Basketball – Winnipeg Free Press

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, left, leaves Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 in Las Vegas. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Ex-NBA player Damon Jones pleads not guilty to selling injury secrets, profiting from rigged poker

Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he profited from rigged poker games and provided sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Jones, a onetime teammate of James, said little during back-to-back arraignments in federal court in Brooklyn, letting his court-appointed lawyer enter not guilty pleas in a pair of cases stemming from last month’s federal takedown of sprawling gambling operations.

Jones, 49, acknowledged he read both indictments and that he understood the charges and his bail conditions, which include his mother and stepfather putting up their Texas home as collateral for a $200,000 bond that will allow him to remain free pending trial.

Jones’ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, told a judge that they “may be engaging in plea negotiations.” He is due back in court for a preliminary conference with other defendants on Nov. 24.

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Workhorse guard’s time to shine for University of Winnipeg Wesmen

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Workhorse guard’s time to shine for University of Winnipeg Wesmen

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

Being the workhorse ball-handler for a top-ranked U Sports basketball program isn’t made for everyone.

Shawn Maranan, a former three-time Canada West conference second team all-star guard with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, knows that as well as anyone.

“It takes a lot, especially playing under (head) coach Mike (Raimbault),” said Maranan, who transitioned into an assistant coach under Raimbault this season.

“We have so much responsibility. We have to defend at a high level — defence starts with the point guards applying pressure — and not only on the defensive end, but offensively, we have to feel the game out. We have to control the game.”

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Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Wesmen guard Kato Jaro was named a Canada West all-rookie in his first season with the team and increased his numbers overall in his sophomore season.

Wesmen women’s guard just keeps getting better

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Preview

Wesmen women’s guard just keeps getting better

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

The rest of the Canada West conference would’ve been much happier if Jennifer Kallon stuck to soccer.

That’s because the junior forward for the Winnipeg Wesmen women’s basketball team can be a nightmare to play against on the hardwood — just ask Lakehead University who she terrorized Saturday at the Duckworth Centre with eight steals in a 72-60 pre-season victory.

“This sounds bad, but I love when players are scared of me guarding them,” said Kallon, who also had a career-high 24 points.

“It’s so obvious to see that, it’s like ‘OK, perfect.’”

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Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

David Larkins / Wesmen Athletics
Jennifer Kallon says she loves it when her opponents are afraid of being guarded by the third-year U of W hoopster.

Basketball bursary created in recognition of one of Manitoba’s historic builders

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Preview

Basketball bursary created in recognition of one of Manitoba’s historic builders

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025

Basketball Manitoba has launched a new bursary in honour of one of the province’s most historic builders in the sport.

The Vic Pruden Basketball Bursary Fund, intended for graduating high school student-athletes who are in financial need, will recognize one male and one female player who are committed to continuing their basketball careers at Brandon University, the University of Manitoba or the University of Winnipeg.

The monetary value of the bursary has yet to be confirmed, but it is estimated to be between $1,000-$2,000. The winner will be announced, along with 14 other bursaries and scholarships, every April during the Basketball Manitoba awards ceremony.

Pruden is regarded as one of Manitoba’s most influential basketball figures, making a mark at the high school and university level, and with provincial and national programs.

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Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025

WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES
Vic Pruden, the founder of the Wesmen Classic and of the Wesmen women’s program at the University of Winnipeg, has been honoured by Basketball Manitoba with a basketball bursary intended to assist graduating high school student-athletes committed to the U of W, Brandon University or the University of Manitoba.

Brandon’s Wiebe living the dream as Oregon’s head strength and conditioning coach

Thomas Friesen 13 minute read Preview

Brandon’s Wiebe living the dream as Oregon’s head strength and conditioning coach

Thomas Friesen 13 minute read Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

Full send.

It’s a simple thought with deep meaning for Britt Wiebe. It’s the attitude that sent the Brandonite around the world for a whirlwind of life-changing opportunities.

It’s the message she preaches to her student-athletes as the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Oregon women’s basketball team.

“My biggest fear is not sending, being complacent or not taking that risk and always wondering, ‘What if,’” Wiebe told the Brandon Sun via phone interview. “That’s been my motto: ‘Full send,’ go do it, even if it’s uncomfortable.

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Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

SUPPLIED
Brandon’s Britt Wiebe is the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team.

Homecoming for Fust

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Preview

Homecoming for Fust

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

It was Christmas break of 2024 when Kyu Fust found herself in a familiar setting, wrestling with an unfamiliar feeling.

Fust, who was Manitoba’s top-ranked high school women’s basketball recruit in 2023, had returned home to play in the annual Wesmen Classic at the University of Winnipeg’s Duckworth Centre. While sitting in the stands, it fully sank in that she no longer loved the game.

The feeling had been percolating for a while during her second year at the University of Regina, as she grew unhappy with her fit within the Cougars program, and her enjoyment on the court began to fade.

