Despite a furious comeback by the Edmonton Stingers at the end, the Winnipeg Sea Bears walked away with a season-opening win at the Canada Life Centre on Friday night. A pair of Tevian Jones free throws secured a 92-89 victory for Winnipeg, in a game the Sea Bears led by 16 points heading into Target Score Time. Winnipeg head coach and general manager Mike Taylor promised a team-first brand of basketball entering the year, and count that promise kept, at least through one game. The Sea Bears racked up 19 assists on 31 made field goals while getting contributions up and down the roster. Starting with Jones, who finished with a team-high 25 points, going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe while adding six rebounds and two steals. The import forward picked up right where he left off as a member of the Scarborough Shooting Stars last season, when his 16.9 points per game ranked 15th in the CEBL. “I’m really pleased with the way the team played today,” Taylor said post-game. “We have such a short time to prepare and so many new faces … I’m really pleased with the way our team, for the first game, we all responded together.” Right behind Jones was fellow import Jaylin Williams, who tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Meanwhile, a pair of Winnipeg natives in Emmanuel Akot and Kyler Filewich did their part as well. Akot chipped in 17 and six rebounds while Filewich added six points and a game-high 13 rebounds in his first game as a pro. “It was a lot of fun,” Filewich said of his Sea Bears debut. “Glad to share it with all my teammates, and hopefully a lot more games like that this summer.” On the other side, Sean East II carried the load for the Stingers as they ultimately fell to 0-2 despite their late rally. The import guard finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while backcourt mate Devonté Bandoo scored 21 on 8-of-14 from the field. Nick Hornsby and former Sea Bear Scottie Lindsey rounded out the double-digit scorers for Edmonton on Friday, putting up 13 and 14 points, respectively. Hornsby added 10 boards as well for his first double-double of the season. Backdropping the Sea Bears’ opener was the fact it was their first game since the sudden loss of captain Chad Posthumus in the off-season. The franchise honoured the Winnipeg native by retiring his No. 33 in a pre-game ceremony and hanging his jersey in the rafters while a capacity crowd of 10,649 fans in attendance cheered. The Sea Bears will also wear “33 forever” patches throughout the season as one of the many ways they plan to celebrate Posthumus’ legacy . “Chad obviously meant so much to this team,” Filewich said while reflecting on the pre-game ceremony. “So seeing that, it gave us that extra motivation on opening night, it was a special moment.” And it appeared, at least early, that the emotions from pre-game had sparked Winnipeg into a strong start. The Sea Bears opened the game on a 13-4 run that was punctuated by an Akot and-one on his former teammate Lindsey, and some stellar team defence. Winnipeg held Edmonton to under 30 per cent shooting from the field in the first as it built up a 21-13 lead. Come the second quarter, that advantage only grew as Jones caught fire following a slow start. After missing his first five shots, the do-it-all wing made four of his next seven looks en route to a 14-point scoring frame. Jones’ effort built the Sea Bears' lead up to 47-36 at the break, a margin they extended up to 18 after the third quarter. Most of the final frame seemed like a similar story as a Terry Roberts layup put Winnipeg ahead by 20 points at the 6:24 mark, their largest lead of the ball game, as the Sea Bears eventually went into Target Time with an 83-67 lead. The Stingers showed some resilience, however, going on an 8-0 run that was punctuated by Hornsby. He scored six of those points on his own, capping off the effort with an and-one that cut Edmonton’s deficit to eight points. From there, the Stingers were able to capitalize on a trio of costly Sea Bears turnovers and cut the deficit to just one on a Taye Donald layup in semi-transition. Donald’s heroics were quickly wiped away when he was called for a foul moments later and Jones closed the ball game at the free throw line. “We played well in the last eight minutes, but we’re certainly going to watch a lot of film on the first 32,” Stingers head coach Jordan Baker said. “Lots of things we need to clean up but … I love the resilience from the guys.” Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600566

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League announced the 12-man regular season roster with which the team will open the 2025 season. The Sea Bears start things off at home tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. against the Edmonton Stingers. Single game tickets are on sale and fans can catch the game on CEBL+ , TSN+ and 680 CJOB . All announced and professional signings aside from Simi Shittu have been named to the team's season opening roster. Shittu remains with Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) as they continue their playoff run and will join the team when their season is complete. Lamar Everd and Gavin Ashworth will remain with the team as practice players. See the complete 12-man roster below

