‘That meant the most’

PEOPLE used to crack jokes about Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. for being the tall kid that couldn’t play basketball.

The middle schooler stood at 6-foot-6, but outside of that, his game on the hardwood left a lot to be desired.

“I couldn’t dunk. I couldn’t hoop. I was bad,” Tilmon, the newest member of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, told the Free Press on Thursday.

“I was the laughingstock around town.”

In his defence, he took up the sport later than most.

He was initially in amateur wrestling until he crossed paths with his school’s basketball coach.

“The coach went, ‘Who are you? What are you doing?’ I was just like, ‘I’m on my way to wrestling practice,’” recalled Tilmon.

“He was like, ‘No you ain’t.’ From that day forward, he was on me to play basketball. And it ended up working out.”

After back-to-back summers of playing AAU ball, Tilmon was a dominant force by the time Grade 8 rolled around.

Basketball also opened doors for him to leave his hometown of East St. Louis, Ill., — a place that has historically boasted one of the highest crime rates in the United States.

“I grew up seeing stuff that the average kid is not supposed to see. But I ain’t gonna sit here and give y’all a sob story about how bad I grew up,” said the 27-year-old.

“I wanted to be a pro in high school. I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to make it out.’ I wanted to be an NBA player. This is what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be another statistic from East St. Louis.”

The 6-10 centre went on to play at the University of Missouri where he was named second team All-SEC as a senior in 2021.

The following year, he was up north with the Hamilton Honey Badgers, helping them win the 2022 CEBL championship.

In two seasons in the Canadian summer league, Tilmon averaged 11.7 points, six rebounds and 1.25 blocks per contest while shooting 62.5 per cent from the field.

“That was my very first championship. That meant the most,” said Tilmon.

“I always knew what it felt like to be second place or third, but I ain’t never saw no confetti come down or get a real ring and stuff like that. That was an amazing feeling. I still remember it like it was yesterday.”

He’s played all over the world since then, with stops in China, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait and Romania throughout his six-year career.

Most recently, he was with the NBA G League’s Wisconsin Herd where he put up 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game.

In addition to winning a CEBL title, Tilmon’s biggest career accomplishment has been representing USA Basketball’s men’s World Cup qualifying team for the past two years.

“That was my NBA call up right there,” he said.

“I don’t care what anyone says. That was a dream come true, for real.”

The Sea Bears have shown interest in Tilmon for quite some time. He finally signed the dotted line on Wednesday and will be in Winnipeg in a few days to gear up for the start of training camp on April 30.

He’s the team’s third import signing, alongside star guards Xavier Moon and Teddy Allen.

“I feel like it’s going to work out so well. I know how to play with great players, I know how to play with bucket-getters. I know how to move when it’s time to get out the way, and I know how to move when it’s time to go catch that lob,” he said.

“It’s going to work out because I already know their game. I’ve played against both of them and I’ve watched both of them.”

The Sea Bears open the season on the road against the Edmonton Stingers on May 9. Their home opener takes place May 16 at the Canada Life Centre against the visiting Saskatchewan Mamba.

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