Surging their way back to the top
How Calgary’s professional basketball team is continuing to progress in the CEBL
Zafir Nagji, Sports Editor |
Becoming a championship-calibre team can take decades in any sport – many of the most renowned professional teams have yet to secure their first crowning moment. The Calgary Surge have been looking to defy those expectations since their entry into Canada’s top division of professional basketball, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, in the 2022-23 season. After a Western Conference Championship and CEBL Finals appearance in their inaugural season and a CEBL Semi-finals loss the following year, the Surge are looking to get over the proverbial hump and win their first CEBL title in their third season.
This year, the team has seen significant changes to the roster, including adding former NBA talents Greg Brown and Khyri Thomas, while retaining fan-favourite talents like two-time All-Canadian forward Sean Miller Moore. However, they also took a huge loss as star point guard Corey Davis Jr. signed a deal with Italian club Vanoli Cremona.
Despite the loss, expectations for the team have never been higher. With plans to host a game at the Saddledome during the Calgary Stampede and play their first neutral-location game in Red Deer against the Edmonton Stingers, the Surge are fully engaging with their city, welcoming the increased pressure brought about by their consistent success.
So far, the team has lived up to those expectations, posting a 3-1 record and occupying the second seed in the Western Conference, trailing only the 4-0 Vancouver Bandits. The Surge are the second-most prolific offensive team in the league, averaging 92.8 points per game, while maintaining the fourth-best defence, conceding just 82.3 points per game, and leading the league in steals (11.3). Their offensive dominance can be summed up as a product of their robotic efficiency, as they make the third-most field goals per game (33.8) while attempting the third-fewest (72.5), giving them the second-best field goal percentage in the league at 46.6 per cent and second-best efficiency rating of 110.3.
Their offensive efficiency and defensive dominance comes as a factor of their nuclear athleticism, allowing them to attack the rim voraciously and generate plenty of foul calls – Calgary is second in the CEBL in free throws made (17.8) and attempted (26.5). However, this has hid a key issue with the team that could hurt them in the playoffs – weak three-point shooting. In the early part of this 2025 season, Calgary ranks dead-last in three-pointers made (7.5) and fourth-last in threes attempted (25.3), giving them the second-worst three-point shooting percentage in the CEBL at 29.7 per cent.
With 16 games left to play in the 2025 CEBL season, the Surge are working on a game-by-game basis to climb back to the top of the CEBL rankings. Their suffocating defence and explosive offence are set to shock the rest of the league as they look to join the Flames, Hitmen, Stampeders, Cavalry, Roughnecks, and RATH as Calgarian champions this year. For more information on the team, visit their official website here.