As Year 7 of CEBL action gets underway, so does the race to Championship Weekend 2025. Not only a three-day celebration of basketball north of the border, but also a battleground to determine which team walks away with a title once the dust settles. This year, the festivities will be taking place in Winnipeg. Heading into just their third season as part of the CEBL — already known for raucous crowds and uber-committed fans — the Sea Bears were awarded the honour of hosting CW25 for the first time in franchise history. And make no mistake, the organization wants to make a statement when they welcome the competition to their home in August. “It’s going to be something special,” said head coach and general manager Mike Taylor. “I think the way it’s going to be here in Winnipeg will raise the level for the CEBL. All eyes will be on the City of Winnipeg, and I think Winnipeg will help elevate the expectations and standards of what Championship Weekend is going to be.” With so much enthusiasm even before the team’s season opener on Friday, excitement feels like the obvious emotion to associate with the Sea Bears’ upcoming campaign. And while that’s true, there will be one more, equally prevalent, feeling throughout the summer … grief. Amid the 2024 off-season, the franchise and local community were blindsided by the sudden loss of Chad Posthumus. The Sea Bears player and Winnipeg native suffered a brain aneurysm during a training session last November and later passed away following complications with corrective surgery. The 33-year-old was a stalwart of the CEBL, having played five seasons in the league with three different teams, the last two of which were with his hometown Sea Bears — a fact that Posthumus often pointed to with pride as his decade-long basketball journey spanning over 10 countries led him back to where it all began. But his legacy extends much further than simply being a part of Canada’s largest professional sports league. To the point that the CEBL’s story cannot be told without a full chapter on Posthumus. The 6-foot-10 centre was a member of the league’s inaugural champion Saskatchewan Rattlers in 2019, even starting alongside Championship Weekend MVP and eventual Sea Bears teammate Alex Campbell in their title-clinching win. Fast forward to 2021, he joined the Ottawa BlackJacks for their playoff run and in his team debut recorded the CEBL’s first-ever 20-20 game with 23 points and 20 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory. And when Winnipeg entered the fold as the league’s newest franchise in 2023, they wasted no time in making Posthumus the first player signing and captain in franchise history. From there, it didn’t take long for him to keep adding to the record books. In the Sea Bears' inaugural game, it was Posthumus who brought the Canada Life Centre to its feet as he scored Winnipeg’s first-ever Target Score winner. In true big man fashion, he corralled a missed shot and bounced it in off the glass before sprinting away in celebration. That moment was one of many that Taylor said came to mind when thinking about Posthumus’ legacy in Winnipeg. “He really helped establish the whole organization,” the Sea Bears bench boss explained as he prepared for his first season coaching the team without its captain by his side. “Chad was one of the key guys to maintaining our values and structure. He was one of those guys who never wavered … a strengthening force and glue for our team.” Most of Taylor’s other memories about the hometown hero were connected to his off-court antics, whether it was the smile Posthumus routinely greeted folks with during morning meetings or the big man’s laugh-inducing “quirky” stretches during practice. “Chad was just such a positive, bigger than life personality … there was nobody that loved Winnipeg and the Sea Bears more,” Taylor added. And that passion extended off the court as well, as Posthumus was well known for his work throughout his local community. His efforts were recognized in March as the Winnipeg native was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, a national honour recognizing Canadians for significant contributions to their country, region or communities. Posthumus was a staunch representative of the Sea Bears throughout youth camps while often acting as a spokesperson for a variety of causes, such as Diabetes Canada , Buckets & Borders and others. That spirit of kindness was present no matter what Posthumus did, as Taylor credited the big man for consistently going out of his way to connect with coaches and players. Just ask Emmanuel Akot, who fondly thinks back to when the Sea Bears captain welcomed him to the team. “He was just selfless,” said the forward, who re-signed with his hometown ahead of the 2025 season. “I remember the first time I came back to Winnipeg, I hadn’t been back a while … he invited me to shoot around. That’s the type of teammate he was. It was never about him, it was about us.” When asked if any moments throughout training camp these last few weeks might’ve brought up memories of Posthumus, Akot was quick to mention how any instances of laughter or positivity were immediately associated with the captain’s impact. But that wasn’t his only answer. “Watching Kyler Filewich play,” was the forward’s follow-up, pointing to play-style similarities between the Sea Bears' first local signing and their most recent one. “He reminds me a lot of Chad.” Which might not simply be a coincidence, as Filewich said he often paid close attention to Posthumus whenever he returned to Winnipeg between NCAA campaigns and watched the Sea Bears play. And ahead of his first professional basketball season, the rookie wants to continue following in Posthumus’ footsteps. “Leading with my voice, providing physicality on both ends and on the glass, those are things I’ve taken from him and things he was really great at,” Filewich explained. “So, I’m just trying to contribute in that way as well.” An attitude his head coach fully supports, encouraging the team to “use Chad for what he was, a great Sea Bear, a great role model and example for what we want our players to be.” Which is why the 23-year-old won’t be the only one adopting Posthumus’ “all in” mentality as described by Taylor. Among the many ways the team will honour its captain — retiring his No. 33 during a pre-game ceremony on Friday and wearing “33 forever” patches throughout the season — they’ll