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CEBL Guelph Nighthawks

Canadian Elite Basketball League Relocates Guelph Franchise to Calgary

August 17, 2022 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Guelph Nighthawks News Release


Guelph, ON - The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that the Guelph Nighthawks are being relocated to Calgary, Alberta starting with the 2023 season. The franchise, which will play at WinSport Events Centre, will be rebranded with a new nickname, logo, and colours to be publicly unveiled this fall.

"Our league has experienced growth that has already exceeded the expectations we had when we launched in 2018. When we launched the CEBL it made sense for Guelph to be among our founding franchises," said Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Co-Founder of the CEBL. "However, as the CEBL grows a team playing in Canada's 46th largest market simply won't be able to remain competitive financially with the other teams in the league. While the Nighthawks enjoyed the strong support of Mayor Cam Guthrie, the City of Guelph, and the Sleeman Centre staff, there is a ceiling to the market. Relocating to the third-largest city in Canada aligns with our vision for future expansion into tier one markets and enables the CEBL to continue to make a strong impact on the growth of basketball in the country."

The Guelph Nighthawks posted an overall record of 25-37 (.403) in four seasons, including a 10-10 mark this season that resulted in an opening round playoff encounter with the Fraser Valley Bandits. Seeded seventh heading into the playoffs, the Nighthawks upset fourth-seed Fraser Valley before being eliminated by second-seed Niagara in the quarterfinals.

"Our organization is very proud of all we accomplished in delivering world class basketball to our fans during our four seasons in Guelph," said team president Cameron Kusch. "The time, commitment and support of Nighthawks basketball by the community of Guelph is something that I will never forget and will be eternally grateful for. I hope that as our organization closes its chapter in Guelph, we can say that we created lasting memories and a positive impact around the game of basketball in our city. Thank you to our passionate fans, corporate partners and friends throughout the community for creating memories and relationships that will last a lifetime."

The relocation of the Guelph franchise to Calgary takes the CEBL back to WinSport Event Centre where the league successfully staged its competition window for the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) in March 2022. Calgary has a strong basketball culture. Minor basketball enrolment in Calgary has more than doubled in the past seven years, and nearby cities like Red Deer have formed new

minor basketball associations in the past decade. The University of Calgary men's basketball program has been one of the nation's most successful for years.

The CEBL launched in 2018 with six teams in four provinces and despite the pandemic it has expanded to 10 teams in six provinces, making it the largest pro sports league in Canada with further expansion in the planning stages. The CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its current team rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U Sports. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs May through August. More information is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

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