Calgary Surge Add Four Players To Their Protected List
(Photos by Ethan Bomhof / @bomhof.jpeg)
It’s been a quiet offseason for the Calgary Surge since the Vancouver Bandits eliminated them in heartbreaking fashion in the CEBL West Final.
The fall and winter months force the league to go dormant with each team’s players heading to Europe or the NBA G-League, with a few earning NBA contracts.
The one notable piece of news that comes from each CEBL team is the announcement of their protected lists. Each team is permitted to select a list of players from its previous year’s squad. The club retains exclusive negotiation rights with their protected list before free agency opens, making any unsigned player available to sign with any CEBL team. Free agency typically opens in early March.
This is a good time to remind ourselves that CEBL contracts only last a single year. While players often return to the clubs they played with the previous season, they are free to sign with any team in the league.
Per the CEBL transaction page, the Calgary Surge have decided to add four players to their protected list:
#30 Trhae Mitchell, Guard, American
#1 Corey Davis Jr., Guard, American
#2 Gabe Osabuohien, Forward, Canadian
#9 Mathieu Kamba, Guard/Forward, Canadian
It is tough to understand why these specific players were added to the protected list, other than they are all excellent players.
I reached out to the Calgary Surge for comment but have not heard back. They have not announced this list on any of their channels.
I am a little bit concerned about the Calgary Surge as a fan of the basketball team. Since they lost the West Final against the Bandits, they have not made a single basketball-related post on social media. Their channels have become a tool to advertise sponsors and showcase involvement in the community. Other CEBL teams have been posting highlughts from the season and where their players are playing in the winter, but the Surge have not. I want to be kept engaged as a basketball fan! However, I also acknowledge that the Calgary Surge front office staff has seen significant turnover in a short amount of time since the season ended and they are probably trying to regroup.
That being said, I think the Surge team need to stay engaged with what their product is: basketball. Don’t get me wrong, community involvement is massively important and the Surge are leaders in the city of Calgary. Nevertheless, we can’t forget what they are: a professional basketball team. I want to hear more about the basketball part of the organization because that’s why I wear their logo on my hat, shirt and jersey.
While the Surge haven’t given much info on their basketball players, the SurgeStack is here to help out! Here is where some of your favourite Surge players from the past two year and where they are playing during the winter:
#1 Corey Davis Jr. - Signed with Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A
#21 Jordy Tshimanga - Signed with the Kaohsiung Steelers of the Taiwanese P.League+
#3 Stef Smith - Signed with Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A (France’s top league)
#30 Trhae Mitchell - Re-signed with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G-League
#9 Mathieu Kamba - Re-signed with Palencia Baloncestoof Liga ACB (Spain’s top league)
#35 Matt Grace - Signed with Austria Club UBSC Raiffeisen Graz of the Win2Day Basketball Superliga
#6 Dondre Reddick - Signed with Georgian Club Tkibuli Orbi Basket of the Basketball Super League
#2 Gabe Osabuohien - Was waived from his contract by the Cleveland Cavaliers and is expected to join the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G-League
#11 Simi Shittu - Signed with Turkish club Merkezefendi BC of the ING Basketbol Super Ligi
#24 Mason Bourcier - Signed with Estonia club Tartu Ülikool
#13 Gatluak James - Returned to play for the St. Francis-Xavier X-Men in Antigonish, NS
#35 Kylor Kelley - Signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers
#13 Tre Scott - Was waived from his contract by the Orlando Magic and is expected to join the Osceola Magic of the NBA G-League
#4 Noah Wharton - Returned to play for the University of Calgary Dinos
#15 Terry Henderson Jr. - Signed with Tramec Cento of the Italian Serie A2 (Italy’s second tier)
#8 Kyler Edwards - Signed with JDA Dijon Basket of the LNB Pro A
#22 Mike Demangus - Returned to McMaster Univeristy in Hamilton, ON
That’s a few Surge players and what they're up to. I don’t know where Rugzy is playing but I was given the impression from the Surge that he would be heading overseas in the offseason. I have seen a lot of Instagram stories of him training with Canadian Olympian and Houston Rocket Dillon Brooks. I think that’s a good thing…?
The CEBL offseason is long. There’s no guarantee that any players will come back to the team but it’s still nice to have an idea of where they are. Can you imagine playing basketball in Estonia, Taiwan or even Antigonish, Nova Scotia?
I hope you’ve found this edition of the SurgeStack informative and valuable. My plan is to keep this going as long as I can. There’s a great basketball community in this city and I hope to be a part of growing it! Tell your friends to subscribe to the SurgeStack!