Calgary’s professional basketball team, the Surge, will have familiar faces up and down their bench for the 2026 season, but will have a new coach leading the charge.

Ahead of their fourth year in Calgary, the Surge have announced the return of three-time CEBL All-Canadian Sean “Rugzy” Miller-Moore, who averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 24 regular season and playoff games during the 2025 CEBL season. 

Surge GM Shane James said bringing Miller-Moore back to Calgary was a no-brainer.

“He’s definitely found a home here. I’ve known Rugzy since he was 13 years old, so our relationship is extremely strong, and I’m someone that he’s always trusted,” James told LWC.

“He enjoys being here in the summer, he loves the city, he loves the community. The fan base has really shown a lot of support. And he’s become that staple name for us.”

Miller-Moore, who has been with the Surge since its inception, said his tenure is very important to him.

“Being part of the growth in Calgary from day one means a lot. The standard has always been winning, and with our fans behind us every night, it’s only right we bring a championship home. I want to be a part of that,” said Miller-Moore in a team-issued statement.

Since last season’s bitter end in the championship game, Miller-Moore has spent the 2025-26 season with ALM Évreux in France, where he averaged 17.4 points per game. James expects fans to notice a different Rugzy this year.

“He’s improved his three-point shooting. I expect him to come in and shoot a higher percentage and to get a lot more attempts up, but also just the pro style in Europe is a lot different than how we play here in North America. It’s a lot more ball movement and a lot less isolation style,” James said. 

“We’ll see his assist numbers go up as well. He’s always had the ability to be a top playmaker in our league, and the coaches that he’s playing for in France have made it a priority to get him to play that style of basketball.”

Miller-Moore, along with returning players Olumide Adelodun, Javonte Brown, Gabe Osabuohien and Evan Gilyard II, will bring Surge culture to a new system under head coach Perry Huang, James said.

Announcing Huang, who is the current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, as Surge head coach, was the culmination of a lengthy and diligent hiring process, according to James.

“We interviewed a lot of high-level candidates, mostly from the NBA, but Perry, after we interviewed him the first time, we knew right away he was our guy,” he said.

“He’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone; he checked all the boxes for us, and I think he’s going to have our team prepared. The goal remains the same, to win a championship, and he’s the right guy to take us there.”

New year, similar system

James said that this year, Surge fans can expect highlight-packed games, reminiscent of previous years.

“It’s going to be very similar, athletic, lengthy players that can get up and down the floor pretty quickly. Guys that can attack tight spaces and distribute the ball to open shooters. We want to play fast, and we want to shoot a lot of threes,” he said.

“Mathieu Kamba, who was an extremely important piece to us two years ago, is back. He’s a Calgary native, and I think if we had him last year, our results may have been different in that championship game.”

Now, in the organization’s fourth year, pitching players on the city, culture and fans has never been easier.

“I’ve gone through this process and it’s become easier every year because I’m more familiar with the city myself. Calgary is a beautiful place, it’s very diverse and it’s got a nice, healthy population of just under 2 million (people) and it’s just absolutely gorgeous in the summertime,” James said.

“Players talk amongst themselves, and Calgary is definitely one of the top markets in the CEBL for players to want to play. We have so many people reaching out trying to play in Calgary, which speaks volumes.”

With a new playoff format, which ditches the previous host city championship weekend in favour of matchup-based home court advantage, things are looking good for the Surge this season.

“I love the new format because it gives us an advantage. We have the best fans in the league and that’s important for winning those types of games. I expect us to be hosting playoff games, especially in the first two rounds, and those games will be sold out,” James said.

“The fans are going to be behind us, and the opposing team is not going to want to come to Calgary for a playoff game, I’ll tell you that.”

The Surge begin their season on the road on May 12 against the Ottawa Blackjacks. Their home opener is set for May 28, against the Scarborough Shooting Stars.