Calgary Surge unveiled as Canadian Elite Basketball League's newest franchise

The Canadian Elite Basketball League announced Wednesday that its Calgary franchise, which was recently relocated from Guelph, will be known as the Surge.

The nickname was chosen following an online campaign and unveiled by five-time Canadian Screen Award winner and Calgary native Andrew Phung.

Usman Tahir Jutt, CEO of Calgary company Chirp, and Jason Ribeiro, a doctoral researcher at the University of Calgary, were introduced as the team owners.

"[I] am humbled by the opportunity to give back to a city I love in my bones," said Ribeiro. "Basketball fans know that the game's influence transcends what happens on the court and I will do everything I can to ensure the Calgary Surge becomes a magnet for art and culture, economic development, and civic pride across all four corners of the city."

Calgary becomes the third CEBL team to be independently owned and operated, joining the Scarborough Shooting Stars and recently rebranded Vancouver Bandits (formerly known as Fraser Valley).

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of the Calgary Surge and combine my passions for sport and community and youth development," said Jutt. "Basketball is one of Canada's fastest growing sports, and I want to make Calgary a basketball town. We can do that with the Surge."

Commissioner Mike Morreale told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo at the time that it was a business decision aimed at bringing the league to a bigger market.

"The reality is that there is a ceiling in a market of Guelph's size that will prevent the franchise from being able to compete on a sustained basis," Morreale said. 

"When we launched the CEBL in 2018, it made sense for Guelph to be among our founding franchises. However, we are moving into the country's largest markets at a pace much faster than we originally anticipated and the economic realities of pro sports forces us to have to make this difficult decision."

The league said 'Surge' represents the positive forward momentum currently being built in Canada's third-largest city. 

The team logo is that of a hawk and — with an effort to maintain Calgary's sports market tradition — its colours will be red and black with grey and white accents.

The team, which will tip off play in May 2023, will call WinSport Event Centre its home. The 2021 champion Edmonton Stingers hosted their home window of the Basketball Champions League Americas tournament in Calgary in March while their local arena was otherwise occupied.