Homegrown guard gives Sea Bears spark in season opening win

All you had to do was listen to what Mason Kraus was saying.

The 24-year-old homegrown guard, who was preparing for his second season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, knew that he didn’t showcase everything he was capable of in 2025.

But as he got ready to take the court for his first season as a full-time pro, Kraus professed to be much more certain of his game and the impact he could have for the Winnipeg Sea Bears, this time around.

Kraus put those words into action as he delivered a few timely buckets and capped an efficient performance with two clutch free throws that secured a hard-fought 77-75 season-opening road victory for the Sea Bears over the Edmonton Stingers at the EXPO Centre on Saturday.

“I was a little bit nervous,” Kraus, who supplied 11 points and four rebounds in 16:06 of action off the bench, confessed about his two shots from the charity stripe.

“I was talking to Kyler (Filewich) and Simon (Hildebrandt) before the game, because I know that I can hit threes, but I was like, ‘If I get to the free-throw line, that might get a little scary.’ But then Teddy (Allen) and ‘Mani (Armani Chaney) came up to me and were telling me, ‘Hey, we believe you got this, so go knock it down,’ and all my nerves went away.”

Kraus saved his best stuff for late to really prove he belonged.

With the Stingers owning a 68-63 lead entering Target Score Time, the decorated former Manitoba Bison connected on one of his game-high three three-pointers, then came down with a huge rebound and drew a foul to help the Sea Bears overcome the deficit.

“It’s just the way the guys treat me, especially compared to last year,” said Kraus, who appeared in just three games for Winnipeg last summer and hardly made the stat sheet. “Not saying anything (bad) about last year, I’m seen as more of a value to the team and as a pro, so just knowing that when I come in, guys are actually looking for me and are like, ‘OK, this guy can actually contribute to the team.’ After today, I’m just hoping that I can push that even more.”

The Stingers had been a thorn in the Sea Bears’ side in their 11 previous matchups, owning an 8-3 record all-time entering the contest.

“He was a huge spark for us today. … He made some big shots for us”

“He was a huge spark for us today,” head coach Mike Raimbault, who earned his first win as a professional head coach, said of Kraus.

“We know that he can definitely defend and put pressure on the ball and make things happen at the defensive end, but today he was also ready to step up and catch-and-shoot. He made some big shots for us.”

When Raimbault watches the film back, there will be a lot of things he liked from his club’s collective effort on both ends of the floor. There will also be a laundry list of things that he’ll want cleaned up before the Sea Bears host the Saskatoon Mamba in their home opener on May 16.

The opening half left a lot to be desired, especially on the offensive end, and Winnipeg trailed 34-27 heading into the locker room. Such is the nature of the CEBL, where teams come together in a flash and hit the floor with just one week of practice.

The Sea Bears came alive out of the locker room, though, piecing together strong possessions and opening up the floor as they controlled the contest in transition. As the game hung in the balance, Winnipeg continued to dig its collective heels in and play a gritty defensive style that has become synonymous with Raimbault-led teams.

“I think we just settled in a little bit,” Raimbault said. “Obviously, we talked about wanting to take care of the ball; we were still a little bit sloppy with ball control. We were a little bit more aggressive in terms of when to attack and where to attack, and a little bit more connected at the offensive end in terms of playing off of dribble, drives and spacing to appropriate spots.”

Much of the credit goes to star guard Teddy Allen, who looked like a different version of the offensively-focused player that last played in Winnipeg two years ago.

Allen held up his responsibilities on both ends of the floor, delivering a game-high 24-point, 10-rebound double-double while setting a new single-game franchise record with six steals.

“(Raimbault) encourages us to play so hard,” Allen said. “You kind of remember that when you’re out there, just trying to play hard and not give up an inch.”

In a game that featured a tenacious effort from both teams, Allen’s two-way contribution was ultimately the difference.

“His buy-in to our team approach from day 1 has been really, really good,” said Raimbault. “He showed up multiple days before training camp to spend time and get familiar with some of the stuff that we wanted to do, and we’re asking him to lead by example — in particular at the defensive end of the floor— and I’m super proud to see him continue to grow his game and show that he is capable of impacting winning in multiple ways.”

Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. also poured in 14 points, while Davion Warren chipped in with 10 points. Edmonton was led by Dain Dainja with 19 points.

It’s the third time that Sea Bears opened a season with a victory in the franchise’s four-year history.

“I’m super proud of the guys for showing some resilience. There were multiple times where things were sort of slipping away from us, and we were able to recoup and continue paying together,” Raimbault said. “We’ll enjoy it, and then we’ll start thinking about next week — sooner than later.”

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