“I am honoured to join the Calgary Surge" - Kaleb Canales
The Calgary Surge have made a significant addition to their coaching staff, one that is making waves and setting a historic precedent in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, better known as the CEBL. For the first time ever, a former NBA coach will take the helm of a CEBL team. Yes, you read that correctly, he was an NBA head coach! This is a monumental step for the league and the growth of basketball in Canada, reinforcing the CEBL’s commitment to growth and long-term stability.
The man leading this charge is Kaleb Canales. Canales brings a wealth of experience to the Surge, having started his coaching career as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers before stepping into the role of interim head coach for 23 games. His appointment at the time was groundbreaking, he became both the youngest active head coach in the NBA and the first Mexican-American head coach in league history. Now, he is set to make history once again, this time in the CEBL, as he takes on the challenge of leading the Surge into an exciting new era.
“We could not be more excited to have such an experienced and talented individual like Coach Canales join our team this season. Rosters in the CEBL experience substantial turnover each season and that has emboldened our organization to approach coaching recruitment quite differently than other teams,” said Surge General Manager, Shane James. “I am honoured to join the Calgary Surge, an organization whose commitment to excellence and core values align with my own. Throughout this entire recruitment process, the basketball operations leadership of the Surge was among the best I’ve encountered in professional basketball” said Surge Head Coach Kaleb Canales.