Sea change for Sea Bears
So much for needing time to gel.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears and their new additions — star guard Jalen Harris and Canadian centre Simi Shittu — have hit the ground running. The Sea Bears (4-5) are 2-0 with both in the lineup, and 3-1 since Harris, a former second round pick by the Toronto Raptors, signed two weeks ago. The club stumbled out of the gate to a 1-4 start but have a chance to reach .500 Friday night when they hit the road to take on the Vancouver Bandits (8-1).
'We've added two first-team all-league players. We knew they'd be able to play a big responsibility for us, they'd take the pressure off the other players, and it would kind of balance out the lineup and rotation,' Sea Bears head coach and general manager Mike Taylor told the Free Press on Thursday.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Coach Mike Taylor speaks with the media at the first training camp of the season for the Sea Bears at the Sport for Life Centre on Thursday, May 8, 2025. For Josh story. Winnipeg Free Press 2025
'All those things have worked out, and now it's about continuing to grow together, continuing to find that identity and get everybody on the same page. We're really moving in a good direction.'
It's no surprise to Harris to see things come together so quickly. He and Shittu are leading the team in scoring at just under 20 points per game each.
'When I was coming in, I was looking at the team and it was a talented group of guys, a great group of guys, so I knew it wasn't anything like that when the games weren't falling,' said Harris. 'When we got here, I think it kind of helped that maybe we brought a level of excitement, you know, something new. But then also, I think it was just kind of the extra little boost that maybe guys needed. We got a lot of talented guys that do a lot of good things, and I think there's still a lot of areas we can clean up, but I think it's been a good success so far.'
Harris exploded for 32 points while going 7-for-10 from three last Sunday in a 91-84 victory at home against his former team, the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Point guard Terry Roberts also had a huge day, adding 15 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds with one turnover.
'Just how the ball is moving, everybody is ready and willing to make the extra pass, and it just feels better playing out there with a connected group of guys,' said Roberts.
'Our team in general, it just feels good to see how we're moving forward. We want to bring winning back to Winnipeg, and I think we've been doing pretty good and everything else will take care of itself.'
Friday will be a massive test as the Bandits have quickly proven to be the cream of the crop in the CEBL with seven of their eight victories coming by double digits. They're led by veteran Australian forward Mitch Creek — a former member of the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves — and his 23.1 points per game and 46.2 per cent shooting from deep.
This will be their second meeting this year as Vancouver beat the Sea Bears 100-89 in Winnipeg on May 28. The Sea Bears led by 13 in the first half before crumbling after the break.
'My biggest takeaway from the first game we played them was we had them, they just continued to fight,' said Roberts. 'We didn't have the same team that we have now. We're going into it with a different team, a different mindset. We've been winning, and I'm very excited for the game to show our confidence and show everybody what we can do here in Winnipeg.'
The Sea Bears are guaranteed a spot in the Western Conference final as this year's host of championship weekend (Aug. 22-24). If Vancouver continues to dominate the way that they are, there's a good chance these two sides will square off at the end of summer for a trip to the CEBL title game on the line.
After Vancouver the Sea Bears will travel to Edmonton for a date with the Stingers (4-6) on Sunday. The Sea Bears return to the Canada Life Centre to host the Scarborough Shooting Stars (5-4) on Fri., June 27 at 7:30 p.m.
'Whether it's Vancouver, whether it's Edmonton, with all these Western Conference teams, we're collecting as much information as we can, and we're trying to be intelligent about what we're showing,' said Taylor.
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'At the end of the day, we want to win, and that's what we're preparing for. But we know one of these teams will be in Winnipeg at the end for a very important game and we want to be at our best at that time.'
COACHING CHANGE
It was announced Thursday that player development coach Tevonn Walker has left the Sea Bears to accept a coaching role with the NBA's Utah Jazz.
The Sea Bears have replaced Walker with Jerry Williams, who was most recently the head coach of the London Lightning of the Basketball Super League.
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca
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.
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