Central Alberta basketball fans will get a chance to see pro hoopsters in action in June.
Canadian Elite Basketball League's (CEBL) Calgary Surge and Edmonton Stingers will wage a Battle of Alberta at Westerner Park Centrium on June 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Billed as a one-night-only marquee game, it is the first CEBL neutral site game in the seven-year-old league's history, said CEBL co-founder and commissioner Mike Morreale at a news conference at the Centrium on Wednesday morning.
"I'm just excited about the expansion of what we've built, and being able to have more communities be part of it and experience it firsthand," said Morreale, who has overseen the growth of the league from six teams to 10.
"Bringing the game to communities and the experience to communities is really important in how you grow the game and how you get more kids exposed so they can watch from the sidelines and dream about being on that court one day."
Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston said it was a "tremendous honour" for the city to host the game. "Red Deer is a great basketball city. There is a great following of basketball here."
Johnston could not resist using his opening remarks to do a little flag waving.
"What a time it is to celebrate a Canadian league in the current political climate. We have our own professional Canadian basketball league. Pretty exciting time, for sure."
Johnston said the game helps move the city closer to its goal of being the nation's top event-sponsoring destination for a community its size by 2030.
Surge president and vice-chairman Jason Ribeiro said it is both nerve-wracking and humbling to take the game to a new community for the first time.
"I think we couldn't be prouder to be a part of growing the sport across the province, along with our counterparts in Edmonton," said Ribeiro.
"To be the first to host a CEBL regular season game in what is neutral game territory between us and Edmonton is a great honour and we're so excited to be bringing this event to the people of Red Deer."
Red Deer community boosters, local businesses and municipal representatives and Tourism Red Deer were credited with opening eyes to the possibility of exporting pro basketball to the city.
The teams hope that fans who have not seen CEBL games get a taste of the action and the high level of play will be inspired to head north or south and catch more games.
If the game is the success organizers expect, it could become an annual road stop for Alberta's CEBL teams, which play 12 regular season games.
"I think that's the goal," said Ribeiro. "I think we want this to be successful. We're going to need community support to make that happen and we're going to earn community support."
Before the big game in Red Deer, Surge players will make the trip to Central Alberta to host clinics and take part in other programming.
Ribeiro said the team wants to "make sure that we are not just here for one night, that this is an ongoing relationship that is aimed at growing support for the sport and the CEBL."
The CEBL season starts in Edmonton at Edmonton Expo Centre on May 11 and the Surge's first home game is set for May 25 against Winnipeg at WinSport Event Centre. Other teams are located in Ottawa, Brampton, Niagara and Scarborough, in Ontario; Montreal, Vancouver and Saskatoon.
Many CEBL players come with impressive credentials. Last season, 12 players who took the floor had NBA experience and 20 CEBL players have signed NBA contracts. Others have played in the developmental NBA G League, for Canada's National Team, for international pro teams and in other collegiate and elite programs.
Tickets for the Red Deer game go on sale April 3. Fans interested in receiving exclusive pre-sale access to ticket information prior to the general public can register at Surge2RedDeer.ca.
