Sea Bears finally net home-grown star

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This article was published 15/04/2024 (513 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson had to stop attending Winnipeg Sea Bears games last summer.

It was tough being a spectator knowing he could have been out on the floor, and made even more difficult when fans inside the downtown arena would ask him when he was going to play for his hometown Canadian Elite Basketball League club.

“That’s why I said, ‘You know what, I gotta watch this from home,’ because it was just getting too emotional,” the 32-year-old point guard said Monday.

Things will be much different for Ogungbemi-Jackson this summer after agreeing recently to sign with the Sea Bears.

The Winnipegger brings nine years of pro hoops experience and was most recently in Belarus with BC Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League where he averaged a career-high 18.9 points per game through 33 contests to rank third among all scorers.

Ogungbemi-Jackson returned home to Winnipeg in late March after terminating his contract in Belarus with seven regular-season games remaining. He signed with the Sea Bears soon after, but the news was kept under wraps until Monday’s announcement.

“I’m so proud to be a Winnipegger, I truly am. I try to represent that everywhere I go because I feel we’re a blue-collar town. We have a lot of talent here and I feel like we’ve never really had a lot of eyes on us… I think Winnipeg is on the rise,” said Ogungbemi-Jackson, during a press conference.

“I’m so ecstatic to play in front of my friends and family. But at the same time I have a mission in mind and I want to help this team compete for a championship.”

In 321 professional games — with stops in France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain and Portugal — the University of Calgary product has averaged 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 31.9 minutes playing time per game.

His family has seen him play a handful of games in person since his U Sports days.

Jarred is a home-grown talent who can inspire the next generation of Winnipeg players to pursue their basketball dreams.”– Sea Bears head coach/general manager Mike Taylor

“I love what I do. I’m blessed to be able to play in all of these countries and travel across the world to play in some of the highest competitions. But fans and media, they only see the highlights. They don’t see me on the bus for 16 hours going to a gym where nobody knows my name,” he said. “Those are the tough things of being a professional athlete, especially overseas.”

Ogungbemi-Jackson first garnered attention in Winnipeg at Garden City Collegiate when he started on the varsity team from Grade 9 through 12 and led the Gophers to a pair of provincial titles.

The 5-10 scorer joins centre Chad Posthumus, forward Simon Hildebrandt and guard Shawn Maranan as the fellow Winnipeggers on the team.

Sea Bears head coach/general manager Mike Taylor has been in contact with Ogungbemi-Jackson for well over a year. They talked on a weekly basis prior to getting the deal done.

Outside of reigning CEBL MVP Teddy Allen, Ogungbemi-Jackson is arguably the team’s most important signing this off-season.

“Jarred brings outstanding point-guard play, excellent three-point shooting and tremendous experience to our team. Just as important, Jarred is a home-grown talent who can inspire the next generation of Winnipeg players to pursue their basketball dreams,” said Taylor.

Sea Bears’ training camp kicks off Monday, May 13 at the Sport for Life Centre. The squad opens the 2024 campaign on the road against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Wednesday, May 22.

Winnipeg’s home-opener goes Friday, May 24 against the Scarborough Shooting Stars, the defending CEBL champions.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31