Sea Bears hit the floor running

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This article was published 13/05/2024 (824 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The intensity on the court was akin to a practice session before a playoff game.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears returned to the hardwood for their first training period in preparation for the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League season at Sport for Life Centre on Monday. It was the first step in the club’s attempt at recreating the magic it saw last summer, a trip to the post-season in its inaugural season.

The energy that buzzed around team was palpable as 16 players quickly acquainted themselves and got to work.

“The first morning practice, you can tell guys are super focused and they’re bringing a good energy, which is the biggest thing,” said guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, one of eight hometown products on the club’s training camp roster.

“We’ve got games already next week so we really got to put this thing together as fast as we can.”

A quick turnaround, indeed. There’s no time to waste as the Sea Bears open the season on the road in Saskatchewan against the Rattlers next Tuesday.

The team will hold eight practices (two each day) until Thursday before a scrimmage on Friday. The 16-man training camp roster will be trimmed to 10 active players and two to four non-active players in time for next week’s opener, the first in a 20-game regular season schedule.

The Sea Bears return to Winnipeg two days later for their home opener — which sold out last week — against the defending league champion Scarborough Shooting Stars at Canada Life Centre.

“The CEBL is a really short season and it’s technically the off-season for a lot of guys,” said centre Chad Posthumus. “But it’s also a preparation season for a lot of guys who are trying to get better contracts… so it’s really important that you stay ready and listen to the coaches, listen to your teammates, you listen to the vet guys and everybody work together.

“We’re only here a short time and we’re all family. We’re all trying to achieve the same goal — or at least we should be — a championship, and we got to come together quickly for that.”

The Sea Bears enter the year with perhaps even more fanfare than their inaugural season after re-signing several key contributors from a year ago — most notably the league’s most valuable player, Teddy Allen — and adding a couple of big-name players in forward Darius Days and centre Byron Mullens, who each bring NBA experience.

Allen was not present for the first day of camp, but head coach Mike Taylor said he would be back in time for Tuesday’s sessions.

Taylor lit up while talking about the guys who were in attendance on Monday and his impression of the team he assembled over the winter.

“We’re really excited about the roster,” he said. “The players made a great first impression. I think we’ve got more experience with these guys, we’ve improved the depth, the quality — really, really thankful for the team we have.

“I think there’s always a sense of excitement to start a new year but, in particular here, you’re on the court with these guys now, you just feel the experience,” he added. “I feel like the quality is there, and we hope that we can connect quickly and make a lot more progress here over the next (few) days to be ready for a great summer ahead.”

The experience begins with Days and Mullens, the two biggest splashes of the off-season for Taylor.

Both players posses size (Days listed at 6-7, 245 pounds and Mullens at 7-0, 275 pounds), shooting ability from beyond the arc and have spent time playing at the highest level.

A first-round selection in the NBA Draft, Mullens, 35, played 189 games over five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.

“Very talented, man,” Mullens said of his first impression of the team. “We did a lot of full-court stuff today, just getting up and going. Our offence, I like it — it’s a spread offence — so (power forwards and centres) are interchangeable no matter what play we’re running. I’m excited to run the offence.”

Days, 24, dipped his toes in the NBA this season, appearing in four contests with the Houston Rockets. His most significant impact, however, came in the NBA G League as a member of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he earned league all-star honours after averaging 16 points and 6.9 rebounds across 45 regular season games.

Days admitted he knew nothing about Winnipeg before arriving, his Canadian experience was limited to Toronto. He knows, basketball, however, and he liked what he saw of his new squad on Day 1.

“We’re going to be really good,” Days said. “I’m excited about this team. I’ve played on a couple of really good teams and I’m really excited about this team.

“I just want to win a championship here. That’s really what everyone’s been preaching. This is our second season, they had a great season last year and we just want to build on top of that.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam