Hildebrandt reflects on historic CEBL selection

It's rare for a U SPORTS player to earn All-Canadian status as a rookie, especially in basketball. But that's exactly what forward Simon Hildebrandt did this past year for the Manitoba Bisons, helping the team to a historic 18-win regular season, the most in program history.

 Hildebrandt, the national Rookie of the Year, re-wrote the Herd's record books in multiple ways, setting the top two marks for consecutive free throws made in a game (14 and 13), as well as the top three marks for rookie single-game scoring, with 28 points and 27 on two other occasions

 Overall, Hildebrandt took over top spot in seven different Bisons rookie single season records, and the golden boy's momentum shows no signs of stopping

 Yesterday, he made history as the first-ever CEBL/U SPORTS Draft pick of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, who will make their debut this May at Canada Life Centre

 It's a moment that's not lost on the elite 6'9" shooter, who's followed the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) ever since its inception. The league was founded in 2017 and began play in 2019 with six teams, three in Ontario, one in Saskatchewan, one in British Columbia and one in Alberta

 Since then, it's blossomed to feature ten teams across two conferences, with an organization in every major Canadian market aside from the maritimes

 The CEBL has a partnership with Basketball Canada and is a pipeline for U SPORTS players to play pro, offering another avenue as opposed to going overseas. Hildedbrandt is the third Bison to be taken in a CEBL draft, after Justus Alleyn was taken in 2019 and Rashawn Browne in 2020

 Hildebrandt, who will play for the team all summer, joins a roster that also includes local product Chad Posthumus, a former CEBL champ and NCAA D1 alum who holds the league record for most rebounds in a game. Former U SPORTS standouts Shane Osayande (also a past CEBL champ), Michael Okafor and Glen Yang are also part of the roster, as is fellow 2023 draft pick Tyler Sagl from Lakehead

 "It's awesome the way the league is set up, to be able to get that pro environment and be able to learn. I'm going to learn so much this summer about everything from these pro guys, and what they work on and how they conduct themselves," he says

 "Basketball in Manitoba has such a great community. Our provincial teams over the years have been getting better and better. Even recently, we've had a few athletes get selected to Team Canada training camps. I think it's really cool to see that the rest of Canada will get to see that Winnipeg, and Manitoba in general has a big basketball culture. I'm excited to get to show it off."

Hildebrandt's journey to the pro level is one that can motivate others

 A multi-sport standout in high school for MBCI, the Winnipeg native went the prep school route for his later years, hoping to get NCAA looks. The pandemic halted his aspirations, but it worked out, as he became an instant playmaker for the Bisons, starting for Manitoba in every game, while scoring 28 points in just his second university outing

 A member of a roster that was largely Manitoban, he hopes to use his experience to show others that you can accomplish your goals without leaving home

 "I'm born and raised in Winnipeg. I went to high school in Winnipeg. I stayed home and played university in Winnipeg, and now I can play professional basketball in Winnipeg. There's no crazy need to go all over. Hopefully that can inspire some people to see that you can do it all from here."