Winnipeg Sea Bears make coaching change, name Mike Raimbault new G.M. & head coach – Winnipeg
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The Winnipeg Sea Bears made a coaching change less than a week after their season was ended in the CEBL’s West Final. The club essentially fired their first and only head coach in franchise history.
The Sea Bears announced they’re parting ways with general manager and head coach Mike Taylor as they won’t be renewing his soon to be expired contract after three seasons at the helm. And they immediately named Brandonite Mike Raimbault as his replacement.
Taylor led the Bears to the post-season in all three years, but they failed to win a single playoff game. Player turnover was major problem the past couple seasons as Taylor’s roster always seemed to be in a constant state of flux.
Sea Bears owner David Asper said it was a difficult decision, but they’re looking at the long-term future of the club, and with Taylor a resident of Florida, the club wanted a leader who lives in Winnipeg year-round.
“Several other teams in the league and most of them are the top teams, they have Canadian team leadership,” Asper said. “They are very successful at some level of continuity year over year with roster or introducing new people, younger people where they can have that continuity. And competition, level of compete and battle is growing.”
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But Asper is thankful to Taylor for helping launch the organization in 2023.
“The Winnipeg Sea Bears would not exist without Mike Taylor,” said Asper. “And I want to acknowledge everything that he’s done both on the court and off the court.”
Raimbault will also do double-duty as both their general manager and head coach. It’ll be a bit of a side gig for Raimbault as he will also continue to coach the University of Winnipeg Wesmen men’s team during the Sea Bears off-season.
Raimbault was Taylor’s assistant coach the past three years and said it’s a cool situation to become a professional head coach right in his home province.
“It’s hard to describe,” said Raimbault. “Obviously it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s a huge honour. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to do it. It’s been so cool to see, to go from day one to where we were at championship weekend.
“I just feel super grateful that I’ll have an opportunity to lead things moving forward.”
Asper believes Raimbault can take this team to the next level.
“It’s not to say that Mike Taylor couldn’t get us there,” said Asper. “But we wanted to do it with Mike Raimbault, who’s in the market and will lead us beyond three years and hopefully well into the future.”
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