THUNDER BAY — The expression "ball is life" has been a bit of a motto for former Thunderwolves men’s basketball star Nathan Bilamu for a long time.
From growing up in Hamilton, to an illustrious four-year run at Lakehead, and now the early days of a nascent pro career playing with the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), hoops have remained a central part of who he is.
With less than one month remaining in the CEBL season, Bilamu is able to reflect on his journey how far he’s come.
“There have been many great hoopers who have come out of Hamilton,” he says. “That foundation helped give me confidence to play at the next level in Thunder Bay.”
And play he did.
Bilamu, as Thunderwolves fans fondly remember, rose from a critical reserve to a central figure on the men’s basketball team, a dynamic jack-of-all-trades who impacted the game from every spot on the floor.
“In my first year at Lakehead, I wasn’t a starter,” Bilamu said, “but when my name was called, I made sure I was ready.”
Bilamu became a starter part way through his second year in Thunder Bay and never looked back. By the end of his final season, he’d been named a USports second team all-Canadian and an OUA first-team all-star, his named all over the Thunderwolves’ record books. All accomplished garnered through hard work and discipline—the Wolfpack mentality.
“Building my way up at Lakehead from year one to year four helped me gain the experience that has gotten me here, coming to Winnipeg with the Sea Bears and starting my pro career,” Bilamu said.
He drew high praise from someone who knows his game quite well.
“I’m very proud of the way Nathan has started his professional career,” said Thunderwolves men’s basketball coach Ryan Thomson.
Thomson, who is also an assistant coach and assistant general manager with the Sea Bears, has been able to witness Bilamu’s continued growth.
“[Nathan] came into training camp with the right mindset, and brought a toughness and a competitive effort that every team needs.”
Though the Sea Bears didn’t have the hottest start – Winnipeg began their season 1-5 and are 6-9 as of July 14 –Bilamu has made the most of his opportunities. In his first real minutes of the season, he scored 11 points and blocked one shot in a seven-point loss to Brampton in early June. In the very next game he notched 12 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in a tight win against Scarborough.
With 10 games played so far in his rookie season, Bilamu is averaging 4.8 points and two rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game.
“[Nathan] has been able to carve out a role for himself,” Thomson says, “because of his work ethic and willingness to do the less glamorous things like offensive rebounding and taking the challenge of guarding great scorers on the other team. He's a worker and that willingness to work will carry Nathan forward.”
“Coming in, obviously there was an adjustment to make with the physicality and the speed of the game,” Bilamu says. “It’s a different type of athlete compared to USPORTS and the OUA, but I’ve been able to make the adjustment and the game has slowed down for me and gotten more comfortable.” So far, my time here in Winnipeg with the Sea Bears has been amazing. And it helps,” he adds, “to have coach Thomson alongside.”
Thomson, who took the reins of the Thunderwolves men’s basketball program midway through the 2017-18 season, is in his third year with the Sea Bears, having joined the franchise at its founding.
“The opportunity to work for and with other great coaches is always going to help with my own coaching development,” Thomson says, “and it has really impacted my own beliefs and style in how we do things at LU.”
It’s stuck with his protégé.
“Ryan has a sharp mind for the X’s and O’s of basketball,” Bilamu said, “but on top of that, he understands how to make sure you’re thinking through the game and not just playing. He was really big all my four years [at Lakehead] on just playing the right way, playing within the system, making the right reads. He really helps his players understand the game.”
“Our connection,” Bilamu added, “gives me a kind of confidence knowing he knows what I'm capable of and what I can do. Just having that trust between us—representing him as best as I can and that—I’m working to make the most of it [in the CEBL] and making sure I don’t let him down.”
Bilamu is now the third former Thunderwolves player Thomson has had the opportunity to coach at the next level with the Sea Bears, following Tyler Sagl and Michael Okafor.
“I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to see our guys grow and improve over their time at Lakehead and then put themselves into positions to play as professionals, if that's CEBL or elsewhere,” Thomson says.
For Bilamu, that community has been a big part of his success.
“Lakehead is an important part of my life, and I still see a lot of support from the community,” he says. “That time instilled a lot of confidence in me. Being a Thunderwolf helped me develop the skills and traits that have been valuable in transitioning over to my pro career and playing in Winnipeg. I just want to give my flowers to Lakehead, to Thunder Bay, and to the whole community.”
The Winnipeg Sea Bears will host the CEBL’s 2025 Championship Weekend (CW25), August 22-24, 2025, at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. To find out more about the Winnipeg Sea Bears, please visit https://www.seabears.ca/.
