Thursday Commentary: Season 6
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on the All New Hits 98 CKHD & LTD Radio)
Don’t look now, but the Saskatchewan Rattlers are back for Season 6 in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
I always refer to the CEBL as a “Start-Up Cousin” of the RP Show, since we both launched in the summer of 2019.
It was a treat to be joined by Rattlers player Cody John on Wednesday’s show as we promoted the upcoming season.
Cody’s from Mississauga and is in the Top 10 of career games played in the CEBL, and despite there being a handful of teams in Southern Ontario, he signed back with the Rattlers as a free agent this off-season.
Why? Because he loves Saskatoon, loves the Rattlers culture, and wants to bring a championship back to SaskTel Centre. (The Rattlers won the league’s inaugural championship in the summer of 2019).
And holy smokes has a lot happened since! We both survived Covid, both landed on Game+ TV airing across Canada and the USA, and have now come together to cross-promote. That’s a dream come true for me.
Have you been to a Rattlers game yet? They have an NBA atmosphere and attendance is on the rise across the country. Winnipeg and Calgary have drawn crowds of over 11- and 12-thousand the past couple years.
It’s my goal to sellout SaskTel Centre and set the all-time league attendance record, maybe even this summer.
Last season Saskatchewan got off to its best start in franchise history but then the roof caved in as the team’s two best stars bounced to other leagues. The Rattlers were left holding the bag.
On a recent RP Show I asked Sask GM Barry Rawlyk what they have to do to prevent that from happening again and his answer was, “Recruit better”.
And therein lies the root of the Rattlers historic success since their inception: cold honesty, hard work and the willingness to look at themselves and be better.
How rare and refreshing!
I can’t wait to visit one of my all-time favourite venues – SaskTel Centre – this summer to enjoy Season 6.
See you there.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 4 pm ET on Game+TV, Podcast & YouTube Live)
On a serious note. This is thee best thing. My first experience with anything basketball related was going on a whim to an Edmonton Stingers game. I was h.o.o.k.e.d. It’s similar to hockey but they don’t stop. Add in the music. It got me watching Last Dance, Hoosiers, White Men Can’t Jump the list goes on. While the CFL and WHL are sleeping. This is the league that got all the kids into the building I went to Rattlers last summer. Records are just a matter of who can make 3s but past that all these guys can play. It’s… Read more »