Guelph's new professional basketball team now has a name, a logo and a web site.
The Guelph Nighthawks were officially unveiled Wednesday at the Sleeman Centre to a group of city officials, people connected to the league, media and some curious onlookers.
The Nighthawks will be one of six teams in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, which is set to begin play in May of 2019.
The logo sports a stylized hawk in black, royal blue and grey with the angular wing extending from the head in the shape of a 'G'.
Team president Cameron Kusch said the hawk was chosen for its sharp vision, its intelligence and its ability to strategically exploit its strengths.
"We felt the hawk was the perfect embodiment of the Guelph community, but also has tie-ins with flight and the style of basketball you will find out of your Guelph basketball club," Kusch said.
"We feel that the nighthawk is a great embodiment of this city: it's elegant and it's graceful as it flies high above."
The league's other two Ontario franchises have already been named: the Niagara River Lions and the Hamilton Honey Badgers.
The league's other three teams, in Abbotsford, B.C., Saskatoon and Edmonton, do not yet have names.
The league will play a 20-game schedule its first year, with plans to expand to eight and perhaps 12 teams eventually.
Ot plays by FIBA rules and hopes to utilize talent playing overseas, including Canadian talent, that is looking for someone to play in the summer months when most pro league don't play.
The exact night of home games isn't yet set, nor is ticket pricing.
CEBL CEO Mike Morreale, the former Canadian Football League player, said the league is "super excited" to be in Guelph.
"Whenever you put a sport in a city, you really are inviting the community to come together and experience everything that sport brings," Morreale said.
"It has a great young demographic and we're sitting in a beautiful venue," he said.
Mayor Cam Guthrie said sport is something that the Guelph community rallies behind.
"We have great sports options in town, except for basketball, and now we've got it," Guthrie said.
"The city is behind you," the mayor said.
Guelph's web site is www.thenighthawks.ca.