No Moon landing — yet

Mike Raimbault knew he had an ace in his back pocket. The only problem was that he didn’t know when he would be able to use it.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears’ head coach and general manager admits it was tough not thinking about when he would have his Xavier Moon at his disposal.

Not because the Sea Bears — who entered Thursday night’s game against the Vancouver Bandits with a respectable 6-4 record and clicking on offence to the tune of 98 points per game (third-most in the Canadian Elite Basketball League) — were struggling without the star guard, but because Raimbault believes there is another level that his team can reach.

“He’s obviously a dynamic guy. I think we’ve been sort of looking at the things that we’re doing offensively and, to be honest, trying not to think too much about when he gets here, but obviously he’s a playmaker, and he’s gonna make everything easier for everybody else,” Raimbault said following Thursday’s morning shoot around.

“He’s gonna push the pace in transition, he’s gonna control the tempo, he’s gonna make great decisions, he’s gonna make big shots when it’s called for him to do so, but he’s also going to make the game easier for guys like (Jeremiah) Tilmon (Jr.) and Teddy (Allen) and (Isiah) Osborne and these other guys.”

There was hope that Moon, who arrived in Winnipeg on Wednesday on the heels of his season with Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia’s VTB United League, would be able to play on Thursday, but that wasn’t in the cards with the Sea Bears still waiting for him to be cleared by FIBA, the CEBL’s governing body.

“It’s a pretty rushed operation from getting here yesterday, and we want to put him in the best situation,” Raimbault said. “We’re just happy to have him here with the group, and get acclimated and get up to speed. Obviously, he’ll make a big difference when he gets a chance to be on the floor.”

Moon will have a better chance to play Saturday when the Sea Bears host his former squad, the Edmonton Stingers, at Canada Life Centre (3 p.m.). While there’s still no guarantee that he’ll be cleared by then, Moon, who played his only three CEBL seasons with the Edmonton, said there’s no better opponent he would rather play in his return to the CEBL.

“I’m very hopeful for that,” said Moon. “That will be a storybook ending right there. I’m hopeful, but we’ll see.”

Despite three Most Valuable Player awards (2019-21) and two finals MVPs (2020-21) already filling his trophy case, Moon enters his fourth season in Canada’s pro hoops circuit still feeling like he has something to prove.

“I’m gonna say this: there’s been a lot of things said that people probably think that I hadn’t seen, so people have to stand on what they’ve been saying,” Moon said. “That’s all I’m gonna say.”

One thing he was likely referring to were the comments made by Stingers’ GM and head coach Jordan Baker in the lead-up to Edmonton’s season-opener against Winnipeg, when Baker stated that, “The grass isn’t always greener.” While Baker did not specifically name names, the message was clearly directed at the “familiar face” he was expecting to see back in May.

A motivated Moon is great news for Winnipeg. So is the fact that the product of Goodwater, Ala., who is now 31-years-old, feels like he’s an even better player than when he last played four years ago.

“Absolutely, I matured a lot,” said Moon, who played 28 games with the Los Angeles Clippers across three seasons (2021-24) and found success in the NBA G League after his time in Canada.

“Obviously, before that, I hadn’t played in the NBA yet, so that NBA stint helped me grow as a person and as a player, and then obviously my last two years in Russia, just being over there, I learned a lot about myself, a lot about my game, and I’ve definitely changed a lot as far as a player and a person.”

Part of that maturation came through the adversity he experienced last year while recovering from a knee injury he suffered early in 2025. It offered him perspective and kept him hungry.

“That was the first time I’ve ever been injured, first time I ever had a surgery,” Moon, who tore his ACL, said. “It gave me a chance to go home, spend time with my family, and then just really sit down and take some time to myself because I really hadn’t had that time to myself. So I think I grew a lot over this past year, year and a half, and it’s only gonna help me moving forward.”

Despite playing overseas as the season started, Moon has remained connected with the Sea Bears, messaging coaches and teammates regularly, and watching most games. He noted that he’s been impressed by the Sea Bears’ play, particularly on defence, where they’ve conceded the second-fewest points per game (88.6).

His being in the building now has been especially nice for everyone. Moon said he “can actually use (his) voice now,” while his teammates are thrilled about how the 6-1 guard can add fuel to a fire that is already raging on the offensive end.

“Yeah, he’s cool. I mean, we’ve talked a little bit in the build-up, our messages and stuff, but his game looks pretty tight. He looks pretty twitchy. Seems like he makes shots, so I’m excited to play with him,” said Allen, a fellow former MVP who is leading the league in total points (276) and steals (28) this season.

Allen and the rest of the Sea Bears guards understand that Moon’s arrival will shuffle responsibilities and workloads. And, while it could mean his scoring numbers could take a hit, Allen said he feels he and Moon can complement one another. There’s a world in which both can thrive offensively.

“I just feel like it’s two guards who can score in the backcourt, do it in different ways,” Allen said. “He seems like a level-headed point guard, so I can always benefit from that.”

Moon, who is working hard to get acquainted with his teammates and recover from the wear and tear of his winter season, echoed Allen’s sentiments.

“He’s a great player, made some crazy shots,” Moon said, “so hopefully I can just come here and make his life a lot easier.”

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