also serve as a reminder of his legacy with their play on the court. “(We’re) dedicating this season to him,” Akot said. “Going out hard every practice, taking it seriously every game, because we all know how much he cared about the Sea Bears and basketball here in Winnipeg. “So to pay our respects to him, we’ll go hard every day, because I know that’s what he really wants.” And beyond effort levels, the Sea Bears are ready to mimic Posthumus’ selfless brand of basketball stylistically as well. “We feel like what’s going to take us to the next level, and bring post-season success, will be all about team play,” Taylor explained, noting how previous iterations of the team were driven primarily through top-end talent, giving credit to a pair of former Sea Bears and prolific scorers in Teddy Allen and Justin Wright-Foreman. “On both ends of the floor, (taking) steps to be more connected as a team. We’ve got good personalities … we’ve got some high IQ players and guys that will play great team basketball. Both Akot and Filewich echoed those sentiments while adding “versatile” and “unique” as descriptors for the 2025 Sea Bears. So as Winnipeg gets ready for a meaningful season, aiming to build the right habits ahead of its eventual bye to a Western Conference Final — perks of being host for Championship Weekend — and just two wins shy of a first title in franchise history, the team will have plenty on its mind. On one hand, they’ll be competing for a fanbase that has consistently rallied around them throughout their ebbs and flows. “We absolutely love Winnipeg,” Taylor said while proudly referencing the many times the Sea Bears have set attendance records, owning three of the top four single-game marks in CEBL history while boasting a league-best showing of 10,580 fans for a playoff contest. “We’ve gotten off to an exciting start the first two summers, and this season we want to do everything we can … to be a team fans love to watch, and hopefully they can see great team basketball and how we’ve evolved.” On the other hand, the Sea Bears will be playing for Posthumus’ legacy, as they have no doubt their captain will be on the path with them in lockstep. “I still believe that Chad is with us,” Taylor said. “He was all in for our team, all in for our organization, and we know that he would’ve been all in for this Championship Weekend.” So as the race toward a CEBL title gets underway, the Sea Bears will keep both of those motivations in mind while waiting for other teams to meet them at the finish line — all with hopes of accomplishing one goal, according to their head coach. “We want to put the ‘win’ back in Winnipeg.” 

The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) will begin their 2025 training camp on Thursday, May 8 at Sport Manitoba in Winnipeg, Man. The team’s 16-man pre-season roster features talent from across Canada and the United States with experience spanning the CEBL, NBA G League, top overseas professional leagues, U SPORTS and NCAA Division I. It’s a roster heavy on newcomers as only three players return from the 2024 Sea Bears squad that went 9-11 in the regular season before falling 84-82 to the Calgary Surge in the Western Conference play-in. Emmanuel Akot, a Winnipeg local, will represent his hometown again after emerging as a key contributor in 2024. Following a strong campaign of 11.3 points per game through 12 contests, he appeared in one game in the Polish Basketball League before returning home to rehab an ankle in preparation for the CEBL season. The Sea Bears also return the CEBL’s iron man, Alex Campbell, who leads the league in all-time games played. The 32-year-old Brampton product was the only Sea Bear to start all 21 games last season, averaging 6.2 points per game. Mason Bourcier is also back from the 2024 group, bringing four seasons of CEBL experience. The former Trinity Western star is coming off a 12-game stint in Estonia that saw him average 11.2 points and 4.3 assists per game. Leading the new additions is Tevian Jones, a 6-foot-7 guard who averaged 14.7 points through 18 games with the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League this season. The Chandler, Ariz. product has suited up in NBA Summer League games for the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets. A Southern Utah University alum, Jones made his CEBL debut with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in 2024, appearing in 11 games and averaging 16.9 points, including a 29-point, 12-rebound outburst to lift Scarborough over the Montreal Alliance on June 23. Jones is joined by Gold teammate Jaylin Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward who also contributed double-digit scoring for the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate. Hailing from Nahunta, Ga., Williams posted an impressive career at Auburn University against top SEC competition, averaging 12.4 points as a senior in 2024 and ending his collegiate career as the program’s all-time leader in games played. Solomon Young and Terry Roberts round out the Sea Bears’ contingent of import players. Young, a 6-foot-8 centre, recently wrapped up a 24-game campaign in the G League with the South Bay Lakers and has also played professionally in Germany, Italy and Belgium. Roberts, a double-digit scorer at the University of Georgia as a senior in 2022, also joins Winnipeg from the G League ranks after spending his first two pro seasons with the Long Island Nets. The Sea Bears’ Canadian additions are headlined by Simi Shittu, who was named to the All-CEBL First Team and All-Canadian Team in 2023 as a member of the Calgary Surge. Born in England and raised in Burlington, Ont., the 6-foot-10 centre joins Winnipeg after spending the past two seasons in Greece, France and Turkey. He’ll look to build on a stellar CEBL campaign that saw him average a double-double. Shittu