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CEBL PHOTO FILES<\/p>\n
The last time the Winnipeg Sea Bears faced off against the Edmonton Stingers was on the road in the 2026 season opener, where Winnipeg\u2019s own Mason Kraus (left) won the game on Target Score Time free throws.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, thankfully, it wasn\u2019t anything too serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fast forward 15 days, and Akot\u2019s sprained ankle looked no worse for wear as he went through solo drills with the club\u2019s training staff after practice. The 27-year-old appeared to be moving well as he ran, cut and jumped on the healing ligament.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, I\u2019m feeling pretty good, definitely making a lot of improvements from when it first happened,\u201d said Akot, who is not new to recovering from an ankle sprain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve dealt with a couple of ankle sprains in my career, so when I figured out it wasn\u2019t anything broken or anything like that, I knew it\u2019d be a speedy recovery, as long as I\u2019m on top of my rehab.\u201d<\/p>\n
With this ailment almost completely behind him, the question now is when Akot will return to action.<\/p>\n
The Sea Bears (7-4) face the Edmonton Stingers (3-6) at Canada Life Centre today (3 p.m.), but are in a luxurious position atop the Canadian Elite Basketball League\u2019s Western Conference, where they don\u2019t need to rush Akot back.<\/p>\n
That said, head coach Mike Raimbault is optimistic that the forward will be able to return to game action any day now \u2014 possibly as early as today.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s closing in on it,\u201d said Raimbault. \u201cI think if we had a playoff game, he would play. He probably could have played (Thursday) if we had a playoff game. We\u2019re just waiting for final clearance. I think he\u2019s probably going to tell you that he\u2019s hoping that he\u2019s going to get cleared and be able to return (today), but I haven\u2019t heard that officially yet. So he\u2019s progressing. We expect him to be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Akot said the final hurdle is getting back into game shape, which means his ankle must be able to endure the contact that he\u2019ll face throughout a 40-minute contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not too sure yet,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be soon, but I don\u2019t have a day yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Itching?<\/p>\n
\u201cItching, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Sea Bears remain on Akot watch, here are three more pointers entering today\u2019s contest in the latest edition of Beyond the Arc.<\/p>\n
Moon watch<\/p>\n
This will continue to be a storyline until it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Xavier Moon could make his anticipated debut today, but his status will depend on his being cleared by FIBA, the CEBL\u2019s governing body. When that happens in anyone\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like an administrative process that we\u2019re not necessarily in control of,\u201d said Raimbault.<\/p>\n
The guard, who won three league MVPs with the Stingers (2019-21), is clamouring to get into the lineup against his former team. Moon described the prospects of that happening as a \u201cstorybook ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea that their best basketball is still in front of them has teammates equally excited to see him in action.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t CEBL PHOTO FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Sea Bears head coach Mike Raimbault said if the playoffs started Saturday, hometown forward Emmanuel Akot would probably play. Akot is close to returning to the court after suffering an ankle sprain on June 4.<\/p>\n \u201cMoon coming in, you know what he\u2019s gonna do, he\u2019s a great player,\u201d said guard Mason Kraus. \u201cHe\u2019s been an amazing player for his whole pro career, so getting him in, it\u2019s gonna be amazing. Then, obviously, Akot has been amazing to begin the season, now adding him back \u2014 ugh \u2014 we could be really good, but we got to take it day by day, because easily we could just fall off.\u201d<\/p>\n Opposites attract<\/p>\n These are two teams trending in different directions as of late.<\/p>\n The Sea Bears are winners of three in a row and have put themselves into the upper echelon of the league, while the Stingers have lost three of their last four and are searching for answers as the season reaches the halfway point.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting dichotomy compared to the last time the sides met in the 2026 season opener in Edmonton, where both entered with questions about what the season would hold.<\/p>\n Winnipeg left with a gritty 77-75 victory, and Raimbault said he believes this version of the Sea Bears is much improved from the one that took the court for the first time together on May 9.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to even think about. That wasn\u2019t so long ago that we played them, but it seems like an eternity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we\u2019ve come together a lot as a group. We are talking a little bit about some things that happened in that game, but we feel like we\u2019ve made a ton of progress. Obviously, they have as well, so it\u2019s a great opportunity to sort of check in and see growth from both groups, and I mean, we know that it\u2019s going to be a dog fight for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Learning from the past<\/p>\n Don\u2019t expect the Sea Bears to overlook the Stingers.<\/p>\n Yes, there is a vast difference in the way these teams are trending lately, but playing a second game on a tight turnaround is something the club has struggled with earlier in the season.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cJust staying humble, knowing that this stuff can turn around just like that,\u201d said Sea Bears forward Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. \u201cWe still got a lot of games ahead of us right now. We\u2019re just trying to work on building a gap in between the (other) teams, so in the playoffs it\u2019ll be easier for us.\u201d<\/p>\n The most glaring letdown came on the road earlier this month, when the Sea Bears set a single-game franchise record for points in a game against Ottawa then laid an egg in a loss to Montreal the following night.<\/p>\n That became a teaching point and, to the club\u2019s credit, the Sea Bears applied those lessons with a home-and-home sweep against the Calgary Surge last weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked about it today, like this is a similar situation to Ottawa and Montreal,\u201d said Raimbault. \u201cI think we\u2019re very much trying to use the experiences that we go through to get better and to stack into the next lessons that we\u2019re learning as a group, and for us that means, with limited prep time, we have to come out, and we have to play a cleaner game and hopefully dictate the terms with the quality of our energy.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/joshuafreysam<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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