Canadian centre adds size to Sea Bears playoff push

The Winnipeg Sea Bears have added some size ahead of the playoffs.

The club announced the signing of 6-10 Canadian centre Ben Stevens on Tuesday. Stevens was released by the Montreal Alliance on July 30 and scooped up by the Sea Bears ahead of the Aug. 3 transaction deadline.

The 27-year-old from Halifax appeared in 10 games for the Alliance this summer, where he played a limited role off the bench, averaging 1.9 points and two rebounds per game in 7.5 minutes per game. Stevens had a more elevated role with Montreal in 2025, where he appeared in 20 contests, started five, and averaged 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.2 minutes of action per game.

Stevens, at worst, adds some height and physicality off the bench that has been lacking for the Sea Bears this season. The club has struggled with rebounds for many stretches and appeared outmatched by teams with larger personnel.

“Just another big body,” said head coach Mike Raimbault. “He’s an experienced guy. We look at sort of the waiver wire and the rush of what you can do at the very end. He is a guy that we felt like could come in and provide some physicality.”

Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. left practice early on Tuesday, but Raimbault said there was nothing to be concerned about regarding the starting centre.

“It’s a little bit of a scramble at the end of the year, who’s available, and you’re up against some of those deadlines,” Raimbault added. “So, I mean, we are excited that he’s able to join us in short order, and we look forward to sort of him getting comfortable in the next couple of days. We’ll see how comfortable he can get, but we’re super pleased that he’s able to be here with us.”

In a corresponding move, Emmanuel Akot was moved to the reserve roster to pursue an opportunity overseas. Akot also left the team near the end of last summer to pursue an opportunity with South Sudan in FIBA AfroBasket — a decision that was met with scrutiny by coaches and management.

It appears this decision was much more cordial between Akot and the team.

“For me, it’s an awesome opportunity,” said Stevens. “Winnipeg’s a great city, and it’s a great organization, so it’s an easy decision for me to come here.”

Stevens, in his fourth season of pro hoops, has already played in seven leagues across seven countries, including stints in Germany, Czechia, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Australia, Mongolia and Canada.

A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Stevens is also the founder of Big Ben’s Basketball Camps, which delivered skills programming to 30 youth athletes across two summers.

Although he could be playing in just one game with the Sea Bears, Stevens said joining a team this late in the season doesn’t bother him. In fact, he’s quite comfortable with it, owing to his nomadic experience in the pro ranks.

“For me, I’d say it’s actually pretty normal because I’ve been doing it for three or four years now, just joining teams and getting used to new systems, and so it’s not new to me,” he said.

“It’s a new team right now, but I’ve done it before, and I can do it again. I’m excited to be a part of the organization, and whatever they need from me, I’m willing to do.”

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