Mike Raimbault, head coach of the Wesmen men’s basketball program, has been named the new general manager and head coach of the Winnipeg Sea Bears.
Raimbault will continue in his head coach role at UWinnipeg while taking on his new roles with the Canadian Elite Basketball League franchise.
This will be the first professional head coaching job for Raimbault, who will begin his 16th season at the helm of the Wesmen when Canada West conference action kicks off Oct. 26 at the Duckworth Centre.
Raimbault served as an assistant on Mike Taylor’s staff for the Sea Bears’ first three seasons.
“I’m honoured and excited to take on this new opportunity with the Winnipeg Sea Bears as the next step in my coaching career,” Raimbault said. “I have been fortunate to be in the Sea Bears organization for the past three seasons and I’m looking forward to leading this tremendous franchise into the future.”
Raimbault is the winningest coach in Wesmen men’s basketball history, having compiled a 252-203 overall record since taking the reins in 2010. Including one year as interim head coach of the Brandon Bobcats, Raimbault has had only two losing seasons — and none since 2012 — in 17 years as a U Sports head coach.
He led the Wesmen to national championship tournament appearances in back-to-back seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and has guided the program to the Canada West playoffs in each of the past 12 seasons.
“I am where I am today because of the support of my family as well as many mentors and influences in the basketball community,” he said. “I would not be able to fulfill this role without the unwavering support of the Wesmen Athletics family and our student-athletes. It is a pleasure to coach the Wesmen, and I’m grateful to be able to continue leading that program while taking on this exciting new role. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Joining the Sea Bears adds to Raimbault’s extensive résumé of coaching success.
“Wesmen Athletics is immensely proud of Mike and his accomplishments as a head coach, and we can’t wait to see where he takes the Sea Bears in this exciting new role,” Wesmen Athletic Director Cara Isaak said. “Mike has been a tremendous ambassador of our program and has established himself as one of the most respected university coaches in Canada. He is well-deserving of this opportunity, and he has the full support of the Winnipeg Wesmen.”
