After months of murmurs and hushed speculation, Doug Plumb is making a run for bringing a professional basketball team to Kelowna.

Plumb, who has over a decade of front office, coaching and playing experience in the Canadian basketball ecosystem, is eager for a team to plant its roots in the Okanagan area. 

"We have been extremely patient with this, and I haven't put anything out there until I thought we were ready. And now I think we are," said Plumb to Black Press Media. "There is a really strong opportunity to create something unique here."

The team aims to be a part of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), which currently consists of 10 teams from across the country.

Mike Morreale, CEBL commissioner, explained that "Kelowna would be an excellent market for a CEBL team," but said, "currently we have no definitive plans to be there in the immediate future."

Plumb explained that he has "been talking to the league, and we understand what needs to be done. The CEBL is extremely professional, and this summer is way too fast to get this all done, but we are aiming for the following summer (2026) to raise the capital and secure the ownership group."

Plumb is working with UBC Okanagan Heat men's head coach Clay Pottinger and Aaron Greystone, who has deep ties to the Canadian hoops landscape.

"Aaron is best friends with  and he's been doing work with NBA players and trainers on high-performance programs for years," explained Plumb, who is originally from Pitt Meadows.

The 36-year-old Plumb has had a fast and impressive rise up the Canadian basketball landscape.

After playing for legendary in high school, Plumb split his post-secondary playing career with NCAA Division Two Minnesota State along with the UFV Cascades and UBC Thunderbirds from U Sports. He then had a brief, two-year professional career in Hungary and Romania. However, the vagabond life didn't suit him, and he moved back to Canada in 2015.

"I was making about $3,000 a month at the Austrian/Hungarian border, and it wasn't a viable pro league, so I stopped playing prematurely," he said. "I have been obsessed with basketball my whole life, but I lost that connection to home playing over there, and so I stopped playing and went into work on the marketing side of things."

After quickly getting burnt out in marketing, a fortuitous phone call from a friend (current Vancouver Bandits head coach Kyle Julius) helped him land an assistant coach gig in the of Canada with the London Lightning.

From there, Plumb quickly shot up the coaching ranks.

At 29, Plumb took over head coaching duties with the St. John's Edge, and his prowess on the sideline led to two Coach of the Year awards and three straight NBLC Championships by 2023 with the Lightning.

However, with the rise of the CEBL throughout its first half-decade, Plumb wanted more. 

"I kind of did everything that I could possibly do in that league (NBLC)," he said. "The CEBL has just taken over (after being launched in 2017), so I wanted to get involved.

Because of family, Plumb moved to Osoyoos in 2024, and for the past seven months, he has been boots on the ground in the area, culling potential investors, sponsors and consultants for a team. 

To Plumb, the viability and economic potential are apparent.

"There is no better place to be in the summertime than the Okanagan," he said. "If you are coming to the area, that means you have capital because you are coming for vacation. And it doesn't matter because once the sun comes down, what is anybody doing? It is a see-or-be-seen town. Basketball is a growing sport, and there are good athletes here. So, there is definitely something here for a team."

A typical CEBL season runs from May to August, with teams playing 24 games. Currently, just one team exists in B.C. (Vancouver Bandits), playing out of Langley. 

"Where else would you put a team? You wouldn't put it in Victoria because of the ferry situation and airport," said Plumb. "In Kelowna, we have an international airport. And, the market isn't just Kelowna, you are dealing with as far away as Kamloops and Osoyoos, which will draw a crowd."

The league also has franchises in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara, Brampton and Scarborough. Quebec City has been in talks for an expansion team, which, with Kelowna, would make 12 and an even split of western and eastern squads. 

According to Plumb, the aspect of a cultural touchstone piece for people in the Okanagan is lacking, and he hopes that the team can help mend that divide.

"What do people in the Okanagan dig their teeth into and share pride?" he asked. "The Kelowna Rockets, obviously, and the Penticton Vees, but in the summertime, there is potential for something big like a basketball team."

Plumb has lofty expectations for the team, which will be embedded into the Okanagan's DNA.

"I want to build something from the grassroots up in an ecosystem that I think is different," he said. "I don't just want a pro team to come in and not touch the community. I also want to launch a youth academy and a prep school and have partnerships with the university. It is only a three-and-a-half-month season, so you must create revenue, and I know we can accomplish that."

All that's left for Plumb to do is "connect the dots" by reaching the right people and finalizing the ownership core. He is already in talks with Prospera Place as a venue. 

"I see this as bigger than basketball," he said. "This is entertainment and will light the city on fire."