will start the season on the suspended list and join the Sea Bears once his season in Greece comes to a close. The Sea Bears’ frontcourt will add another impact Canadian with Winnipeg-born Wofford star Kyler Filewich. The 23-year-old centre helped propel the Terriers to an NCAA tournament berth this year, posting averages of 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds through 35 games in his fifth season of eligibility. A strong depth of U SPORTS talent rounds out the roster, with several Canadian university standouts earning invites to camp. The Sea Bears selected University of Victoria guard Geoffrey James fifth overall in the 2025 CEBL Draft. The 6-foot-2 Edmonton local made his pro debut with the Stingers during the 2023 season, quickly emerging as one of the league’s top U SPORTS talents. He appeared in 21 games, averaging 7.5 points and 16.6 minutes per contest. Winnipeg set their sights down Pembina Highway with their second-round selection, taking home-grown University of Manitoba guard Mason Kraus. The Sturgeon Heights Collegiate graduate had a breakout campaign in 2024, averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 23 games. McMaster University’s Brendan Amoyaw, another Winnipegger, completed the Sea Bears’ draft class. Winnipeg’s third-round choice will make his pro debut after averaging 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Marauders as a junior this season. University of Winnipeg Wesmen star Shawn Maranan, who spent last season on the Sea Bears’ practice roster, will also join the team for training camp. The 5-foot-8 guard out of Sisler High School was a two-time Wesmen Male Athlete of the Year during his star-studded U SPORTS career. Another Wesmen, Lamar Everd, will also join the team for camp. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 12.2 points per game in his senior campaign this year. UBC Okanagan’s Gavin Ashworth and Lakehead’s Nathan Bilamu round out the list of U SPORTS players invited to camp. The Sea Bears will trim their roster to 14 players for the regular season, with 10 designated as active on game day. The team will tip off their 2025 campaign on Friday, May 16 against the Edmonton Stingers at Canada Life Centre. For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Sea Bears are bringing in one of basketball’s most innovative minds for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, announcing Monday that Dr. Nick Elam, creator of the Elam Ending (known as Target Score Time in the CEBL), will join the club as its Target Score Time strategist. Elam will work alongside Head Coach and General Manager Mike Taylor and the Sea Bears coaching staff to analyze trends and inform late-game strategy. Known for revolutionizing how basketball games end, Elam’s expertise is expected to provide a significant competitive advantage under the CEBL’s unique format. “Coach Taylor reached out to me during the off-season about the possibility of teaming up with the Sea Bears to refine late-game strategy,” said Elam. “As the originator of the Elam Ending format used in CEBL and many other leagues and events, it was a call I knew would come eventually, I just wasn’t sure who would be the first team to reach out. I’m grateful to Coach Taylor for bringing me on board.” Taylor first encountered Elam’s work in 2018 while coaching Team Fredette at The Basketball Tournament (TBT), which uses the Elam Ending. The team reached the tournament’s final four in Baltimore. “It was my first experience with the Elam Ending and I loved it,” said Taylor. “I was intrigued by the strategy, and over the past few years in the CEBL, we’ve stayed in touch. Nick would always make time to answer my questions and talk about target score time. We’re really happy to have him officially join us.” Elam, who has spent thousands of hours researching the late-game format since first devising it in 2007, says his work with the Sea Bears will go beyond what’s been done before. “To this point, that research has been used to make late-game play more authentic and exciting,” said Elam. “There has been an untapped element of that research that can be used to help a team win. I’m glad the Sea Bears are the first team to seek the benefits of that research directly from the source.” Although Elam will work primarily remotely, he is expected to join the team in person during the season. “I am absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to make at least one trip to Winnipeg this season to meet the team in person, experience a Sea Bears game live, and explore the city,” he said. “Dining and sightseeing recommendations are welcome.” Elam’s role will include evaluating every target score time across the CEBL, identifying strategic tendencies, and providing insights to help the Sea Bears make better decisions in late-game moments. “Ever since the Elam Ending was first implemented at TBT in 2017, I have closely monitored various late-game strategies and their effectiveness everywhere it’s been played, including the CEBL, NBA G League, NBA All-Star Game, NBA Summer League, and others,” said Elam. “I see sound strategies used, and I see unsound strategies used. While no strategy can guarantee success, I am excited to work with the Sea Bears to implement strategies that offer the best chance of winning.” For Taylor, adding Elam is about gaining every edge possible. “We’ve featured an excellent analytics programme the last two summers, and now we’re looking to the inventor himself to bring his expertise to our team,” he said. “Nick is creative and thinks outside the box. We aim to create an advantage in different areas of our organization, and I believe Nick will help us do that.” The Sea Bears open their 2025 campaign with a renewed focus on precision in late-game situations, aiming to turn one of the game’s most exciting formats into a season-long advantage.