The Canadian Elite Basketball League picked Red Deer as its first neutral zone game in hopes of showing a new market the talent and excitement that pro basketball can deliver.
Mission accomplished.
A healthy-sized crowd was on its feet and the Marchant Crane Centrium was rocking in the closing minutes of a thriller that saw the Edmonton Stingers edge Calgary Surge 98-95.
Jameer Nelson Jr., a six-foot-11 guard from Haverford, Pennsylvania, who led the Surge attack with 23 points, enjoyed the experience of participating in the seven-year-old league’s first neutral zone game.
“It was great. It was definitely good to see some familiar faces from (home court WinSport Event Centre) and see the families and the little kids enjoy the game. So we’re definitely grateful for the turnout. It was a great game, honestly.
“I’m proud of Edmonton. I’m proud of Calgary Surge for putting on a show. I think we put on a great game.
“(The fans) were super loud at the end so that’s all you can ask for. That’s why we do it. We’re here to entertain people and I think we were very entertaining.
“That’s what basketball is all about.”
Nelson Jr. said he is “super grateful” for the opportunity to create league history. “I’m glad they chose us, honestly.”
While the travel by bus to what was considered a home game for Calgary Surge was a bit of a challenge, the feeling in the dressing room was positive about the prospect of coming back to Red Deer someday.
“It was fun to be out here. I would love to play another game, honestly. I just wanted to put on a good game. We almost got blown out but we came back, but it is what it is.”
Rugzy Miller-Moore, a six-foot-five guard from Brampton, Ont., had 21 points in the game and, loss aside, came away from Red Deer positive.
“The way the league puts on these kinds of shows is just amazing. They’re just trying to expand basketball in Alberta and I thought they put on a good event.
“Obviously, we didn’t come out with the win, but honestly, I felt like I was at WinSport. A lot of people came out and drove pretty far. It was a great feeling.”
Miller-Moore said he’d be happy to return to Red Deer.
“I also like the arena. The crowd is so dark and the floor is so bright and it had a lot of energy.
“I looked up in Elam time and every single person in the stands was standing. This is what the game is about. We came out with the loss but just the excitement and being able to come back with no time on the clock. I hope they enjoyed it.”
The Elam Ending was debuted in basketball in 2020 as a way to make the ends of games more exciting, with better chances of a comeback, compared with standard timing when teams could use tactics, such as deliberate fouling or stalling to hold a lead.
In an Elam Ending, the game clock is stopped with 4:00 minutes or less in the 4th quarter. Timed play ends, and the first team to reach the Target Score, which is the leading team’s score plus nine points, wins.
On Thursday night, the system turned what would have been four minutes of regular time into 10 minutes or more of thrilling back-and-forth play before the Stingers finally hit 97 points with two points from the free throw line.
Calgary Surge has the biggest comeback in the league’s Elam history and it was against Edmonton, he said.
“I wish we could have relived that moment. But they’re a good team. They’re well coached and they’re disciplined and I think we under-estimated them a bit because we shouldn’t have been down going into Elam.
“Only when the clock was off did we start playing our game.”
For the fans, the game was a unique chance to catch pros in action.
Ryan Grutterink said he’s a basketball fan, and in Alberta, you only get so many chances to watch a pro basketball game.
“And it was in Red Deer, so it just made sense to go. It’s awesome. It’s exciting. It’s definitely a good opportunity to see some basketball. So, hopefully there’s more of it.”
Damiyan Pratte and Taye Savoury play competitive basketball with Splash Canada Basketball and showed off their skills in a mini half-time contest.
As they waited for tip-off, they were looking forward to the opportunity to see the pros in action.
“It’s awesome. I wish they’d do it more. I’d come every time if they do,” said Pratte.
“It’s pretty amazing that we have professionals in Red Deer,” said Savoury, who said he, too, would be in the stands any time they make a return visit.
