‘We’re right where we want to be’

Xavier Moon has been in town for nearly two weeks and still hasn’t made his debut for the Winnipeg Sea Bears.

The three-time CEBL Player of the Year’s rights still belong to his overseas club — Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia’s VTB United League — and they have until Sunday to decide whether they’re going to re-sign him for the fall.

Zenit’s season ended on June 12, but for whatever reason they’ve dragged the process out to the last minute, meaning Moon hasn’t been cleared by FIBA to play on game days for the Sea Bears just yet.

If he doesn’t get the green light in time for Sunday’s road tilt against the Edmonton Stingers, the expectation is he’ll finally suit up on July 9 when the Sea Bears host the Stingers.

“I feel like I ask him every day, ‘Are you gonna play?’ But he’s figuring out his situation,” guard Teddy Allen told the Free Press after Monday’s practice.

“But it’s good for him to get camaraderie with all the guys, get used to the system and how we do things before he steps on the floor. I feel that should help him.”

Moon will once again sit out on Tuesday when the Sea Bears (8-5) host the Saskatoon Mamba (6-7) inside Canada Life Centre (7 p.m. tip-off).

“You see me itching my neck? I’m itching to get on the court, man. It seems like it’s been forever,” Moon said.

“It’s fun to be here, be a part of practice, and just be a voice. So, I’m really looking forward to actually getting on the court and inserting myself into the lineup. But the guys are holding it down right now.”

The Sea Bears certainly are.

Now officially past the midway point of the 24-game season, Winnipeg is one game behind the Vancouver Bandits (9-4) for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Sea Bears were on a four-game winning streak before falling 94-88 in Vancouver on Saturday.

Considering the club haven’t reaped the rewards of its prized signing yet, the winning record is a rather impressive feat.

“I think we’re right where we want to be,” said Allen. “With that being said, I feel like we let maybe two or three of these games slip. But I mean, I guess that’s a good way to feel knowing that we control the outcome of a lot of these games. Obviously, you’ve got to give teams credit for showing up and winning, but we feel like in a lot of these games we kind of beat ourselves.”

It’s been a team effort with the Sea Bears being second in field goal percentage (48.7 per cent) and assists, but Allen has been the driving force behind the success.

The 28-year-old leads the CEBL in scoring (28.0 points per game), steals (2.7) and minutes played which has him in the thick of the league’s MVP race.

“That’s for other people to decide. I know that I’m leading in a lot of ways and I’m being efficient, so, if stuff like that matters, I definitely should be in that conversation,” said Allen. “But there’s a lot of year left, there’s a lot of great players in the league. We’ve still got a guy probably capable of winning MVP if he plays the full season joining our roster.

“But the coaches put a lot of trust in me, play me a lot of minutes, and I think that’s what they expect me to do: be an MVP type of player.”

Allen was crowned the CEBL’s MVP in 2023 during his first tenure with Winnipeg. If he finishes the summer strong and earns the honour again, he’d join Moon as the only other multi-time winner in league history.

“He’s done everything for our team,” said Moon, who played for Edmonton from 2019-21.

“I feel he’s been an MVP-level talent the whole season, so I’d give it to him right now. Obviously, it’s an offensive game now so everyone’s gonna talk about you putting points on the board, but they’re not really going to look at what he’s doing in other areas of the game. He’s a prolific scorer, but he’s actually been a defensive catalyst for us, too.”

Allen and company are currently more focused on the Mamba than personal accolades. Saskatoon stumbled out of the gates by dropping the club’s first four contests but have since found its groove.

Saskatoon is led by one of the most dynamic guards in the league, Tavian Dunn-Martin, and a pair of former Sea Bears in Tevian Jones and Jaylin Williams.

The Mamba beat the Sea Bears 100-98 at home in their previous meeting on May 29.

“Yeah, they’ve been playing great basketball. They beat us for their first win of the season… so we’re definitely not taking them lightly,” said Allen.

“Tev Jones is a great player, and Dunn-Martin is hard to keep under control. But we’re gonna be ready to play. We’re coming off a loss and kind of got a chip on our shoulder.”

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