The Surge is excited to make some noise for its second CEBL season

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2 years is new again.

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Not at all dissimilar to Year 1 – the first outing of the Calgary Wave.

But as is often the case with the heavy turnover in Canada's elite basketball league, this is a new look for the city's professional basketball club in its second season…

Since opening.

“I'm excited to be here,” newly appointed head coach Tyrell Vernon said ahead of the campaign. “It will be exciting to be a part of the fabric of Calgary basketball and try to grow the Surge in the city.”

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The excitement begins Tuesday night with the iconic Surge 2 The Dome tilt, featuring the host Surge chronicling their CEBL campaign against the arch-rival Edmonton Stingers at the Scotiabank Saddledome (7 p.m., TSN3).

It's another home ground for the team, at least for one more game before returning to the cozy confines of WinSport as the Surge look to expand their reach within the city.

So call it a new year for Surge…

Starting in a new home…

With a new coach…

A mostly new lineup, only three familiar faces return from last year's roster that made it all the way to the CEBL championship game.

“We all got along,” said guard Sean Miller-Moore, the Surge's supervisor. “The guys coming back are rekindling that competitive fire. We're going to let the new guys know that this organization is about nothing less than making the playoffs and going beyond that.”

So the mission is the same as in the first season – and in every season.

It's the final again.

But this time they bounced back with a win after losing to Scarborough Shooting Stars last summer.

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Asked what he expected from the club in 2024, Miller-Moore said: “I would just say win.”

“The win is because of the feeling we had when we lost the final last year.

“We didn't really put our heads down,” continued last year's scoring leader – at 16.5 – for the Surge. “We're just hoping to come back and spend that summer and get back there.

“Right now, if we talk about the final, it's a little bit ahead of us. But at the same time, you have dreams of achieving it.”

GM Shane James feels the same way when he returns to the Surge.

Miller-Moore's partner in crime, as is guard Steph Smith and fellow returning forward Justin Jackson.

All four will be key in pushing for another repeat trip to the CEBL playoffs – and beyond.

“I can tell you everybody wants to win,” said Miller-Moore, who joins Smith and Jackson, who hails from the Greater Toronto Area. “All the young guys were like, 'Are we going to win a championship?' is asking.”

Among those young men are guards Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto), Corey Davis Jr. (Louisiana) and Calgary's own Mathieu Kamba.

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The new forwards are Matt Grace (Hamilton, Ont.), Justin Lewis (Maryland), Billy Preston Jr. (Los Angeles), Emmanuel Ansah (Mississauga, Ont.) and Gabe Osabuohien (Toronto).

And those without professional experience are U SPORTS recruits Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS), Mike Demagus (Scarborough, Ont.) and Noah Wharton (Brampton, Ont.) — all guards.

“I'm confident in the ability of the new guys to make an impact,” Miller-Moore said. “We can all relate to each other. I can say that we are already one family. The guys want to put their past behind them — I think that's what I like most about our team. They may all be the best on their team, but I can tell their players are selfless.”

Bringing this new group together is, of course, Vernon's responsibility, as he finds himself in a new situation.

He has never been a head coach before.

“I'm in a new area with a new team and I'm excited for the opportunity,” said Vernon, who is known as a players' coach. “I see guys working hard. The thing that drew me in early on was the level of competition. Everyone wants to win, and I know that all expectations can be met.

But it's a process, and the guys have the right attitude.

“The talent is there,” Vernon added. “I think there is versatility and transferability. We're really going to be athletes. We play downhill. It's sure to be an interesting style of play.

“If we do the things we know we can do well, we can control our own destiny.”

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