a Bandits squad still in search of their first title and it’s safe to say the team’s head coach and general manager is excited about the addition of the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year.

“Koby was one of the top Canadian free agents in our league,” said Julius. “Koby embodies our culture and the way we want to play. He is a two-way threat and someone we have targeted the past three years. I can't wait to have him join our family.”

Even with McEwen and other new additions like Americans Zach Copeland and Taze Moore, fans at Langley Events Centre will still get to see plenty of familiar faces. Returning members of the 2023 Bandits roster include Kur Jongkuch, Diego Maffia, Duane Notice and Nick Ward. 

Ward, 6-foot-9, was a major reason Vancouver was so effective around the rim last season. The CEBL’s leader in field goal percentage (62.2 per cent) led the team in scoring with 18.5 points and was a top 10 rebounder with his 7.8 boards a game. Having the big man back to pair with a dynamic backcourt player in McEwen will be a treat for Bandits fans all season.

SASKATCHEWAN RATTLERS | 2023 Record: 8-12 | 5th in West

Battling at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with the Bandits in 2023 was the Rattlers. The team relied heavily on CEBL scoring leader Justin Wright-Foreman last season and it led to them struggling in other areas because of their dependency.

The 2019 champions come into this season hoping to change that and make some noise with a revamped roster built around experienced talent. At the top they’ve brought in Larry Abney to be their new head coach. Abney brings lots of NBA experience as he’s coached with the Los Angeles Clippers for seven seasons with a focus on player development, working alongside the likes of NBA champion Kawhi Leonard and Canadian All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Abney’s on-court floor general is likely going to be Jalen Harris. Formerly of the Scarborough Shooting Stars, Harris is the latest import guard to bring his talents West. He ended up playing four games in the CEBL last season due to NBA-related commitments, but in 2022 the former second round pick by the Toronto Raptors was one of the league’s best scorers. Harris averaged 20.1 points two seasons ago, which was third in the league, as he led the Shooting Stars to their first finals appearance.

Along with Harris, Abney also added more NBA G League experience by way of a Clippers reunion. Elijah Harkless and Bryson Williams are joining the Rattlers after successful seasons with the Ontario Clippers. Harkless averaged 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a steal in 22.6 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Williams put up 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds through 57 games. 

It won’t be all fresh faces however, as Saskatchewan brings back five players who previously played for the team in Julian Roche, Adong Makuoi, Isaac Simon, Alexander Dewar and fourth year CEBL player Anthony Tsegakele.

- 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 10 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. 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 with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.