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Fresh off a complete re-brand of the organization, the Saskatoon Mamba has found the bench boss the team has been searching for.
On Thursday, the Mamba announced the hiring veteran NBA G League coach Isaiah Fox as the team’s head coach for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League season.
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Speaking from Utah, where he serves as associate head coach of the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars, Fox said his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the announcement became public.
“Any opportunity like this is a culmination of a bunch of previous work,” Fox said.
“It’s also just a reflection on an opportunity. It’s very humbling.”
Fox joins the Mamba after a decade of coaching in the G League and serving in several different roles with NBA franchises, including stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz in player development departments.
During that time, he said he’s seen more and more attention being paid to the players coming out of Canada and the CEBL.
“The league’s been on my radar for the last couple of seasons,” Fox said. “Specifically because of the players that I’ve seen come through the G League and seen their development.”
Fox won a G League championship as an assistant coach with the Delaware Blue Coats in 2023, as well as winning G League Winter Showcase Cups in 2021 and 2025 with Delaware and Salt Lake City.
His hiring comes amid sweeping changes for the former Saskatchewan Rattlers organization, which re-branded to the Saskatoon Mamba last month with new colours and a new logo.
“I think the re-brand just has a different kind of energy to it,” Fox said.
“I’m hoping that it’s something that we can use in the recruitment of players as we build out the roster and the staff. It’s like getting in on the ground floor, and an opportunity to really put your fingerprints on the foundation of something that could be special.”
Fox’s hiring is the first since co-owner and chairman Jason Ribeiro took over the team. In a statement, Ribeiro said Fox will be a key part in the plan to get the franchise back on track.
“We are thrilled to bring Isaiah’s championship experience and player-first approach to Saskatoon and Saskatchewan,” Ribeiro said.
“He’s a teacher of the game who has repeatedly won in tournament and playoff environments – the exact kind of leader we need to reset our program and elevate our standard of play.”
The 42-year-old Fox will be making his first trip to Saskatoon for training camp in May, just ahead of the Mamba’s first season under new ownership and the new name.
In terms of what he’s expecting his team to look like on the floor, Fox said he’s going to be push for speed and physicality in his first year behind the bench.
“I know fast, I know pace and space,” Fox said.
“I want to bring in an exciting brand of basketball, but also an element of hard-nosed defence. I’ve been more of a defensive specialist in terms of my niche and coaching over the last couple seasons.”
Several CEBL players have gone through Fox’s system, including former Saskatoon star Elijah Harkless, who played for the Saskatchewan Rattlers in 2024.
With the Mamba set to split its games between SaskTel Centre and Merlis Belsher Place this summer, Fox said he wants to bring a level of excellence on the court which fans can attach themselves to.
“It’s important that there’s a high level of professionalism,” Fox said.
“We are entertainment, and we want to have a high impact in the community up there.”
The Mamba will open the 2026 CEBL season at home on May 14 against the Vancouver Bandits.
