Saskatoon’s professional basketball team named Saskatchewan Rattlers

Saskatchewan Rattlers will be the name of Saskatoon’s entry in a new professional basketball league scheduled to debut in May 2019.

The team joins five other founding franchises in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).

“The Rattlers will deliver an entertainment experience second to none, and I’m confident we can replicate the incredible support of the (Saskatchewan) Rush,” Lee Genier, president of western operation for the CEBL, said in a press release.

The Rattlers logo depicts the prairie rattlesnake. It is the lone rattlesnake breed found in Saskatchewan and the only venomous snake on the Canadian prairies.

Saskatchewan’s team colours will be green, beige and white. They will play at SaskTel Centre.

“Fans will see the highest caliber of basketball in Canada outside of the Toronto Raptors, and an electric atmosphere that will have them returning game after game. This is a new basketball experience in every sense.”

“The CEBL promises to deliver an experience where all 10 of each team’s home games will be a major event, blending fast paced professional basketball and an atmosphere that resembles a rock concert.”

Saskatchewan will play the Edmonton Stingers, Guelph Nighthawks, Hamilton Honey Badgers, Niagara River Lions, as well as Abbotsford’s team in B.C.