In May, 2018 the fledgling Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced that Saskatoon would be home to one of six charter franchises when the league began play in 2019.[1] This would bring professional basketball back to the province of Saskatchewan for the first time since 2001, when the Saskatchewan Hawks of the International Basketball Association folded. In July, 2018, the new team announced that it would be called the Saskatchewan Rattlers, named after the prairie rattlesnake.[2][3] Lee Genier, who helped bring the Saskatchewan Rush to Saskatoon in 2016, was named team president.[4] The team's first coach and general manager was Greg Jockims, a former coach of the Saskatchewan Huskies.[5]
Early success
Ahead of their inaugural season, the Rattlers purchased a hardwood court from the Toronto Raptors and installed it at their home in the SaskTel Centre, along with shot clocks and net stands.[6] Genier said the team purchased the floor due to its "storied history."[7] The CEBL announced in May 2019, that the Rattlers would host the league's first Championship Weekend that August, which guaranteed the Rattlers a birth in the playoffs.[8]
The Rattlers hosted the CEBL's first ever game on 9 May 2019. They lost to the Niagara River Lions by a score of 99–97, missing a last second three-point attempt to steal the win.[9] Despite the initial setback, the first season was a successful one for the Rattlers, on and off the court. Saskatchewan led the league in season ticket sales and attendance.[10] The team entered the Championship Weekend with a 11–9 record, good for 3rd place in the league. They beat the Edmonton Stingers in the semi-final, 85–83, and then the Hamilton Honey Badgers 94–83 in the final to capture the league's first championship.[11] It was only the second professional basketball title for a team in Saskatchewan, after the Saskatoon Slam's National Basketball League title in 1993.[12] Team captain Alex Campbell was named Most-Valuable-Player of the 2019 playoffs, while the championship final marked the final game of local Michael Linklater's career; the veteran, who had helped lead the Huskies to a national U Sports basketball title in 2010 alongside Jockims, announced his retirement.[5]
After the season, Jockims announced that he was stepping down from his roles as head coach and manager, but would stay with the organization as an advisor.[13] In January 2020, the team hired Huskies coach Barry Rawlyk as its new general manager.[14] Rawlyk then promoted assistant Chad Jacobson, with whom he had worked with the Huskies, to head coach.[15]
Post-championship struggles
The CEBL's second season was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was ultimately played as a 6-game round-robin tournament in St. Catharines, Ontario; the Rattlers finished in last place with a 1–5 record, eliminated from contention with a loss to the expansion Ottawa BlackJacks.[16] The Rattlers were able to return to hosting games in Saskatoon during a shortened 14-game 2021 season.[17] However, public health restrictions meant the team played without fans until 12 July, when a change in restrictions enabled a return of fans.[18] The team continued to struggle on the court, again winning just once during the season and missing the playoffs for a second straight year.[19] In the midst of the losing season, Jacobson resigned as coach, and the team named assistant Conor Dow the interim head coach.[20]
In January 2022, the Rattlers signed veteran NBA assistant Dean Demopoulos as its new head coach.[21] The team's play improved in the 2022 season, the league's first full season since 2019, as the Rattlers finished with a 11–9 record, securing home court for a playoff match-up with the two-time defending champion Stingers. Saskatchewan defeated Edmonton 94–91, led by 20 points from Tony Carr, to advance.[22] The Rattlers were then eliminated by the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the quarter-finals despite a triple-double from Carr.[23]
The Rattlers struggled through the first half of the 2023 season, and after losing 7 games in a 9-game stretch, the team fired Demopoulos on 6 July. Assistant Tanner Massey took over the head coach position on an interim basis.[24] The team had a 4–3 record under Massey, but were eliminated from playoff contention with a 92–89 loss in their final regular season game against the Calgary Surge.[25]
Roster
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
