"I know what I want to do." Sea Bears draft picks changed by CEBL experience

It’s the same gym. Same dull-blue, red, and yellow bleachers. Same two-toned hardwood floor. But what’s same is now different for Simon Hildebrandt, peering at the Manitoba Bisons crest through polished eyes.

It was only a year ago that Hildebrandt took the university basketball scene by storm. He breathed new life into the Bisons men’s program, capping off a thunderous season with the prestigious Dr. Peter Mullins trophy, awarded to the best U SPORTS rookie from coast to coast to coast.

It was hard to imagine how it could get any better. But just a few months later, the 20-year-old would find himself jogging through the smoke-filled tunnel at a professional basketball game, running straight into the spotlight while his name in LED lights circled 10,580 screaming fans.

“It’s just a fantastic opportunity I was given with the organization. They all had faith in me to be out there and make those plays. It’s just an unforgettable experience,” he remarked after the game.

Hildebrandt was named to the starting line-up of the Winnipeg Sea Bears for the team’s most important game of the season: a do-or-die playoff match on August 4^th that had the city out in droves. Fans broke their own CEBL attendance record for the third time that season. And, with international veterans on the bench, it was the young Winnipegger who was standing on the court for opening tip.

With the lights now faded and the confetti swept away, Hildebrandt is back to his reality: hauling a bag full of books and his laptop across the University of Manitoba campus, working toward his degree in the Asper School of Business while suiting up for his hometown Bisons.

While the grind hasn’t changed, Hildebrandt has. A year ago, he was a fresh-faced rookie in U SPORTS, learning as he went but not truly in tune with what it takes to turn the sport into a profession. This season is different.

“I feel like I’m just so much more mentally locked in and mentally prepared entering practices and games.”

The lesson ‘it starts in practice’ has never rung truer for the young phenom.

“That’s probably the biggest takeaway. That two-hour practice window is not enough to sustain being a pro. You have to find your times to just keep getting better.”

After speaking to media and signing autographs post home games this summer, it was Hildebrandt who was often back on the court in his sweat-soaked game shorts, taking guidance from former G-League pro EJ Anosike.

With his own fresh perspective comes lessons for his team. Hildebrandt is eager to share what he’s learned with his comrades in the brown and gold.

“Being more of a leader, I’m trying to share all the wealth that I learned this summer with my teammates this year and just seeing if we can elevate everyone as a whole,” said Hildebrandt before a Bisons pre-season tournament in early October.

That tournament featured a marquee match-up between the Sea Bears’ history-making inaugural season draft picks: Hildebrandt, who went first overall, and Tyler Sagl, a sharp-shooting guard from Lakehead University who was taken in the second round of the U SPORTS / CEBL draft.

Sagl echoes Hildebrandt’s thoughts on their CEBL experience, and says it’s given him more confidence. The CEBL is, after all, one of the few leagues that combines top-tier international pros with collegiate athletes in an atmosphere where the different levels, backgrounds and experience somehow all work together to create an electric on-court product.

And now that the duo have returned to U SPORTS for their regular seasons, they’re seeing just how transformational one summer can be.

“Coming back here, you feel more comfortable making plays and doing things you usually wouldn’t do.”

“You know what you’ve done all summer, you’ve put in all this work with these pros and you’re like, ‘I’m ready to go.’ I know what I want to do,” said Sagl.

“Everybody moves that slight bit slower, everybody’s a little bit shorter, a bit less experienced than guys who’ve done it for a few years and made a career out of it,” detailed Hildebrandt. 

As they take the U SPORTS court for the first time since their lives as pros, there’s one more thing that will be different: target score time. Their games will no longer end with the thrill and anxiety of a game-winning basket, a marquee of the CEBL.

“It might be a little weird,” laughed Hildebrandt.

Hildebrandt is slated to open his sophomore U SPORTS season tonight when the Bisons host provincial rival, Brandon Bobcats at Investors Group Athletic Centre. The women's game tips off at 6 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 8 p.m. They'll rinse and repeat for a rematch on Friday. Click here for tickets.

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About the Winnipeg Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer, David Asper, is the organization's owner and chairman. 

More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.

About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73 percent of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August.

More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.