{"id":779218,"date":"2026-07-04T20:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T20:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/779218\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T20:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T20:34:23","slug":"fans-get-home-court-advantage-as-first-ever-professional-basketball-game-tips-off-in-whitehorse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/779218\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans get home court advantage as first ever professional basketball game tips-off in Whitehorse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

The squeak of sneakers and the roar of a professional basketball crowd are sounds the Yukon had only heard on TV, until yesterday. Whitehorse fans are riding high following their first ever courtside access to a Canadian Elite Basketball League in the Yukon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty exciting to have an event this big in Whitehorse,\u201d said Brooke McKenzie, a local resident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Saskatoon Mamba won 96-92 against the Calgary Surge at Takhini Arena in Whitehorse in the inaugural Snowline Gold 2026 REAL North Classic last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The teams are part of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), a professional basketball league with teams from across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really excited to watch basketball in real life with my family instead of just on TV,\u201d said Gage Howatt, a local fan who was given tickets for his 12th birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the Saskatoon Mamba left with the win, both teams were won over by the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PeopleFans fill the bleachers in Takhini Arena while they await the historic CEBL game. (Viktor Elias\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of energy, the fans were great,\u201d said Jaylin Williams, a forward with the Saskatoon Mambas. \u201cGuys were signing autographs \u2026 it’s a wonderful feeling.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ASaskatoon Mamba guard Mohamed Mahadhi signs a Canadian flag for a young Yukon fan. (Viktor Elias\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe community embraced the players and I think the players appreciated the community tonight. I know I did,\u201d said David Deaveiro, head coach of the Calgary Surge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than just game day<\/p>\n

But before a single ball could be bounced, the court itself had to make the trek north. The Calgary Surge brought their own professional-grade court to transform the local arena.<\/p>\n

It was a joint effort between the CEBL, Sport Yukon, and REAL Entertainment and Culture Inc., explained Connor Gunn, a spokesperson with Real Entertainment and Culture Inc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the two teams, \u201cthis is a pivotal part of the season,\u201d said Gunn. \u201cThey\u2019re playing in a neutral site where no one knows who they are but they\u2019re going to see \u2014 and the fans are going to see \u2014 a lot of excitement and a lot of energy on the court.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The game was not the only excitement this week. The team mascots walked in the Canada Day parade and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament took place at Takhini Arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s super exciting for [the kids],\u201d said Tim Brady, coach for Wolf Pack Basketball, a basketball development program for youth in Whitehorse and rural Yukon communities . \u201cIt\u2019s just another opportunity for them to see the game play at a little higher level than they\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AKids from the Wolf Pack Basketball club in Whitehorse scrimmage on the professional-grade basketball court that was shipped to the Takhini Arena ahead of the CEBL game on Friday, July 3 2026. (Andrew Hynes\/CBC)<\/p>\n

The kids got the chance to play on the full-sized basketball court brought up from Calgary, as well as attend the game.<\/p>\n

Thomas Centeno, a Wolf Pack baller, was excited to \u201cjust see the players playing and see how much better I need to get.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of the kids shared that it’s a chance to watch role models. \u201cYeah, it\u2019s exciting,\u201d said Ethan MacDonald, another Wolf Pack player. \u201cI\u2019m very inspired by the players.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PlayersCalgary Surge takes a shot while the Saskatoon Mamba defends at the first ever CEBL game in the territories. (Viktor Elias\/CBC)A growing sport in the Yukon<\/p>\n

The kids agreed they have seen basketball grow in popularity. \u201cI think that\u2019s one of the reasons they decided to bring the game here is because it\u2019s just a big growing sport,\u201d explained MacDonald.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has exploded,\u201d said Sean McCarron, a high school teacher and longtime basketball coach in Whitehorse. Over the years, multiple leagues have blossomed in Whitehorse including a women\u2019s league, men\u2019s league, and Filipino leagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, with the CEBL rolling into town, it\u2019s about bringing all these groups together, explained McCarron.<\/p>\n

Organizers have committed to bringing this event back to Whitehorse for the next three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is … we\u2019ll be able to tap into the game and what it could offer for youth at different points of the year,\u201d said McCarron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":779219,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-779218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}