Fust tried working with mental performance coach Jon Giesbrecht in the second semester, but that didn’t move the needle. After the season, she distanced herself from coaches and several teammates and hardly touched a basketball or stepped on the court.

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Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Kyu Fust has joined the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s basketball team after transferring from the University of Regina Cougars program.

Wesmen’s Raimbault named new Sea Bears head coach

Free Press staff 4 minute read Preview

Wesmen’s Raimbault named new Sea Bears head coach

Free Press staff 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025

The Winnipeg Sea Bears announced Thursday they are bidding farewell to the franchise’s first head coach and general manager Mike Taylor.

Taylor will be replaced by the Winnipeg Wesmen men’s basketball head coach Mike Raimbault.

Raimbault — who is set to take up the mantle as the franchise’s new head coach and general manager — is a familiar face for Sea Bears fans, as he served as an assistant coach under Taylor for the past three seasons.

“We made a strategic decision to build the next steps of our organization with a team leader who is in our market on a year round basis, and to join other teams in the league who are developing Canadians coaching at the pro level,” the team’s owner David Asper said Thursday.

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Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Mike Raimbault was announced as the Winnipeg Sea Bears new head coach and general manager on Thursday. Raimbault has spent three seasons with the team as an assistant coach.

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Energetic leader pumps up River Lions on way to title

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Energetic leader pumps up River Lions on way to title

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025

It was late in the first quarter of the Niagara River Lions’ Canadian Elite Basketball League championship win when Kimbal Mackenzie hit a mid-range jumper to retake an early lead.

The River Lions’ captain shook his head, as if to say “game on,” then shouted “Let’s go!” at his opponent on the Calgary Surge while backpedalling back to defence.

In a moment that otherwise went overlooked by anyone who wasn’t sitting court side, the heartbeat of the River Lions had a pulse.

Being the energy source of the River Lions is a staple for Mackenzie, a product of Oakville, Ont., who carries his captaincy proudly. His overall impact on the club supersedes the final numbers in the box score, and that was once again the case on Sunday night at Canada Life Centre.

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Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025

CEBL / INSTAGRAM
Niagara River Lions guard Kimbal Mackenzie (1) looks to pass the ball over Calgary Surge guard Evan Gilyard II (30) during the first half of the CEBL Championship final on Sunday night at Canada Life Centre.

Ahmad rises to the occasion as River Lions oust Shooting Stars

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Preview

Ahmad rises to the occasion as River Lions oust Shooting Stars

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

Target Score Time is Khalil Ahmad time.

The Niagara River Lions star guard again showed why he’s one of the most clutch players in CEBL history as he drilled a contested game-winning three-pointer to outlast the Scarborough Shooting Stars 93-91 in Friday night’s Eastern Conference championship at Canada Life Centre.

“That was an absolute grind. Khalil makes me happy, mad, upset, want to kill him, all of the above throughout the course of a game, but my God, that guy has something inside of him that is just built for Target Time,” said River Lions head coach Victor Raso.

“He has the physical tools and the mental confidence to be able to want it in those moments.”

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Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Niagara guard Khalil Ahmed (right) sealed the deal for the River Lions on Friday as they eliminated the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

{hoto gallery: CEBL’s Championship Weekend festival takes over Winnipeg’s downtown

Zoe Pierce 4 minute read Preview

{hoto gallery: CEBL’s Championship Weekend festival takes over Winnipeg’s downtown

Zoe Pierce 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025

It’s all about basketball in downtown Winnipeg this weekend.

The CEBL fandom is at an all-time high with 5.5 million Canadians engaging with the league annually, and Winnipeg fans showed up in full force to celebrate the 2025 Championship Weekend, filling Canada Life Centre for the conference finals and also enjoying the energy of a free, three-day, fan-friendly street festival that kicked off Friday at 3 p.m.

“The nice part was the opportunity to do something free in downtown,” said Jason Smith, president of the Winnipeg Sea Bears on the street festival. “We wanted to create an experience that had a little bit of something for everybody. Just to get people down and get them having a good time. The idea was to try and put on something that would be as fun and as accessible and appealing to as many people as possible.”

Walking in from Edmonton Street down Graham Avenue, spectators pass a variety of Third + Bird local vendors before reaching the main stage, where live music performances will take place throughout the weekend. Beyond that are food trucks and other stands offering basketball-themed activities spread across the blocked-off streets.

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Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Winnipegger Jaxon Wentoniw shows his enthusiasm for the Winnipeg Sea Bears while attending the Championship Weekend street festival at True North Square on Friday.

‘We’ve got so much great Canadian talent that’s coming up’

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Preview

‘We’ve got so much great Canadian talent that’s coming up’

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

As the Canadian Elite Basketball League drives through the final week of its seventh season, commissioner and co-founder Mike Morreale has been pulled in every direction and peppered with questions about the hot-button topics that surround the country’s largest professional sports league.

It’s all a part of the gig, and a testament to how far the CEBL has come in a short time and where it appears to be going.

