‘Couldn’t be more pleased to have him back’

What a difference one summer in the CEBL can make.

After years of being overlooked in the league’s annual U Sports Draft, Nathan Bilamu was invited to Winnipeg Sea Bears training camp ahead of the 2025 campaign with nothing guaranteed.

Not only did the Lakehead University product crack the roster, but he turned out to be an unexpected standout off the bench who saw his role continuously grow throughout the season.

The Sea Bears rewarded the small forward on Thursday by making him their first Canadian player to put pen to paper for 2026. He joins three-time CEBL MVP and former Los Angeles Clippers guard Xavier Moon as the only players signed thus far.

“That means a lot, truly. And it just shows they have a lot of confidence, trust and belief in me,” said Bilamu in a Zoom call with reporters on Friday.

“Just the city of Winnipeg and Sea Bears Nation, they’ve embraced me since last summer and I’m really appreciative of that. That was an experience that I would never forget, and I’m just glad that I get to come back and just experience that all over again but with a much bigger role.”

Bringing back Bilamu — who quickly became a fan-favourite for his hustle plays, effort on defence, and ability to knock down shots — was a no-brainer for first year coach and general manager Mike Raimbault.

“It’s his commitment to doing what it takes to win. He’s super unselfish. If you watch his daily habits outside of the game, he was often the first guy in the gym and he stayed late to work,” said Raimbault.

“It’s very evident in the way that he plays that he’s there to impact winning. The number of times where he’s diving on a loose ball and the energy in our building goes through the roof and it trickles down into the following possessions. He’s just such a great guy to be around on a day-to-day basis and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him back.”

The 25-year-old averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in his first year in Winnipeg. Bilamu is currently playing overseas in Portugal with Esgueira where he’s averaging 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

Bilamu is one of eight players — Simi Shittu, Jalen Harris, Trevon Scott, Will Richardson, Emmanuel Akot, Maurice Calloo and Kyler Filewich being the others — from the 2025 roster that the Sea Bears own the negotiating rights to. If those names remained unsigned by March 1, they are then allowed to negotiate contracts with other CEBL teams. Free agency officially begins Feb. 1.

“We’re super excited about the conversations that we’re having,” said Raimbault.

“We’re definitely in touch with all the previous players, and some previous players from previous years, and making new connections.”

MANITOBA HOOPS UPDATE

• Sea Bears star Xavier Moon is headed back to Russia. The 31-year-old from Alabama signed a deal with Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League earlier this week. He was with the club in 2024-25 — averaging 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists through 24 games — before tearing his ACL last January. If Saint Petersburg (currently third in the standings at 12-6 and the defending league champions) go on a run in the playoffs, Moon will likely miss the start of the CEBL season.

• Winnipeg’s Emily Potter took her talents to China this year and poured in a season-high 21 points on Tuesday with her pro club Hebei in a 96-88 loss to Jiangsu.

• Tanah Becker kicked off her NCAA career last year at Kentucky where she appeared in just four games. The sophomore forward from Winnipeg transferred to George Washington this season and has taken on a huge role averaging 3.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 27.9 minutes per contest.

• Manitoba Bisons men’s basketball star guard Daren Watts eclipsed 1,000 career points on Thursday in an 86-77 road win over Mount Royal.

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