Sea Bears’ stars about to align

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This article was published 09/06/2025 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s going to feel like the season opener for the Winnipeg Sea Bears even though they’ve tipped off seven times already this summer.

For the first time all year, Winnipeg’s professional basketball club is at full strength as their two stars, guard Jalen Harris and centre Simi Shittu, will make their home debuts Wednesday night in a 7 p.m. meeting against the Montreal Alliance (4-0).

“I think these guys have the opportunity to create advantages for the rest of the team, not only themselves,” said head coach and general manager Mike Taylor Monday at the Sport for Life Centre.

“I think it balances our roster. Now we got some talent inside, got some talent on the perimeter, and it kind of puts guys back in their natural positions.”

Harris, a former Toronto Raptor who just signed with Winnipeg last week, suited up for the Sea Bears on the road this past weekend where they went 1-1. They lost 81-74 Friday night in Brampton (1-7) before bouncing back Saturday with an 87-86 victory over the Scarborough Shooting Stars (3-2) to snap a five-game slide. Harris averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the two outings.

Shittu, who took a bit of a break after his season in the Greek Basketball League, also joined the team over the weekend but remained on the sidelines to ease into things and gear up for Wednesday.

It’s been a rough start for the 2-5 Sea Bears, but both all-stars are confident it’s about to become a different story.

“I know how the fanbase is here. I know the love and support that they give. I know this team has usually been good — I know they’ve had a tough skid early on — but I wanted to be apart of that,” Harris said.

“I just wanted to be here and turn it around. Honestly, that’s kind of my thoughts coming in. I knew Simi was coming in later, so, between me, him, Tev (Jones) and Terry (Roberts), I think that’s a pretty solid group to push with.”

Even though Shittu has only watched two games in person, he’s been following the team, and has seen some positives despite the lack of results.

“We have a lot of talent. We came close in a lot of games. We had a lot of good first halves, and obviously, the second half has been a different story at times, but I feel they’ve made steps leading up to this,” said Shittu.

“For me, I can help us on both ends, rebounding, defensively, and I can be a mistmatch inside and outside at my position. I feel like my versatility and me being unselfish, too, can take a lot of attention and pressure off other guys which can help the team a lot.”

Harris was named to the All-CEBL Second Team a year ago with the Saskatchewan Rattlers after breaking the league’s single game record for most points in a game (45 on June 12 vs. Brampton). In 2022 with Scarborough, he was selected to the All-CEBL First Team for averaging 19.9 points which was the third highest in the Canadian circuit. He most recently played in the Chinese Basketball Association and averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32 games played.

This is the fourth stop up north for the 26-year-old from Dallas, Texas, as he appeared in 13 games with the Raptors after they picked him in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

“It’s not a bad place to live, man, I enjoy it. To the city life of Toronto, to being in the suburbs of Saskatchewan, and like now being here and being able to learn about this city and bring my family here, it’s always fun doing that,” said Harris. “And I just love playing, honestly. I don’t like sitting at home for months at a time, so for me, it’s a win-win.”

Shittu, 25, made a name for himself in 2023 with the Calgary Surge when he earned All-CEBL First Team and CEBL All-Canadian Team honours thanks to his league-leading 9.5 rebounds per game while also adding 14.6 points per contest. The Britain born, Canadian raised big has a connection to Winnipeg as he’s longtime pals with Sea Bears forward Emmanuel Akot dating back to when they were teenagers playing in the Canada Basketball youth system.

“(Akot) was a big factor for me because he was here last year and told me how it was. The city, the atmosphere, and everything like that, he was really able to market it to me to give Winnipeg a chance,” said Shittu.

“I’m young. I want to play as much as I can and get better. The setup they have here is an environment for me to get better and work on my game and take strides forward.”

The Sea Bears look dangerous on paper, but getting everyone on the same page near the midway point of the season will be a test. The good news for them is they are hosting the CEBL’s Championship Weekend (Aug. 22-24) and are guaranteed to be in the Western Conference title game no matter how their 24-game season pans out.

“We have time. That’s the good thing,” said Harris. “As much as we’d like to win as many games as possible, we’re building to peak at the last two games. That’s what is most important.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca