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Winnipeg Free Press
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Harris clinches victory as Sea Bears take nail-biter over Rattlers
The Winnipeg Sea Bears are learning to cope with their ever-changing world. Stability has been tough to come by away from the court for the club, which has lost or released seven players from its opening night roster, and now it's trying to find consistency on the court with the Canadian Elite Basketball League regular season fading and the playoff picture coming into focus. The latest stop on their path to cohesion brought a nail-biting 98-89 victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers before 5,871 in attendance at Canada Life Centre on Friday. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Sea Bears guard Jalen Harris (middle) nailed a pair of free throws to clinch the win Friday night. Jalen Harris was the hero in Target Score Time as he converted a pair of free throws. Winnipeg improved to 9-11, while Saskatchewan dropped to 5-15. 'It was a big win. Not only for the win, but I think kind of the stuff that happened within the game,' said Harris, who scored a game-high 28 points, adding six assists and four rebounds. 'Those type of games, the stuff that happens in it is good for us building towards championship weekend. Especially considering it's here, at home, playing here, playing well in this environment, I think it is good for us.' The Sea Bears were down yet another regular in the game, as the roster continued to undergo changes as of Friday. The club announced before the contest that homegrown forward Emmanuel Akot has been suspended from the team after the South Sudan national team's recent attempt to name the 26-year-old to its team for the upcoming AfroBasket 2025 tournament in Angola. The Sea Bears have disputed the attempt, citing that Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) regulations require professional clubs to release players for national team duty only if they receive a minimum of 30 days notice. The Sea Bears maintain this requirement was not met, and Akot — who did not report to the club's most recent practice on Thursday — remains under contract and is still obligated to fulfill his commitments to the team. 'We're disappointed,' said head coach Mike Taylor. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Sea Bears forward Maurice Callo (No. 9) drives to the hoop with the basketball while Rattlers guard Devonte Bandoo (No. 0) covers him during first quarter action. 'We found out about this situation maybe a day or two before, so early this week. They've already started practice for their Aug. 12 game, so clearly the correct FIBA protocol was not followed. That's not uncommon for a lot of the AfroBasket teams,' he added. 'Emman kind of put himself in a difficult spot. Our team, especially David (Asper), our owner, has done a tremendous amount for him over this year, with him being injured. He relied on David for support, and part of that situation was, 'Hey, you're going to play through the championship weekend.' So this is not necessarily only about the protocol that wasn't followed. It was about the principles of when you have an agreement with someone, honouring that agreement.' Taylor did not comment on whether Akot would play for the Sea Bears again this season, but noted there is work to be done on Akot's end to repair his relationship with Asper. Just four players remain from the club's opening night roster — Geoffrey James, Jaylin Williams, hometown product Kyler Filewich and captain Alex Campbell. It's been a constant challenge for players on the team to build the necessary cohesion to win. 'I mean, the CEBL, that's the nature of this league. It's a summer league, a lot of people got a lot of stuff going on,' said Campbell. 'Obviously, there's no replacing Emmanuel Akot. That's our brother, but it's the next man up with mentality and definitely proud of the guys, how we rallied back today and got the win.' The Sea Bears improved to 4-6 at home this season and spread the wealth around on offence in the process, as four of five starters reached double-digits in points. Simi Shittu painted the stat sheet with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double while dishing out five assists. The newest Sea Bear, Jarron Cumberland, registered a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and added six assists in his home debut. Meanwhile, Trevon Scott supplied 14 points and eight rebounds. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Sea Bears forward Jaylin Williams (No. 10) ducks while Rattlers guard Tevian Jones (No. 34) flies through the air during first quarter action. Former Sea Bear, Tevian Jones, who left the club to pursue a larger role with the Rattlers, registered 20 points, five rebounds and four steals in his return to the provincial capital. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'There were stretches where it wasn't the best, but we're making steps,' said Harris. 'I think that the positives from of tonight is kind of we're looking to move forward, for sure.' Winnipeg has now won back-to-back games for the first time since its four-game win streak from June 7-20. The Sea Bears will look to extend its win streak to three when it travels west to face the Vancouver Bandits (15-5) on Sunday (7 p.m. CT). X: @jfreysam Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shooting Stars soar over lethargic Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears arrive at the midpoint of the Canadian Elite Basketball League season on a losing note. The pro hoops squad was bested 103-93 by the Scarborough Shooting Stars before 7,575 fans at Canada Life Centre on Friday. Winnipeg has now lost back-to-back contests after building a four-game winning streak with its new-look squad. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Shooting Stars guard Donovan Williams (right) stands tall as Sea Bears guard Tevian Jones drives to the hoop Friday night in CEBL action. 'We talked about Scarborough's type of style of play, we knew there were three areas we needed to do the job to stop them: we needed to do the job transition defence, impacting the ball one-on-one and controlling the defensive boards, and I think we were zero-for-three tonight,' said head coach Mike Taylor, whose club was outrebounded 43-30 on this night. Shooting Stars guard Terquavion Smith scored the game-winning basket. The visitors entered Target Score Time with a 94-80 advantage. Winnipeg dropped to 3-4 at home and 5-7 overall, fourth in the Western Conference. Scarborough improved to 7-5, good for second in the Eastern Conference. It was the final meeting of the regular season between the out-of-conference squads. 'I think a lot of it is that our team has a lot of self-confidence, a lot of self-belief, and I think that they were on cruise control for a lot of these possessions. I think we were a little bit late. Because we were late, we ended up fouling, so we got to be on time, we've got to do a better job setting our defence, we've got to do a better job doing the physical things in the half-court,' said Taylor. 'We do have a talented offensive team, there's no doubt, but we see that if you're not going to show up and be ready to do the hard work and defend, then you're going to have a tough time stopping good teams.' Sea Bears star centre Simi Shittu continued to be a force in the paint, registering a team-high 25 points in 29:31 of action. Guards Jalen Harris and Tevian Jones supplied 21 points, respectively. Newest Sea Bear, guard Cody John, who signed with the club on Thursday, tallied three points in his debut. John was acquired to provide a reliable shooting presence off the bench for the Sea Bears, who have struggled mightily in that department. He played 16:24 but shot one-for-six from the field and registered one steal and a block as he acclimated to his new surroundings. The Shooting Stars outscored the Sea Bears 21-12 off the bench. 'It is challenging,' said Shittu. 'Obviously, we're still trying to match each other and figure out each other's spots and tendencies… we just got to kind of lock in on the mistakes we made today and move forward.' Donovan Williams, who led the league with 25.5 points per game entering the night, paced all players with a game-high 30 points. Smith supplied 28 points, while forward Joirdon Nicholas supplied 13 points and seven assists off the bench. Winnipeg led for all of 2:18 in the contest, and that came during an 8-0 run to open the action. Scarborough shot the lights out in the opening frame, firing 59 per cent from the field and 60 per cent from beyond the arc to assume a 34-22 lead after the opening frame. Shooting Stars guard Smith led all players with 10 points in the opening frame. In the second quarter, the visitors began to do their damage from the interior, scoring 20 of their 24 points inside the paint as they sliced through the Winnipeg defence. Scarborough's lead grew to as much as 21, but the Sea Bears managed to hang around, wearing a 58-46 deficit at the break. The Sea Bears cut the deficit to as little as three in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. The Shooting Stars held a 78-70 advantage after the third quarter. Both of Winnipeg's latest defeats saw the club get away from its defensive system that prevented its opponents from reaching the 90-point threshold during its winning streak. They have now allowed 201 points in the last two contests. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'I love our team,' said Taylor. 'We got off to a really slow start. We waited for some reinforcements. The reinforcements arrived. We got on a big run. We showed flashes of what we can be, but we've got to reach that standard of our performance to get to that championship level. And right now, we're very inconsistent,' said Taylor. 'We've got to do a better job with the details, and I think that this is the adversity that produces a really good team. So we've got to take ownership of it. We've got to grow from it. We've got to work to improve.' The Sea Bears now hit the road for a pair of contests against other Eastern Conference squads. The club is back in action on Tuesday, Canada Day, for a meeting with the Ottawa BlackJacks (4-6). Winnipeg will also face the Niagara River Lions on Friday, July 4. X: @jfreysam Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘He's one of the guys that I have a lot of trust in'
Imagine playing pickup hoops inside your local YMCA and then a six-foot-eight professional basketball player steps onto the court and calls next. You better hope you end up on his team. This was the reality this spring at the Fermor Avenue location as Winnipeg Sea Bears forward Emmanuel Akot was a frequent visitor as he worked his way back into game shape after an ankle injury. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Files Winnipegger and Winnipeg Sea Bears guard Emmanuel Akot has started seven of the team's 11 games and is averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28 minutes per game. It should go without saying, but yes, he did dominate. 'Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,' confirmed Akot after the Sea Bears concluded practice on Tuesday at the Canada Life Centre. 'That helped my confidence a lot.' So did last summer when he joined his hometown Sea Bears in late May. There aren't many players who call Winnipeg home that have his size and athleticism, so at the very least, it was worth Sea Bears head coach and general manager Mike Taylor giving him a shot even though there wasn't an obvious spot for him in the rotation. Akot hadn't yet made a name for himself in the CEBL as he only played two games with the Ottawa Blackjacks the year before. Suiting up for his city seemed to be the perfect fit as Akot managed to hit the ground running and ended up being one of the few bright spots on a team with constant roster turnover as he closed out the campaign averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. His best performance came against the Saskatchewan Rattlers last June when he exploded for 23 points while shooting 82 per cent from the field and hit the Target Score Time winner to lead the Sea Bears to a 103-101 victory at home. 'That was really my first time getting significant minutes as a pro. It gave myself confidence knowing that the work I'm putting in is paying off and I can play with a lot of these really good pros in this league,' said Akot, 26. 'It was a summer that built a lot of confidence within myself.