Sea Bears tip off inaugural season with opening of training camp

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The Winnipeg Sea Bears tipped off their inaugural season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with an array of local flair on the opening day of training camp on Friday.

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The city’s first professional basketball team since the days of the Winnipeg Thunder trotted out six local players on their 16-man training camp roster at the Sport For Life Centre, led by River East Collegiate alum and the club’s very first signing, Chad Posthumus, along with University of Manitoba star and 2023 USports rookie of the year Simon Hildebrandt.

“We’ve got a lot of really good players and a lot of really good personalities,” Posthumus, the 6-foot-11 former CEBL champ and NCAA Division 1 player, said. “The Winnipeg culture, they know what it is here, from what we’ve been establishing since Day 1. That’s what we’re looking to build here, that culture of family and everyone’s together, cohesively.”

Hildebrandt, a graduate from Mennonite Brethren Collegiate, was taken first overall by the Sea Bears in the 2023 USports draft after rewriting the record books with the Bisons as an All-Canadian in his freshman season.

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“I’m just trying to learn,” Hildebrandt said after the first day of on-court work with the team. “The guys are bigger, a lot stronger, a lot more experience.”

The 6-foot-9 forward helped the Bisons win a historic 18 games this past season, the most in the program’s history, and is trying to carry that momentum while learning from veterans this summer before he heads back for his sophomore year with the Herd this fall.

“Just trying to feel what it’s like being a pro and bring that back to my teammates at university and help us win there, too,” he said.

Among the other Winnipeggers on the squad is guard Narcisse Ambanza, formerly with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen and former Bisons standout Justus Alleyn, both of which have graduated to the professional ranks.

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Ambanza, a Congolese-Canadian, played with Congolese club Espoir Fukash of the Basketball Africa League in 2022, while Alleyn played in Czechia in 2021.

Three other Wesmen claimed spots on the training camp roster after earning them through tryouts, including forwards Ryan Luke and Donald Stewart, and all-star guard Shawn Maranan, who helped lead the U of W to nationals.

“It’s amazing, especially for a young player like me,” Maranan, 22, said. “It’s going to be a great experience for my development and the rest of my career for the Wesmen.

Training camp is relatively short, with the season opener for the Sea Bears slated for next Saturday at Canada Life Centre.

The CEBL mandates a 10-man active roster, with two-to-four spots allocated to inactive players. At least two cuts will be coming between now and tip-off next weekend.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but the enthusiasm and energy is really apparent here in Winnipeg,” head coach and general manager Mike Taylor said.

SEA BEARS TRAINING CAMP BY THE NUMBERS:

• 12 Canadians
• 3 American imports
• 1 European import
• 6 Winnipeggers
• 10 players with U SPORTS experience
• 8 players with NCAA Division I experience
• 7 players with CEBL playing experience

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Twitter: @scottbilleck

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