Saskatchewan’s only pro basketball franchise holds training camp in Regina for 1st time
The Saskatchewan Rattlers slithered out of the Snake Pit for the weekend of May 10 and brought their training camp to the Queen City.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team based in Saskatoon is the only professional basketball team in the province. In all of their six seasons since inauguration in 2019, they’ve never held training camp outside of Saskatoon – until now..
This year’s camp, with a roster of 15 players, included a stop at the U of R’s Centre for Kinesiology and Health Studies (CKHS) that was topped off with media and fan availabilities.
The Rattlers are looking to come back this season after a disappointing 2024 season with a record of 6 wins and 14 losses in the regular season.
Lessons learned from 2024
Newly appointed head coach Eric Magdanz is optimistic for the upcoming season and says he’ll be leading “a great group of athletes”, but doesn’t shy away from discussing what went wrong in 2024.
“We spent a lot of the year, a lot of time last year, going back and thinking about, you know, some of the mistakes that were made along the way, and things that we could improve on,” Magdanz said.
“I think a big part of that was how we chose to build our roster … but our goal is to have a championship back in Saskatchewan, so I think we’re taking the right steps together.”
The last time the Rattlers won the CEBL finals was the first year of the league itself in 2019. That team included names like Saskatchewan legend Micheal Linklater and the late Chad Posthumas.
Not just a Saskatoon team
Magdanz says he was excited to bring the team outside of Saskatoon, adding he loves the connection between the players and Regina fans.
“A big part of who we are is we’re the Saskatchewan Rattlers, and we take a lot of pride in the fact that we represent our entire province,” he said.
“We’ve had great support from the people of Regina, who come up to and support us with our games, and you could see it today here with the amount of kids wearing jerseys. It worked perfectly within our training camp to take the opportunity to come down here and show them some love.”
Special weekend for Regina’s Isaac Simon
For one player in particular, there was something extra special about this Rattlers team visit.
Regina-born Isaac Simon, 21, has been with the Rattlers for three seasons.
The last few years he has also been busy playing with the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears have not been in the Queen City to take on the Cougars yet in Simon’s time with the team, but he notes he’s quite familiar with the U of R facilities.
“I grew up in Regina,” Simon said. “I came to the U of R as a kid, you know – working out, getting shots up – and to be here playing pro and to have my family and stuff come out and watch, it is pretty cool.”
In attendance at the gym on the practice weekend was Simon’s brother’s family, which includes his young nephew.
Simon played 776 minutes this year with the Golden Bears and averaged 19 points per game, earning a total 443 points this season. Simon’s goal this year is to show his growth as an athlete.
In Simon’s first season with the Rattlers, he was only 19, played a total of two games and earned points in both. Something Simon did note was the relationship he developed with older players on the team.
“It’s family. Like, whether it is just like a swipe up on the story or checking on how you are doing. I’ve made a lot of great relationships through this team the last two summers. […] All those guys have been there and done it. So each day, I’m learning from all the pros, just picking up on their habits, how they carry themselves, and how I can take different parts of their game. You know, it’s been great. I’m grateful to have these guys. I have a team.”
The support for Simon was on display at the camp. Anthony Tsegakele, one of the few returning players to the 2025 roster from previous seasons, called out to Simon during his Carillon interview: “I love you Isaac!” Another teammate said “Hey, keep working hard, bro. You did great today.”
Ticket sales tell the tale
The team says it’s pleased with ticket sales so far.
In a news release that came out the same weekend as the Regina training camp, it said there has been an 82 per cent increase in season tickets purchased (compared to the same time last year).
Last year, the team drew 25,000 fans and set a single-game attendance record of 3,500 on June 20th.
The Rattlers organization has been working overtime to highlight the team’s Saskatchewan roots:
- They have Kisisaskachewan (orange shirt) night and community culture nights.
- Rebecca Strong, an Indigenous singer from Prince Albert who won the Canada’s
- Got Talent competition, sang the national anthem on home opener night.
- Ronald McDonald House kids get to be “Kid Captains” all season.
It’s events and promotions like these that make the games different from your standard sporting event.
Fans get to be right in the action thanks to courtside seats and an interactive mascot named Swissh.
The CEBL added games to the 2025 season meaning the new season will have a 24 game format. Each team gets one TSN-broadcasted home game per season and all games are available via CEBL+ online.
Now the Rattlers have to win some games, and on that score, things have gotten off to a shaky start.
As of May 25, the Rattlers were 0-3, including a loss in their home opener against the Calgary Bandits on May 15 at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon.
