Coming one win shy of capturing a Canadian Elite Basketball League championship last summer, Maurice Calloo is entering the 2024 season hungry to get back to that final game of the year.
Calloo is one of four signings for the Saskatchewan Rattlers over the past month, as general manager Barry Rawlyk continues to build a roster which looks to get back to the CEBL post-season for the first time since 2022.
Currently playing basketball in Taiwan, Calloo spoke with Rawlyk about the team’s ambitions to return to a winning culture and a winning foundation.
“I feel like that’s something I always want to be part of when I play a game,” Calloo said. “I feel like there was no other place better than Saskatchewan at the time, so I’m excited to get down there and get to work, start winning some games and building that.”
Along with Calloo, the Rattlers announced the return of forwards Anthony Tsegakele and Adong Makuoi in recent weeks, as well as incoming Canadian guards Cody John and Emmanuel Bandoumel.
Calloo is coming off his second season in the CEBL with the Calgary Surge, where he averaged 5.8 points per game and 2.7 rebounds while the Surge made a run to the finals where they fell to the Scarborough Shooting Stars.
He also spent time playing in the NBA G League with the Salt Lake City Stars and Windy City Bulls, as well as a season with Grengewald Hostert in Luxembourg.
Joining a Rattlers team with new head coach Larry Abney at the wheel, Calloo is optimistic that Saskatchewan can regain their footing as a championship-calibre franchise in the CEBL.
“It’s off to a great start with the new head coach,” Calloo said. “He’s been around some great basketball, played some great basketball himself, so he knows what it takes to build that winning foundation and he knows what it takes for some of the guys that play basketball to be a pro.”
Starting the 2023 season with a sluggish 2-6 record, the Rattlers weren’t able to capitalize on a late season charge and just finished outside of the playoff picture with an 8-12 to finish tied for fourth in the Western Conference.
Learning lessons on his way to a Western Conference title last season, Calloo is aiming to help bring a defensive lock down mentality to Saskatchewan in 2024.
“Our Calgary team last season, we hung our hats on defence,” Calloo said. “I feel like that’s something that I’m looking forward to this season, continuing myself to get better at defence. Just building that as a team, as the foundation, just being a good defensive team.”
“I feel like the sky is the limit from there.”
The Rattlers will open the 2024 season at home on May 22 against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, while the results of the 2024 CEBL Draft are slated to be announced on Thursday with both U Sports and CCAA athletes eligible to be selected.
Saskatchewan holds the third overall pick for the draft.
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