Guelph Nighthawks tipping off first ever Canadian Elite Basketball League season this week
'Fans can expect to see something completely different from the typical sporting event,' says team president
A new sports team is taking flight in Guelph this week.
The Guelph Nighthawks , one of six teams in the new Canadian Elite Basketball League, plays its first-ever game on Thursday in British Columbia, when it visits the Fraser Valley Bandits.
The Nighthawks will play their home opener on Saturday, May 11, when they host the Saskatchewan Rattlers at 7 p.m. at the Sleeman Centre.
Of course, when a new league starts up it’s often not just about the sport and the games themselves. Nighthawks president Cameron Kusch said the team's home games will offer quite a “sports entertainment experience.”
“Fans can expect to see something completely different from the typical sporting event,” said Kusch. “From the second you step foot into the Old Quebec Street Shoppes on your way to a Nighthawks home game, you will be immersed with entertainment options.”
On hand will be DJs spinning tunes, face painters, autograph tables, virtual-reality booths and more. Inside the Sleeman Centre, DJ Penny will be playing live music throughout the night, joined by the Flight Crew dance team, a Cirque du Soleil-style halftime performance, a publicly accessible court-level baseline bar and the McDonald's Hawks Nest Family Zone, said Kusch. After the game, there will be player parties at the eBar in downtown Guelph.
Kusch was asked how many fans the team hopes to have in the Sleeman Centre Saturday night, and although he didn’t offer a number, he said: “There are still tickets available for the home opener; however only limited quantities remain in our premium sections. Tickets are moving quickly, as we are selling roughly 250 seats per day right now.”
Members of the team practised on Monday at the University of Guelph.
Nighthawks assistant coach Steve Cuevas says playing games against teams you know next to nothing about isn’t easy.
“We gotta stay insular and take care of the business here, because we don’t really have film and stuff so far,” Cuevas said on Monday.
“We’re going to go in and make sure we take care of the stuff we can do — so that’ll be defence, rebounding and high shooting percentage.”
Guelph native Connor Wood was the team’s top pick in the Canadian Elite Basketball League ’s inaugural entry draft in March. Wood won’t be suiting up for the Nighthawks quite yet, though. He recently signed a contract with Quimper, a French Pro-B basketball club, following the conclusion of his season at Paderborn in Germany, said Kusch. Wood, who was named the national university men's basketball player of the year for the 2016-2017 season, for his successes at Carleton University, is expected to join the Nighthawks around mid-June, said Kusch.
The president likes what he sees with the Nighthawks squad.
“I'm incredibly impressed with the talent level coach Tarry Upshaw has been able to assemble for our inaugural 2019 roster,” he said.
“There is a blend of youth and experience, highlighted by former Raptors 905 and University of Texas alum Myck Kabongo. As coach Upshaw mentioned earlier today, he expects the Nighthawks to have one of the top offences in the league, a team that will really push the ball in transition, and bring high-speed positive energy to the court. We certainly have high expectations for this group right from the outset in Year 1.”
Cuevas, a former Guelph Gryphons basketball player who runs Ball4All — which, its website says, aims to assist youth, regardless of background, in reaching their full potential physically, cognitively and spiritually, through teaching the fundamentals of basketball — is asked his thoughts on what might make the Nighthawks and the new league a success.
“I’ve been impressed with the amount of preparation they’ve done, before ever putting a team on the floor,” said Cuevas. “They pounded the pavement, they promoted, and I find they’re on top of all the small detail stuff. They’re doing a great job.”
On Tuesday, the league announced that all of its 60 games will be streamed live on cebl.tv , an online live streaming platform that fans can enjoy for free.