Xavier Moon had accounted for the last five points of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, bringing them closer to securing the franchise’s first CEBL championship.
As he dribbled the ball up the court during Target Score Time, the crowd of 12,519 at the Canada Life Centre would have understood if the three-time MVP chose to take the final shot himself.
However, he opted to pass the ball to DJ Burns in the post, who swiftly moved it to Simon Hildebrandt waiting at the three-point line.
Swish. The Sea Bears were victorious.
“When that shot went up and went in, my mind went blank, and I felt a mix of emotions. It took a couple of hours to fully grasp what had just happened,” Hildebrandt shared on Tuesday, three days post-game.
For Hildebrandt, the moment didn’t just begin with Moon’s pass. It traced back over three years to when he was the top overall pick in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s first U Sports draft, coming from the University of Manitoba.
Winnipeg native Simon Hildebrandt hit the championship-winning shot while three-time CEBL MVP Xavier Moon led the Sea Bears in scoring with 29 points, as the Winnipeg Sea Bears beat the Brampton Honey Badgers 98-84 to claim their first CEBL championship title.
The 23-year-old from Winnipeg has made a name for himself in the CEBL, winning Developmental Player of the Year twice and leveraging that success into a two-year NCAA stint at High Point and Washington State.
He is set to begin his first professional season overseas in Germany with BBC Bayreuth.
So, that championship shot can be viewed as the pinnacle. For the moment.
“It’s been quite a journey. I’ve had numerous stops, played for various teams and coaches. Each program has taught me something valuable that has shaped me into the player I am now,” Hildebrandt noted.
Hildebrandt’s narrative is the kind the CEBL should focus on as it approaches its ninth season in 2027—highlighting Canadian talent, particularly local and undiscovered athletes, is crucial, especially with the increased number of imports allowed on each team’s roster from three to five.
Opening development pathways
The draft enabling Hildebrandt’s entry into the league has now transitioned to “CEBL Signing Day,” where each team recruits two players from Canada’s university and college systems. Hildebrandt emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on these development pathways.
“We need to keep showcasing and promoting the talent in U Sports and the young, skilled Canadian players,” Hildebrandt asserted. “It’s essential to demonstrate that U Sports is a very high level of competition and that it can lead to numerous opportunities. Having that bridge from U Sports to the CEBL before transitioning to full-time professional play is a significant step.”
Hildebrandt’s basketball path may also lead him to the national team, which he has yet to join at the senior level. Nonetheless, CBC analyst and former national team member Jevon Shepherd speculated during the championship broadcast that Hildebrandt could be a strong asset.
Canada’s World Cup qualifiers will resume against Panama later this month in Quebec City and will continue through November.
“It would mean a lot. It’s something I’ve always aspired to. The past couple of years haven’t gone quite as planned due to injuries and age brackets, but I would be incredibly proud to wear Canada on my jersey,” he expressed.
Hildebrandt’s journey within the CEBL has not always been straightforward. Across two seasons in 2023 and 2024, he only made nine starts and did not participate in the league at all last season.
Watch as the Winnipeg Sea Bears hoist the CEBL Championship Trophy after defeating the Brampton Honey Badgers in the 2026 championship game.
This season, he found himself playing less than 10 minutes in seven games, hindered by the formidable frontcourt talent in Winnipeg, including Canadian Emmanual Akot and American Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. However, both players left the Sea Bears just before the playoffs.
Then, Hildebrandt stepped in, playing over 31 minutes in just three games throughout the season—the conference semifinal, the final, and the CEBL championship.
“There were times when other players were ahead of him and he had to make sacrifices. Early in the season, it would have been easy for him to think, ‘I should have played more or achieved this,’” head coach Mike Raimbault remarked.
“What Simon didn’t do was make it about himself. This attitude positively influenced the group’s overall buy-in.”
Hildebrandt concluded the season with personal bests in starts (15), points per game (8.7), and rebounds per game (4.3). His three-point shooting percentage improved from 29.1 during his rookie year to 37.9, and he scored a total of 48 points in Winnipeg’s last two playoff victories.
The Saskatoon Mamba seem to be adopting a similar strategy to the Sea Bears, with University of Saskatchewan players and Mamba members Easton Thimm and Mohamed Mahadhi in contention for this year’s developmental award.
In keeping with tradition
In Winnipeg, nurturing local talent is part of the tradition. In the team’s inaugural game in 2023, Winnipeg native Chad Posthumus made the game-winning shot against the Vancouver Bandits at home.
Posthumus passed away 19 months later in December 2024 due to complications following brain aneurysm surgery. The team honored him by retiring his No. 33 jersey the following season, and his memory continues to resonate within the Sea Bears. His parents attended both this year’s Finals and last year’s Championship Weekend.
The Sea Bears’ coach remarked that Posthumus would have “hand-picked” Hildebrandt as the hero of the Finals. Team owner David Asper noted he predicted this outcome.
“I told Simon before the game, we started with a local guy, Chad, hitting a crucial shot, and the crowd erupted because they realized, ‘Wow, a local player just made a significant impact in front of a large audience.’ I told him, ‘If you pull off something like that, they might name a street after you.’ And he did just that. It’s incredible. I’m thrilled for him,” Asper expressed.
“Watching how he played today, his toughness inside, and the physicality and determination he displayed—that’s our team. That’s what we want people to recognize about us.”
It’s also what the CEBL should be recognized for.