Calgary Surge clinch third consecutive playoff berth
Basketball club has yet to miss postseason after relocating from Guelph
Zafir Nagji, Sports Editor |
The Calgary Surge have become a dominant force in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Originally located in Guelph, Ont. and known as the Nighthawks, the club missed the playoffs in its inaugural season in 2019 and never advanced past the quarter-final round. However, after relocating to Calgary in 2022, the team transformed, playing to a new standard of excellence at WinSport Arena. Now, after their 93-89 over the Winnipeg Sea Bears on July 18, the Calgary Surge are staring down the barrel of their third consecutive playoff run – and they’re hungry for their first-ever CEBL Championship.
A shocking transformation
The Surge didn’t just become a perennial playoff team after moving to Calgary – they became a consistent contender. After working their way to the 2023 CEBL Championship Weekend in their first season together, they lost in the Final to the Scarborough Shooting Stars by just 12 points. In 2024, the Surge posted an 11-9 record and beat the Winnipeg Sea Bears in the play-in round to qualify for the Conference Semifinals. There, they defeated their in-province rivals, the Edmonton Stingers, to earn their spot in the Conference Finals, where they took a 69-78 loss to the Vancouver Bandits.
Calgary went back to the drawing board and retooled their roster, picking up players with NBA experience, like Greg Brown III, Karim Mané, Osayi Osifo, and Jameer Nelson Jr., son of former NBA All-Star Jameer Nelson. That helped them deal with losing point guard Corey Davis Jr., who had been a key part of the team’s 2024 Conference Finals run.
The Surge stayed active in the trade market this year, too, picking up Evan Gilyard II for his stellar perimeter shooting. They also signed skilled players with legitimate size like Javonte Brown, Enoch Boakye and Khyri Thomas to shore up their rebounding and inside presence.
The team also developed internally, with franchise star Sean Miller-Moore making huge improvements to his game on the offensive end. “Rugzy,” as he’s known by the fans, has become a lethal sniper from beyond the arc and has already made more three-pointers this season than he did all of last year. Big-man Gabe Osabuohien has improved his assist total massively on the offensive end and his rebound totals on the defensive end.
Strengths and weaknesses
The Surge have adopted Calgary’s grit-and-grind culture, earning their wins with tough defence, hard work and nuclear athleticism. On offence, this materializes in the way the team draws whistles every night. The Surge have drawn the most fouls per game (21.1) of any squad in the CEBL, which has earned them 17 free throws per game, the second-most in the league. Calgary also owns the fourth-best field goal percentage (45.6%) and makes the third-most field goals per game (34.2) of any team in the CEBL.
Defensively, the Surge lead the league in steals per game (10.6) and rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.6). Calgary ranks third in the CEBL in points allowed per game (87.6) and cleans the glass effectively, nabbing the third-most defensive rebounds (29.1) and fifth-most overall rebounds in the league (39.9)
However, the team struggles with outside shooting, making the second-fewest three-pointers per game (8.8) at the third-lowest percentage (31.7%) in the league. Plus, even though the Surge make so many visits to the free throw line, they shoot just 67.6 per cent on free throws, the second-worst percentage in the league. Calgary also dishes out the second-fewest assists in the league (17.8), but still manages to turn the ball over a league-worst 15.6 times per game, giving easy baskets to their opponents in transition too often.
Still, despite those apparent weaknesses, Calgary has the second-best efficiency rating in the league at 107.4, trailing only the Vancouver Bandits at 107.7. Additionally, the Surge have yet to lose to the Bandits in 2025 and have beaten other title favourites this season, like the Winnipeg Sea Bears and Edmonton Stingers. As a result, fans should be confident about their team’s chances of winning its first-ever CEBL championship.
The path to the promised land
The Winnipeg Sea Bears were chosen to host this year’s CEBL Championship Weekend, earning them an automatic spot in the Conference Finals. At the time of writing this article, the 15-5 Vancouver Bandits lead the Western Conference standings by 1.5 games, with the 13-6 Surge following closely behind them and the 12-7 Stingers just a game behind the Surge.
If the teams hold their positions until the end of the regular season, Calgary will play against Edmonton in the Western Conference Play-In for the chance to play against Vancouver in the Western Conference Semifinal. The winner of that game will face Winnipeg in the Western Conference Final to earn a chance to compete against the winner of the Eastern Conference Final and the 2025 CEBL Championship.
Edmonton have been a tough matchup for Calgary with their high-powered offence. The Surge’s only win against the Stingers came in their gritty season-opening face-off, 86-84. Conversely, Edmonton’s pair of wins against Calgary this year came via a 98-95 nail-biter and a 113-90 rout. The Surge have no problem scoring against the Stingers, but will be relying on their defence to make the difference and get them past their in-province foes.
If the Surge defeat the Stingers, they stand a great chance of beating the Vancouver Bandits in the Conference Semifinals. Calgary remains undefeated against Vancouver this season and is one of the few teams whose defence can cope with the Bandits’ immensely talented roster, holding them to less than 90 points in two of their three matchups.
That would take the Surge to a Conference Finals game against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, whom they’ve beaten twice in three matchups this season. However, the Sea Bears have four former Surge players on their roster, giving them the best-informed scouting report on Calgary’s tactics. Innovation will be the key for the Surge, who will have to get creative and think outside the box for a way to beat the Sea Bears and advance to the CEBL Championship Final.
The Niagara River Lions have towered above all others in the Eastern Conference all season long, holding a conference-best 14-5 record and a five-game lead over the Ottawa Blackjacks in second place. The Lions defeated the Surge 98-94 in their only matchup so far this season, despite Brown III and Olumide Adelodun combining for a whopping 59 points. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to offset Niagara River’s lethal three-point shooting as the Lions made 13 of their 25 attempts from beyond the arc. The two sides will face off in the last game of the 2025 CEBL season at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. Calgary will look to use their end-of-season duel against Niagara River to prepare for a potential rematch in this year’s CEBL Finals as they chase their first championship.
