The long stay away from the Canada Life Centre finally came to an end on after Friday evening. The final and fourth game of the road trip for the Sea Bears took place in Saskatchewan, where they took on the Rattlers. Boy, did this game ever live up to the hype. It was close from start to finish, with neither team ever reaching a double digit lead. Justin Wright-Foreman of the Rattlers was as advertised, looking almost unstoppable at times. Even with fellow American Drake Jeffries having a fantastic game, it still was not enough as the Sea Bears pulled out another victory. Don’t think for a second they didn’t almost blow it again, but that win put their record for the road trip at 3-1, and 4-1 overall. It has not been perfect for the newest team in the CEBL, but they seem to be fitting in just fine. Here are my three important keys to this game.

Offensive Firepower

As much as I like to say that the Scarborough Shooting Stars are the best offensive team in the league, this Saskatchewan Rattlers team isn’t too far behind. With the addition of NBA veteran Wright-Foreman, combined with all of the three point shooting they have, this offensive could be a juggernaut. Even as I say that, I have to give the Sea Bears credit for keeping up with them the entire night. Wright-Foreman could not be stopped and it did not matter. Whether it was Teddy Allen or E.J. Anosike, both were immense in Winnipeg’s victory over their prairie rival. Not to mention, another stellar performance for Jelani Watson-Gayle off of the bench definitely helps.

The Savior of the Free Throw

This could be put under both the other two categories but I thought this was an important part of the game that should get its own section. At any point during the game, if the offense was struggling, there would be something drawn up (or it was coincidence) to try and get free throws. That allowed the Sea Bears to put points up, but to also regroup and figure out a gameplan for upcoming possessions. Most of the time this was Watson-Gayle, but especially Anosike. Getting to the free throw line seemed to calm the team down, and be that reset button they needed. It was also apparent during Elam Time, as there seemed to be a slower gameplan to achieve victory.

Elam Time Woes

We have now seen the Sea Bears play their first five games in the CEBL. Each one of them has seen the team struggle to reach the Target Score. This game was no exception. Winnipeg was up by seven, and only needed two points to win and could not find the bottom of the bucket. It eventually took two made free throws from Watson-Gayle to seal the win. As much as there was improvement to begin Elam Time, and their different style of play was how they got so close to the Target Score, it only lasted so long. I will admit that there was progress. The way in which they were trying to play down the stretch was much more sustainable, and in my opinion a better way to close out games when they are ahead. While in Elam Time the Sea Bears went 5-7 from the line, and were perfect after two straight misses from Simon Hildebrandt and Anosike. Once again, this style of play is more sustainable than how they had been playing once the Target Score had been set.

Having looked over the three important keys to the game against the Rattlers, let’s take a look at the individual player performances in Saskatchewan.

Michael Okafor

We are starting to see more on the offensive end from Okafor. Back-to-back games of him trying to get to the hoop and looking for his own shot. He also finally hit his first three of the season. His defense wasn’t as effective in this game, but it is hard for the 24 year old with a lot of responsibility and not a lot of experience to guard a former NBA player and good G-League player. But he has looked very promising through five games, and I am very confident he will continue to get even better as the summer goes on.

Glen Yang

I don’t want to say that we are back where we began with Yang in this game, but it does have some truth to it. He seemed to disappear once again on the offensive end, and never was really aggressive with the ball. I understand that his play style is more “floor general”, but we saw what happens when he takes more of a roll on offence. He ends up opening more for his teammates, and it forces defenses to guard him. That then allows Yang to play the style of game he is best at. I am hoping he can blend it all together because it not only benefits him, but it makes the team that much better.

Chad Posthumus

Another game recap, another time for me to say this. There is not much more than a couple scores and some rebounds you will get from Posthumus. He could have pulled more boards down in this game, but he did only end up playing 12 minutes in this one.

Teddy Allen

This was the sort of performance I was hoping we would see from Allen throughout the season. Maybe not as many rebounds, but the scoring and efficiency numbers are about where I had hoped they would. Not much else to say other than it was a great game from him. I will say that the way he attacks the boards is very impressive, and also takes a lot of pressure off the big men to just box out. It can be very easy for guards to pull down a lot of rebounds if they are crashing them.

E.J. Anosike

I know I commented it on it in the last game recap, but Anosike is so consistent. You can always count on him to score, and be a solid second option. Not much else to say other than I have been pretty impressed with his play and hope that it does continue as teams start to figure out the Sea Bears.

A.J. Hess

Another rough game for Hess, once again without a field goal made. In the first five games, he has played an average of 20.5 minutes a game and another 17 in this one. I want to continue to hope that Hess will turn it around and find his rhythm, but it becoming harder and harder to believe so. I also hope to see a decrease in minutes for the forward, until he finds his form and coach Mike Taylor tries to prove a point.

Shane Osayande

There was no announcement from the franchise that Osayande had touched down in Canada, but he is now on the roster. This does mean that there is a good chance we may not see Tyler Sagl, or even Justus Alleyn for quite a while. Osayande only played three minutes in this game, and all he contributed was two fouls. I will assume that his role is going to be much larger going forward, and these couple minutes were to re-acclimate to the CEBL after playing in Lebanon this past year (or because of the long flight(s) from Lebanon).

Stephane Ingo

Another so-so performance from Ingo. The only stat that he did record was a singular rebound and foul. His rim protection is very important, and he does alter shots. Ingo will have splash impact in the small amount of minutes he will get, and I hope that does continue.

Simon Hildebrandt

This sort of performance was the one I expected from Hildebrandt before the year began. Seven points and six rebounds is very solid off the bench. There is not much else to critique. He is currently the four highest leading scorer on the roster, and that is something to be proud about. He has impressed me through five games, and I do hope that his level of play continues because he is turning into an important player on this team.

Jelani Watson-Gayle

Be prepared for me to release a player spotlight on this guy. He has been outstanding since the inaugural game in Winnipeg. Another fantastic offensive performance, and equally as efficient. I cannot say enough about how good he is, and not just scoring the ball. He is very good at commanding an offence, but unlike Yang, Watson-Gayle is more so looking to score. That is what makes him so dangerous, and versatile. If Yang an find his groove, and have a similar mindset to Watson-Gayle, having two guards like that would be massive. But I will keep the comments on Watson-Gayle short because I will be releasing a player spotlight on him soon.

Final Thoughts

It is very hard to think that this four game road trip could have gone any better for the Sea Bears. They end it going 3-1, and an overall record of 4-1. They looked dominant at times, faltered at others, and found their way through it. I am hoping the more this team gels, that by game 13 or 14, they look like the dominant version of themselves, but getting to that level consistently. The issues in Elam Time were vivid throughout the last four games, and hopefully now that they have returned home, that they can sort them out. With their game against the Edmonton Stingers this evening, it is going to be a challenge. They may be 1-3, but I still think that the Stingers are one of the best defensive teams in the league. We will see how the Sea Bears respond back on home turf.