Pro hoops league officially welcomes Winnipeg

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This article was published 09/11/2022 (1356 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League confirmed Wednesday it will be expanding to Winnipeg for the 2023 season.

Beyond that, CEBL commissioner Mike Morreale had no news to report.

Morreale was unwilling to verify a Sunday report in the Free Press that businessman David Asper will lead the local ownership group, the franchise will be nicknamed the Sea Bears and set up shop at the University of Manitoba’s 3,200-seat Investors Group Athletic Centre.

A more comprehensive announcement is planned for Nov. 30.

“I will say that everything is already set on our end,” said Morreale via telephone. “For us, it’s just a chance now to get the message out and of course pay respect to the (CFL’s) Blue Bombers and what’s going on and let them have their spotlight for the next couple of weeks. After that, we’ll be able to do something more profound locally.”

Morreale, a former CFL player, has served as commissioner and CEO of the CEBL since its inception in 2017.

The addition of Winnipeg comes less than three months after the CEBL approved the relocation of the Guelph Nighthawks to Calgary where the franchise was renamed the Surge.

Hearing some of the enthusiasm that greeted the Winnipeg announcement was no surprise to Morreale.

“It’s not just specific to Winnipeg but everywhere — is we now welcome in all these people that have been waiting for something like this and now they can have their voices heard,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see the response. I think it’s great. And then you see other people that want it for their hometown and this has been a trend that has kind of followed us around.”

CEBL teams play 20 regular-season games from May to August followed by a post-season.

The league’s other franchises include: Edmonton Stingers; Hamilton Honey Badgers; Montreal Alliance; Newfoundland Growlers (St. John’s, N.L.); Niagara River Lions (St. Catharines, Ont.); Ottawa Blackjacks; Saskatchewan Rattlers (Saskatoon); Scarborough (Ont.) Shooting Stars; and Vancouver Bandits (Langley, B.C.).

The CEBL emphasizes Canadian content. Only three Americans are permitted on each 14-man roster, with a minimum of six homegrown players, one international player per team and one U Sports (Canadian college) player.

Costs are limited to an $8,000-per-game salary cap for each team, with the exception of bonuses. Players can also earn playoff money. The league model appears to be similar to soccer’s Canadian Premier League, which includes Winnipeg’s Valour FC.

“We’ve never looked at the CPL as a competitor,” said Morreale. “I think we share many similar strategies and purposes in terms of showcasing our domestic talent and developing new Canadian talent… and we cooperate quite nicely across the league in areas where we already have teams.”

The CEBL prefers to have its teams in mid-sized arenas for a better fan experience, and playing at the U of M would be considered a short-term solution.

“I think that (a new building) is the plan everywhere, truthfully, and that’s more of a mid- to long-term plan,” said Morreale. “Really, looking politically at the landscape across the country and realizing all the good work that’s been done to generate buzz, facilities and everything around hockey, I don’t see why we can’t replicate that for all indoor sports, including basketball.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14