Saint Johnners will now have a new professional basketball team to cheer for.
Officials from The Basketball League announced Tuesday the region will now be home to the Port City Power.
The Power is the lone Canadian team among 39 U.S. teams and will play in the Northeastern Division, with anticipation of facing other Maritime teams in the future.
Founded in 2017, the league’s administration identified cities that had previously been home to basketball teams in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association, the Premier Basketball League, former NBA teams, and other promising sports markets.
League President David Magley said the league aims to create avenues for community engagement, especially focusing on schools ranging from elementary to high school.
“Everything that your kids will go through, our players have experienced, whether it’s not having a father at home, struggling academically, mistakes they may have made with the law, whatever it is we got guys that dealt with stuff, so we can encourage our young people on the next steps of life,” said Magley.
Rob Spon, the former head coach for the Saint John Riptide of the National Basketball League of Canada, will return as head coach and general manager. His assistant coach from the Riptide, Randy Loatman, will also join.
The announcement also saw Anthony “Double A” Anderson be the first player signed with the Port City Power.
The season will begin in March 2025, with home games to be played at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink. Officials stated the complete season schedule will be released in October.
