I had been thinking, “It’s been too long since I had released a Sea Bears article here at HOTC Hoops” and low and behold the Winnipeg Sea Bears came out with great news earlier this week. Head coach and General Manager Mike Taylor has been re-signed to a two year contract extension, that will keep him with the team through the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Not only does this contract bring stability to two of the most important front office positions, but this contract was a fulltime one. This means that Taylor will be working for the Sea Bears year-round. The only other coach in the CEBL that has a contract like this is Vancouver Bandits bench boss Kyle Julius. This is significant news for a couple of reasons. First, this means that President Jason Smith and owner David Asper believe in what Taylor did this past season, and his vision for the team. This longer extension also means that they don’t have to worry about turnover anywhere other than the roster, which is rare in the CEBL. The biggest plus to this new deal is the year-round, fulltime piece to the contract. This means that Taylor will be recruiting, planning, and coaching for the Sea Bears all 12 months of the year. That can build serious cohesion between him and the rest of the front office staff. This will also give Taylor even more time to be trying to build his roster, or even contacting players about re-signing. That gives Winnipeg a leg up on eight of the other teams that will be scrambling for much of the off-season trying to fill out other positions, then looking at players they want to sign. This is a huge advantage that the organization needs to use.

My Thoughts On The Re-Signing

In my opinion this is a huge move by the Winnipeg Sea Bears. Taylor coached the team to a 12-8 record, second in the Western Conference, and competed for the supremacy of the CEBL all season long. A very short playoff run does sour the overall results, but it is nothing to scoff at. The Sea Bears were one of the best scoring teams in the league, had many award winners on their roster, and exceeded so many expectations. A roster that many (even Taylor himself) did not think would even be sniffing the playoffs, was one of the best in the league. While they did have the MVP, a solid four man, and the 6th man of the Year, it is still an impressive job that Taylor accomplished what he did with the team. He was even rewarded for it with the Coach of The Year trophy and this extension. It is a great step forward for the Sea Bears organization to bring back a stellar coach, and a great person. I am very much looking forward to the 2024 season.

Player Updates

I did promise that once all of the leagues around the world had begun, that I would report on each of the players performances that are currently on rosters. Here are the updates!

Teddy Allen

I had to start with the reigning CEBL MVP. After what seemed like a longer hiatus (probably just giving himself a longer off-season), Allen recently signed with the Leuven Bears of the BNXT League in Belgium. He has yet to make an appearance for them.

Jelani Watson-Gayle

Staying in the same league, if you saw towards the end of the season, Watson-Gayle signed a contract with the Brussels Basketball club (or Basic-Fit Brussels Basketball) also in the BNXT league in Belgium. Through nine games, which have all been starts, Watson-Gayle is averaging eight points on 32% from the field as well as from behind the arc. He is also adding in four rebound and three and a half assists per game.

E.J. Anosike

Having left the Sea Bears right before their playoff game against the Edmonton Stingers to practice with the Nigerian National Team, Anosike has now found a roster spot in Europe for the winter. Playing in the top league in France for Chorale Roanne Basketball, in nine games played Anosike is averaging five points on 58% from the field. Seems like Anosike isn’t getting too much time currently, but is effective when he is.

Michael Okafor

After having what could be considered a disappointment of a summer with the Sea Bears, Okafor was able to secure a contract over in the Basketball Africa League. While the league is currently in it’s qualification stage, Okafor has appeared in all three games that have been played for the Abidjan Basketball Club. Okafor is averaging 11 points per game on 42% from the field and 36% from three. He is also adding in a steal per game. I did my best to try and figure out how many qualifications games that will be played and how you proceed into the league, but I was unable to find out. We will just have to wait and see if his team qualifies.

A.J. Hess

The only other player currently on a roster overseas is A.J. Hess. He is currently playing in the second tier of France for the Antibes Sharks. In a combined 11 games between league and cup games, Hess is averaging seven points on 46% from the field and 43% from three.

Simon Hildebrandt

One of two U Sports players on the Sea Bears roster, Hildebrandt seems to have been off to a slow start back with the Manitoba Bisons, but recently looks much improved. He has currently played eight games so far in Canada West conference play and is averaging, 16 points, seven rebounds, on 46% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. The numbers are slightly down from last year right now, but I am sure they will come way up soon.

Tyler Sagl

The second of two U Sports players and the last player we will cover in this article. With Lakehead University in eight games, Sagl is averaging 12 points, four rebounds, two steals on 35% from the field and behind the arc. Very solid season so far for the fourth year guard.

I did my best to ensure all stats were as accurate as possible, with some missing and different numbers on different sites. These were the ones I settled on.

Final Thoughts

Overall it is fantastic news that Mike Taylor received a two year contract extension and that some of the Sea Bears alumni are getting playing time overseas. I will be back at some point in the New Year to give another set of updates on players, or whenever there is new Sea Bears, or even if there is CEBL wide news. Happy Holidays!