Edmonton Stingers looking forward to inaugural tip-off
There is plenty of work to be done for the Edmonton Stingers before opening tip-off May 10.
But with a coach and general manager now in place, the startup club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League can shift its focus on building a roster.
“I would say things are coming along better than we would have thought,” said Stingers president Lee Genier. “Whenever you’re launching a league, I don’t think there is a blueprint for it. You’re going out and your trying to build a great foundation, which we’ve done from our executive that we’ve brought in to our coaches across the league and the way we’re marketing this team, and some of our key partnerships.”
The six-team league with clubs also based in Hamilton, Guelph and St. Catharines, Ont., Abbotsford, B.C., and Saskatoon, Sask., will play a 20-game schedule. The Stingers open their inaugural season May 10, hosting the Niagara River Lions of St. Catharines at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
On Wednesday, the Stingers announced Barnaby Craddock as their first coach and general manager. Craddock will retain his position as the University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach and will be working with both teams.
“Always being a new league, it takes some time, because I know there have been leagues that have come through in the past,” Genier said. “But the time is right for this league as the trajectory of basketball is this county is on a huge upturn.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest