CEBL Autopsy Report: Winnipeg Sea Bears
After a strong league debut last season, what went wrong in Winnipeg?
Record: 9-12 (7th) Team MVP: Justin Wright-Foreman
Cause of Death: Locker Room Cancer
Whenever anyone tries to tell you that the CEBL is nothing like the NBA, point them towards the 2024 Winnipeg Sea Bears. Sure, they can’t match any of the big-league teams in terms of talent, but boy did they have all the drama that they crave.
The off-season started with a complete overhaul of the roster, while still being centered around reigning CEBL MVP Teddy Allen. Mason Bourcier, Alex Campbell and David Muenkat were all seen as upgrades over the depth players the team had in 2023. Likewise, former NBA players Byron Mullens and Darius Days were brought in to provide secondary scoring and were thought of as upgrades over the departed E.J Anosike and Jelani Watson-Gayle. Hometown hero Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson was also brought aboard after a high-scoring campaign in one of the better FIBA leagues (more on that in a bit). All that is to say, Sea Bears fans hopes were high coming into the season after an impressive league debut.
After stumbling in their opener to the Saskatchewan Rattlers on the road – nothing to be ashamed about – the Sea Bears bounced back strong with a 3-game win streak which began with an electric win at a packed Canada Life Centre over the reigning CEBL champions on a nationally broadcast game. But the first sign of trouble came when fans were openly skeptical of Days hustle and effort on the court. Conflicting reports make it difficult to rightfully say what the team believed – some say Days was cut from the team outright, others say he had offers from NBA squads (he would not appear in any Summer League or preseason games)– but the fact of the matter is one of their prized offseason acquisitions was gone after just 3 games.
Following the brief winning streak, the Sea Bears lost back-to-back games in which the defense gave up 101 and 110 points, respectively. Looking to right the ship, the front office brought in Justin Wright-Foreman – the runner-up to Allen in last year’s MVP race – to act as a floor general and form what they hoped would be a dynamic duo. The results were not positive.
There was an immediate clash in playstyles with Allen and JWF, and the defense did not improve, giving up a season-high 112 points in their first game together. Rumors of discontent about the roster and system in the locker room began to emerge. Everything reached its boiling point in the following game against the Edmonton Stingers, which saw the Sea Bears – in front of their home faithful – actively yelling at each other and fans while on the court. Things reached a head when Mullens now infamously stormed off the court, found the team owner and yelled, “it’s either me or him”, with “him” referring to Allen. The biggest shock in perhaps the history of the CEBL came shortly after; Sea Bears management had answered Mullens’ ultimatum. Teddy Allen, the reigning MVP and league leader in scoring, was released.
With the perceived bad apple removed from the bunch, Winnipeg would go on a 4-game winning streak, during which Mullens would see his role diminish to the point of being a healthy scratch and, ironically, also handed his walking papers.
That middle stretch of the season pretty much encapsulated the entire Winnipeg Sea Bears season. A star player would carry them for a stretch of the season, then the rest of the team wouldn’t be able to step up and they’d faulter for a stretch, and along the way there’d by a ton of player movement. Ultimately, there was more bad than good, and the Sea Bears once again saw themselves eliminated from the playoffs after their first game.
Not to toot my own horn, but I was skeptical of the roster from the get-go. Mullens was a 35-year-old, 7-foot, 285-pound center who earned NBA minutes over a decade ago because he happened to be on the worst team in the history of the league, and Winnipeg was asking him to keep up in a league known for its pace and athleticism. Ogungbemi-Jackson, who to his credit had a respectable season averaging 13.3 points on very good shooting number mostly coming off the bench, was coming off a season in which he scored a bunch of points because his team was 1-33 (including 0-27 with him in the lineup) so he was given free reign to do whatever he wanted with the ball. At 5’9, there was always going to be a cap on him as on on-ball scorer playing in a much more physical league.
I haven’t given players like Mason Bourcier or Emmanuel Akot they’re due for having strong seasons, or really gotten into the analytics with this post. But I guess my point with this Sea Bears team is that the statistics ultimately didn’t matter this year. You had the top scorer in the league and were a bad team. You completely replaced your core and were still a bad team but alienated your fans along the way.
There’s been chatter amongst fans that head coach and general manager Mike Taylor should be on the chopping block for his performance. I can’t imagine that is the case. He had been – in my opinion – the best coach the league had in the previous two years and has given himself plenty of leeway for veering off course. But I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them bring in some help on the front office side.
The Sea Bears will ultimately be fine. They have the strongest fanbase in the league and an ownership that is willing to spend. With Championship Weekend coming to Winnipeg in 2025, you know ownership will do everything they can to ensure a trophy on home court even if they don’t get the automatic bid (another rumor I don’t put much stock into, but that’s for another time).