“It’s important that — my belief anyway — is the commissioner needs to be seen. The players got to know that I got their back, so do the owners, so do the coaches, and so does the public,” Morreale told the Free Press following his annual commissioner’s luncheon at the RBC Convention Centre on Friday.

The boss is happy to talk shop as Championship Weekend festivities flood downtown Winnipeg, which hosts the biggest week in Canadian basketball in the third season since the Sea Bears joined the league.

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Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
CEBL commissioner and co-founder Mike Morreale said Friday Winnipeg has been a great market for the league.

Bandits steal the show at CEBL awards night

Zoe Pierce 6 minute read Preview

Bandits steal the show at CEBL awards night

Zoe Pierce 6 minute read Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

Mitch Creek may never play a CEBL game again, but the Vancouver Bandits forward’s season still finished on a high note, taking home MVP honours at the 2025 CEBL Awards, hosted in downtown Winnipeg on Thursday.

Creek ended his 2025 season with a touch of controversy last Saturday after his squad was knocked out in the semifinals against the Calgary Surge.

After the game, which the Bandits lost 105-103, Creek called out the league’s officiating, saying the CEBL had “taken an enormous step back in respect on the world stage” and declaring, “I’ll never play in this league again.”

A few days later, the Australian won the league’s top individual player award, representing what was nothing short of an impressive regular season.

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Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Sea Bears owner David Asper presents Tyrese Samuel (right) of the Vancouver Bandits with the Canadian Player of the Year Award.

Akot back in the Sea Bears fold

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Preview

Akot back in the Sea Bears fold

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

Emmanuel Akot is back with the Winnipeg Sea Bears.

The 6-8 starting forward left his hometown team high and dry three weeks before the CEBL’s Championship Weekend to suit up for South Sudan at FIBA’s AfroBasket tournament in Angola.

Akot was not expected to be available for Friday night’s Western Conference final against the Calgary Surge (7:30 p.m. tip-off) as AfroBasket rolls through the weekend, but when South Sudan’s run ended early on Monday after a loss to Senegal, the door opened to him returning.

Akot’s decision to leave was a controversial one with South Sudan not meeting the FIBA rule of giving club teams a minimum of 30 days notice, and the CEBL’s transaction window had closed so the Sea Bears were unable to pick up a replacement.

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Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Emmanuel Akot: no regrets, seeking redemption

River Lions the team to beat

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Preview

River Lions the team to beat

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

Get ready, Winnipeg, the CEBL Championship Weekend is finally here.

It starts Friday at Canada Life Centre at 5 p.m. with the Eastern Conference final between the Niagara River Lions and Scarborough Shooting Stars before the Winnipeg Sea Bears duke it out with the Calgary Surge for the Western Conference crown at 7:30 p.m.

The winners will meet at the downtown arena on Sunday at 6 p.m. for the championship game.

To get you ready for the biggest annual event in Canadian hoops, the Free Press spent Thursday chatting with players from all four teams.

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Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS files
The arrival of guard Jalen Harris was key to the Sea Bears roster rounding into form.

Surge coach says star Nelson Jr. is ready to play in NBA

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Surge coach says star Nelson Jr. is ready to play in NBA

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

When the Canadian Elite Basketball League season culminates in Winnipeg this weekend, Jameer Nelson Jr. will be one player under the most watchful eyes of fans.

The Calgary Surge’s standout guard has two things going for him in that respect: he’s one of the finest young players — on both ends of the floor — of the four remaining teams. He’s also the namesake of someone who was once a household name among basketball enthusiasts.

His father, Jameer Nelson Sr., carved out a 14-year career in the NBA, being named to the All-rookie team in 2005 and a league all-star in 2009 — the same year he helped lead the Orlando Magic to an appearance in the NBA Finals.

While it’s almost a given the 24-year-old Junior is asked about his dad whenever the topic is basketball, he’s learned to be appreciative of the impact Nelson Sr. had on him and those who watched him.

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Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Calgary Surge guard Jameer Nelson Jr. learned a lot from his father, who was an NBA all-star.

CEBL head coaches talk season that was as Championship Weekend set to start

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

CEBL head coaches talk season that was as Championship Weekend set to start

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

The CEBL championship trophy has officially arrived in Winnipeg and is patiently waiting to see who will hoist it on Sunday.

Just a few feet away from the 27 pounds of gold — which fittingly resembles a peach basket, a nod to the ones Canadian James Naismith used when he invented the sport in 1891 — sat the remaining head coaches vying for the title, gathered for a press conference Wednesday morning at Canada Life Centre.

Unlike Kaleb Canales (Calgary Surge), Victor Raso (Niagara River Lions) and Mike De Giorgio (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Mike Taylor and the Winnipeg Sea Bears have known for over a year that they’d have a seat at the CEBL Championship Weekend table — thanks to the automatic berth granted to them as the host team.

That doesn’t mean the 24-game regular season was a cakewalk, though.

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Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

December 6, 2025

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