Posthumus, who played for the Saskatchewan Rattlers during their inaugural Canadian Elite Basketball League season, died at the age of 33.
Canada’s basketball community is mourning the loss of one of its big guys.
Fans paid tribute to the late Chad Posthumus with a moment of silence prior to Thursday night’s game between Canada and the Dominican Republic.
Posthumus, who played for the Saskatchewan Rattlers during their inaugural Canadian Elite Basketball League season, died Wednesday at the age of 33.
The former national team player suffered a brain aneurysm on Nov. 9 during a training session and later died of complications after surgery.
“First and foremost, I just feel like I want to send a little shout-out to the family of Chad,” said Nate Mitchell, who is in Saskatoon as the head coach of Canada’s national senior men’s team playing FIBA AmeriCup qualifier games against the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
“It’s a big thing for our organization to lose a person like that, and obviously I coached him in the AmeriCup two years ago, so I just want to make sure that we’re all sending our thoughts and prayers to his family.”
Posthumus underwent surgery but complications left him in critical condition in the intensive care unit. A statement from his family said he died after a catastrophic stroke from surgical complications.
“Representing Chad and getting this win for him and his family was extremely important to us,” said Canada guard and team captain Trae Bell-Haynes.
The six-foot-11 Posthumus was born and raised in Winnipeg. He was the first player ever signed by the CEBL’s Winnipeg Sea Bears when they joined the league in 2023, and most recently served as team captain.
Prior to that, he played for the CEBL’s Rattlers before signing on with the CEBL’s Ottawa BlackJacks for two seasons. He became the first player in CEBL history to post a “20-20” after recording 23 points and 20 rebounds.
Rattlers president Lee Genier is among those mourning the loss of Posthumus, who had type 1 diabetes.
“It’s a tough day,” said Genier, adding that he remained close to Posthumus over the years after his stint in Saskatoon.
Genier described Posthumus as “just a lovable guy” who will be dearly missed.
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