Winnipeg Sea Bears lose top forward for playoffs

The Winnipeg Sea Bears will be without one of their top players for the entire playoffs.

After concluding the regular season in second place in the CEBL’s Western Conference over the weekend, the Sea Bears learned forward EJ Anosike is leaving the team.

Anosike has decided to pursue an opportunity with the Nigerian National Team and has already played his final game for Winnipeg this season.

In a media release, the team said, “While the Sea Bears are disappointed to learn of Anosike’s decision to depart the team, we respect his choice and are confident in the depth of our roster as we remain focused on the goal of winning the 2023 CEBL Championship.”

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The 24-year-old was the club’s second leading scorer. He averaged 18.4 points per game in his 20 contests with the Sea Bears. Anosike also averaged 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

The Sea Bears will host the Edmonton Stingers in the Western Conference Play-In Game on Friday at the Canada Life Centre. The winner will meet the first place Calgary Surge in the conference semifinal for the right to go to the CEBL Championship Weekend.

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