The Winnipeg Sea Bears have their first captain back under contract with a new deal for the so-called ‘Beast from River East’.
Hometown product Chad Posthumus of Winnipeg will be posting up defenders at the Canada Life Centre again this season after he agreed to a new contract.
Posthumus scored their first ever game-winning basket in their inaugural season and lead the entire Canadian Elite Basketball League in offensive rebounds with 70.
He’s thrilled to be staying home.
“It’s great,” Posthumus told the 680 CJOB Sports Show. “It’s awesome. It’s honestly just a wonderful opportunity to be back here in Winnipeg with the best fans in the league by far. Really excited for the upcoming season here.
“It’s the things that you dream of, right, being able to kinda play at home in front of all your friends, family and just the community. And just how everybody bought in and the engagement that there was. In Canada Life Centre was amazing. And it’s only going to (be) better this year. I’m told they’ve already sold double the season tickets of last year.”
The 33-year-old, six-feet-11-inch big man is entering his fifth season in the league on this his fifth different team. He’s also played for the Saskatchewan Rattlers, Ottawa BlackJacks, Edmonton Stingers, and Hamilton Honey Badgers.
“Chad is a key figure for our Sea Bears team on and off the floor,” head coach and general manager Mike Taylor said in a media release. “He has contributed so much to the start of our team on the court including his memorable game-winning put-back in our inaugural game.”
He averaged just under seven points per night in his first year with the Sea Bears and admits he didn’t have the greatest season.
“It was a little rougher for me on the court,” he said. “Maybe I got caught up in, guess you could say, caught up in the lights of being at home a little bit. But looking to build on that for this year, still did really well.”
Posthumus is just their second player under contract after recently re-signing league MVP Teddy Allen.
Training camp begins on May 13.