The Tri-City Tide is now part of a new local professional men’s basketball league, designed to make the sport more sustainable in the Maritimes.
Team owner Dustin Caissie is helping to lead the launch of the Maritime Elite Basketball League (MEBL).
Caissie also serves as president of the newly formed Maritime league created after lessons learned during the Tide’s first two seasons under the Basketball League (TBL).
“We learned a lot over the last two years,” Caissie said. “The biggest thing we learned is how expensive it is to travel across North America and how difficult it can be to make professional basketball sustainable.”
Last season, the Tide advanced to the Basketball League championship, which required trips to North Carolina, St. Louis and Oklahoma. While the success showcased the strength of the Moncton-based club, it also highlighted the financial challenges of operating a professional team spread across a continent.
Rather than continuing with extensive travel, Caissie and other stakeholders chose to create a Maritime-based league that keeps teams closer to home while maintaining ties to the larger TBL organization.
The MEBL will feature four founding franchises for its inaugural season: Moncton’s Tri-City Tide, a team in Saint John, a team in Halifax and a Prince Edward Island franchise based primarily in Charlottetown.
Caissie said discussions are ongoing with additional markets and the league could grow to five or six teams if they can secure suitable venues.
“We felt the best way to ensure basketball survives and grows in the Maritimes was to localize it,” he said.
The Tide will play its home games at the Université de Moncton this season. Caissie said the move reflects the league’s emphasis on financial sustainability.
Instead of trying to fill large arenas, the MEBL plans to focus on creating strong game-day atmospheres in appropriately sized venues.
“You don’t have to go too big,” Caissie said. “That’s one of the things that can hurt professional basketball.”
Local ownership is another key ingredient for success
Caissie said local business leaders are backing the franchises, helping ensure people invested in local markets make the decisions.
“We have experienced ownership groups and people who care about their communities,” he said. “That makes a huge difference.”
While the league is new, Caissie said fans should not expect a drop in the quality of play.
The MEBL will still affiliate with the TBL, and the long-term plan includes exhibition games between the leagues. Caissie said the eventual goal is for the MEBL champion to face the TBL champion.
“We’re not downgrading the talent,” he said. “We went to the finals last year against teams from across the United States. We want to continue showing that the level of basketball here is top-notch.”
The league is also placing a greater emphasis on developing local talent.
League rules require each team to carry at least three Maritimes players on its roster. Caissie hopes the requirement will mean more opportunities for regional athletes to play professionally close to home.
“We want to encourage basketball growth in the Maritimes and give more local players a chance to play professionally,” he said.
Player recruitment is already underway.
The Tri-City Tide will host a local tryout on Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Players can find registration details through the team’s website and social media channels.
Other MEBL teams are expected to announce their own local tryouts in the coming weeks.
The league will also host a draft combine in Toronto on Jan. 9 as teams finalize their rosters ahead of the season.
The inaugural MEBL season is expected to begin in late February or early March, depending on venue availability, and will run through the end of May. Playoffs are scheduled to continue into June.
For Caissie, the new league creates a model that gives professional basketball a long-term future in Atlantic Canada.
“Our goal is to build something that lasts,” he said. “We think this is the right way to do it.”
