From March Madness to Winnipeg: Sea Bears welcome new basketball court

The Winnipeg Sea Bears will be playing on some newer hardwood this season. The team's new court replaces the 60-year-old one that's been part of many iconic events over the years.

Shawn Atamanchuck carefully uses black paint to colour the key on the Winnipeg Sea Bears’ new basketball court.

“Once we are done painting at the end of this week we will put on three coats of finish,” said Atamanchuick, who’s the owner of Big Sky Enterprise.

He’s been working tirelessly on the finishing touches to make sure the court is ready for its new era.

“This is not even a once-in-a-generation thing, this is a once-in-maybe-three-generation kind of opportunity we have here,” Adam Wedlake, the executive director of Basketball Manitoba, said.

Basketball Manitoba and the Sea Bears made the rare purchase of the world-class court that will serve the community for decades to come.

“This court here is from Cleveland. It was used as one of the support courts at the women’s March Madness NCAA tournament last month,” Wedlake said.

The new hardwood replaces the previous court that was used for more than 60 years.

It served iconic purposes such as being the home of the Winnipeg Cyclone and Thunder, the floor at the Pan Am Games and the centre stage of a few NBA exhibition games.