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to build off it when he went overseas this past winter. Akot signed with KK Wloclawek in Poland's top league and was expected to have a big role, but his season was over before it started as he tore ligaments in his ankle in an exhibition game and had to return to Winnipeg for surgery and treatment. It was the first serious injury Akot, who played five NCAA seasons between Arizona, Boise State and Western Kentucky, has ever had. 'It was tough because, at that point, I was rolling pretty good in the pre-season, and then I had to go eight or nine months without basketball,' said Akot. 'I came back home, had the surgery, and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't walk.' It forced him to put everything into this summer's CEBL season. Instead of hooping across Europe, he was bouncing back and forth between the Sport for Life Centre and YMCA to treat his ankle and work on his craft. He was the first player the Sea Bears signed for 2025. 'Last year, when we signed him, we signed him because he's a talented Winnipeg guy and we want the best Winnipeg guys playing in Winnipeg,' said Taylor. 'But the way Emman came in, he shot the ball so well from three, he played so well at both positions, the three and the four, that he was a guy that we really relied on. This year, we planned a bigger role for him. Unfortunately, he got hurt (in Poland), but he recovered, got his foot right, and has really helped our team this season as well. I love his energy; I love his versatility. 'Last year, when we signed him, we signed him because he's a talented Winnipeg guy and we want the best Winnipeg guys playing in Winnipeg.'–Mike Taylor, Sea Bears head coach and general manager 'He's one of the guys that I have a lot of trust in.' Even with a star duo on the roster in guard Jalen Harris and centre Simi Shittu, Akot is still one of the most important players on the floor. The former Kildonan East product has started seven of the team's 11 games and is averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28 minutes per game. As for where he goes next, Akot said he's leaving that up to his agent to handle, but he is eager to get a full season under his belt somewhere. A return to Europe, or a spot in the NBA G League could be on the horizon. 'I think he'll have opportunities overseas, but you know, I coached over there for 20 years, to me, it's about finding the right place. And if he can find the right place with the right coach, that's going to put him in the right situation, that's gold,' said Taylor. 'So, we'll see how things develop for him. All I know is, for us right now in Winnipeg he's an excellent player and we really appreciate everything he does for our team.' The Sea Bears started this past weekend's road trip with a bang by beating the Vancouver Bandits (8-3) 92-85 on Friday. Canadian big Simi Shittu had a massive outing with 27 points and 14 boards. Two nights later in Edmonton, it was a different story as the Stingers prevailed 98-85 to drop Winnipeg to 5-6. Shittu had another impressive showing with 30 points and 12 rebounds. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Sea Bears. 'The Vancouver win showed our potential to be great is there. We just have to stay disciplined to do the same things all over again for 40 minutes, every game,' said rookie forward Nathan Bilamu. 'But you could see with the Vancouver game that our potential to go all the way is there.' The Sea Bears host the Scarborough Shooting Stars (6-5) Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Canada Life Centre. Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sea Bears go 2-0 in latest homestand
The Winnipeg Sea Bears continued their winning ways Sunday afternoon, downing the Saskatchewan Rattlers 91-84 at Canada Life Centre. The Sea Bears played catch up through the first quarter, but took over in the second and never lost the lead, going into the fourth quarter with a commanding 72-59 score. It was almost deja vu for Winnipeg as the Rattlers chipped away at the score in the last eight minutes of the game before the Sea Bears took control in Target Score Time, ultimately coming out on top at home. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Sea Bears guard Jalen Harris led the team in points on Sunday, racking up 32 in the matinee match against the visiting Saskatchewan Rattlers. The Sea Bears would win the game 91-84 at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg guard Terry Roberts and forward Simi Shittu boasted double-doubles. Roberts had 15 points and 10 assists, while Shittu racked up 18 points and 11 rebounds, despite struggling at the free-throw line. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sea Bears guard Jalen Harris led the team in points with 32. Improving to 3-5 on the season during their two-game homestead, Winnipeg heads back on the road for a two-game trip. The Sea Bears make their first stop Friday, hosted by the 8-1 Vancouver Bandits before wrapping up the road trip in Edmonton against the 4-6 Stingers.
Leader Live
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
No TST glory for Wrexham Red Dragons in North Carolina
After finishing second in their group, Wrexham took on Drip FC in the first stage of the knockout portion. Despite goals from Marc Albrighton and Aaron James, Wrexham lost out 6-2. Wrexham had lost their final group game 3-1 to Pat McAfee's CONCAFA SC. The Dragons, who had beaten Como and Despemendidos in their previous games to make sure of a top-two group finish, had ex-Reds striker Jake Hyde again on the scoresheet. Wrexham Red Dragons' women's side lost all three of their group encounters. Against Ultrain FC, they got off to a flying start only to suffer in Target Score Time as the opposition staged a stunning comeback to win 5-4. In the women's opener, amid extremely heavy rain at Wakemed Soccer Park, former Canada international Lindsay Agnew put Wrexham ahead before Nicole Baxter and Havana Solaun (2) scored to ensure Wrexham Red Dragons entered Target Score Time with a healthy lead. Needing one goal to win, while Ultrain had to hit five – with one player removed from each team every three minutes – but Wrexham couldn't see it out as the opposition sneaked a 5-4 victory. Drunken Monkeys prevailed 5-0 in the next match-up and Wrexham ended their programme with a 6-3 loss to Kansas City II.
