Plenty of changes on the horizon for the Newfoundland Rogues when they return to play in St. John’s in February 2026
By Nicholas Mercer
Published Oct 29, 2025
At this point, Newfoundland Rogues owner Tony Kenny must be tired of being asked whether the professional basketball team will return for another season.
It’s a question that seems to pop up at the end of every season and just before the start of the next one.
This year was no different, but as Kenny puts it, he still has a passion for delivering professional basketball to the City of St. John’s and the province.
“I think it’s the challenge, and trying to make it a success,” said Kenny. “I think that’s what drives me, and that people before me couldn’t do it.
“I wanted to turn over everything possible and not give up.”
Earlier this week, the Rogues made it official: they’ll make a return to the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s for a sixth season.
The team will be starting in February 2026 and move back to The Basketball League (TBL) after spending the last two seasons in the Basketball Super League (BSL), joining a group of teams in Atlantic Canada to make up their own division.
Presumably, that division would include the Halifax Hoopers, the Tri-City Tide in Moncton, N.B., and possibly a third team alongside the Rogues.
“What we’re excited about is it looks like there’s going to be three other Atlantic Canadian teams,” said Kenny.
On top of games with those teams, the Rogues will mix in with other opponents from the other parts of the TBL or the Basketball Super League (BSL) to make up the rest of their 24-game season.
There’s hope that such a division will help lower some of the travel costs the team has endured in previous seasons.
“I think the Atlantic Canada model could work very well for professional basketball,” said Kenny.
Looking for a new coach
The league change won’t be the only change happening with the Rogues ahead of next season.
For the second straight season, Newfoundland will be looking for a new bench boss after Reece Gaines lasted just a season in St. John’s.
Gaines helped the Rogues to a 19-17 record in his first season as a pro basketball head coach. It was the Rogues’ second BSL season.
It remains to be seen who will replace the former NBA first-round pick, but Kenny is excited to announce it when the time is right.
“I think we’re going to open up a few eyes with our coach, and I think it’s going to be good,” he said. “I think for basketball in Newfoundland, I think it’ll be good. And I think the community should rally.”
Local feel
Kenny enters the season with a different team-building philosophy than he has in recent years.
In the past, the Rogues have focused on bringing in the best basketball players that they can get for their money.
This year, Kenny believes that filling out the roster with local standouts will pay dividends for his franchise, similar to what happened when they signed Paradise native Steve Earles after an open tryout last season.
With that in mind, he’d like to see at least three local players on the Rogues roster when things kick off in the spring.
“People will come because these are the best basketball players they are going to see, but what we found is that people, they like good basketball, and they like seeing good players, but they also like to see their own crowd, as we call it,” said Kenny.
There’s still plenty to figure out between now and the start of the new season, but even with that, Kenny is excited to see the start of a new year of Rogues basketball.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think this will be a good year for us,” said Kenny.