The Calgary Surge brought basketball culture to the city. They are back to beat it all this year

It was an idea they had to work on later, much later. The Calgary Surge will be playing at the Saddledome in the franchise's fifth year.

But as his first season progressed, the Canadian Elite Basketball League team and its players knew it was something they had to deal with sooner rather than later.

“I love Calgary, I love the fans,” returning guard Sean (Regzie) Miller-Moore said.

“Just bringing basketball here, I can tell it means a lot to local Calgarians.”

Now in just the second year in town, the team will switch its home arena for one night this season: Tuesday's home opener.

That same day, the ice at Calgary's largest and most popular sports arena will be replaced with a shiny hard court as the Surge begin their second campaign against the Edmonton Stingers at the Saddledome.

Calgary Surge's Sean (Reggie) Miller-Moore, right, shoots over a downed Scarborough's Mick Kabongo during the first half of the CEBL basketball championship final on Aug. 13, 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

“It was a rallying cry for our staff and fans,” said Calgary Surge president and vice-chairman Jason Ribeiro.

“It strengthens the connection between basketball and art and culture. “I think it pays tribute to a lot of great basketball history that happened before the Surge came along.”

Hometown team, hometown fans

A city synonymous with a hockey team has had a Shaq-sized void since 1992 – when the World Basketball League folded and Calgary's only professional basketball club at the time. Ever since the '88s left, there's been an itch for the sport — an itch that hasn't gone unnoticed.

Last year, four of the 10 home court games at the nearly 3,200-seat arena were sold out, and the remaining games were close to capacity. The team is expecting about 10,000 fans to pack the Dome on Tuesday.

“I think I was one of the season ticket holders,” Surge fan Travis Libby said. “I would go to Mount Royal basketball games or U of C basketball games. But this is the next level of competitiveness.”

Left tackle Travis Libby has been a Surge season ticket holder for the team's two seasons so far in Calgary. (Submitted by Travis Libby)

Libby has lived in Canadian cities all her life, but her hometown has never had a ball club to support.

The arrival of the Surge changed things for him and thousands of others who preferred the sound of a thud to the boom of hockey checks along the boards.

“It's always hockey towns, hockey towns, hockey towns. So it was great to be in a place where basketball is played at the professional level,” Libby said.

“The atmosphere on the pitch is great, the fans are into it… everyone is on their feet, standing up, getting into the game and cheering.”

Basketball culture through community

Since bringing the team to Calgary, Ribeiro and his business partner Usman Tahir Jutt have prioritized impact off the court.

Ribeiro said when the 88ers left Calgary, they made a huge impact on both Calgary's sports scene and the wider community.

In bringing the Surge to Calgary, he said he wanted to make sure everyone could be a part of the team in some way.

“We're growing as a community, we're growing as a city. The demographics are changing and it's one of the most accessible sports,” Ribeiro said.

“We've always known that the community is our focus and that we punch above our weight.”

Jason Ribeiro, vice-chairman and president of the Calgary Surge, presented Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek with a Surge jersey Thursday at the team's one-year anniversary celebration at the WinSport Events Center. (Julie Debeliak/CBC)

Since arriving, the team has been more drawn to Calgary. Games for schoolchildren were held there. It is played on courts in all four quadrants of Calgary. He has developed programs to attract more than 900 families to league games throughout the season.

Through music and dance, the team spotlighted Calgary's underserved and diverse performers, creating venues for performances both on the field outside of their home court and at pre-game and halftime.

New faces, same winning mentality

The Dome game marks the start of a campaign where the team will have to live up to it both on and off the pitch.

After the franchise officially moved from Guelph to Calgary in the 2022 offseason, it nearly won it all last year, falling just a few buckets short of the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Aug. 13 final.

A series of offseason moves, including signing and grooming hometown players and local college talent, will allow them to compete at that level again.

Behind the bench, they will have a familiar face on the other side of the championship game leading the team.

Tyrell Vernon, a former assistant coach for the reigning CEBL champions, has taken over the head coaching duties for the Surge. He signed just weeks before the start of the season.

“It's surreal to be in this environment. It's not something I ever imagined,” Vernon said.

Athletically, he said the team has the mentality and talent to build on last year's championship-winning effort.

“I'm really happy for this group … it's impossible to predict exactly what will happen at the end of the season, but if we come together and have some good days, we'll put ourselves in that position. “