In a move to better support underserved children across the city, Winnipeg’s newest sports team is opening up an offseason program for youth to teach them about basketball.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears, in partnership with the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, is launching basketball camps for youth under the age of 18. The camps will include instructions from players across different teams, consisting of the Winnipeg Wesmen, Manitoba Bisons, and the Sea Bears.
In a press release on Wednesday, the Sea Bears said the programming aims to ensure children “feel cared for and connected to their community, regardless of their ability or socioeconomic status.” It also reads that the goal of the programming is “to give youth a place to learn skills so that they may develop livelong habits and reap the benefits of sport and activity.”
The offseason program will be called the Winter Sea Bears, with the first camp taking place on Nov. 29. It will see youth enrolled with BGC Winnipeg – formerly known as the Boys and Girls Club – learning under head coach Mike Taylor and players like Simon Hildebrandt, Jennifer Kallon, and others.
Gene Muller, director of athletics and recreation at the University of Manitoba, said that the experiences and mentorship of students playing for the university’s basketball team can help develop the next generation of players.
“Sport is a powerful way to connect people of different backgrounds and experiences. We are thrilled to partner with the Sea Bears, help serve others in our community and share experiences. Our student-athletes were once aspiring youth who dreamed of playing university or pro basketball,” said Muller.
Jason Smith, president of the Sea Bears franchise, said that basketball as a sport was powerful in uniting the Winnipeg community throughout the team’s inaugural season. Speaking to Global News, he said the support the franchise has gotten from fans and the local community has been positive.
It’s always great to be able to extend the season, with initiatives like this, he said.
“Manitoba and Winnipeg have a huge basketball community… we have had a number of great community builders and pioneers in basketball before us. We’re hoping to expand on that and extend that reach (to) get more people involved in basketball,” said Smith.
“The first priority for us is to give these kids access to basketball. Hopefully that translates into them wanting to come see Bears games. More importantly, seeing positive role models in their lives and (have) the opportunity to be active and productive.”
At a press conference at the Canada Life Centre on Wednesday, the franchise also announced it was signing Mike Taylor again as team coach for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Taylor was named the Canadian Elite Basketball League Coach of the Year this year, leading the team to its first ever playoff season.
When asked how he took the news, Taylor said it was exciting to see the potential of his and the team’s growth.
“As an expansion team in our inaugural season, we set the bar very high. That’s a credit to the city,” said Taylor. “I’m really looking forward to building (the team), growing it and hopefully pursuing a CEBL championship through the next two years.”
Taylor noted that while the ultimate goal is to win a championship, it’s also important to create a team that’s competitive. A process he said takes a lot of work.
With the franchise’s off-season initiative kicking off on Wednesday, Talor added that kids should have the opportunity to get opportunities to learn how to play basketball, go to the gym, and connect through sport.
“We just want to give back to the community,” he said.
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