Full Recap of the 2018 NBL Canada Entry Draft
Picture: NBLCanada
With the new NBL Canada season almost underway, here's a reminder of the twenty players who heard their name called on August 26th, having been chosen in this year's entry draft.
First Round
1st Pick – Miles Seward
6’2 Guard from Toronto, Ontario
Selected by Moncton Magic
Seward comes to the Magic having averaged 18.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his senior year with the McMaster Marauders. He also has NCAA Division 1 experience with the UNC Bears (for whom he only missed one free throw) and was once rated the 16th best high school recruit in Canada.
2nd – Aaron Jackson
6’6 Forward from Akron, Ohio
Selected by Kitchener-Waterloo Titans
Jackson comes to the Titans from the East Carolina Pirates, having spent three years with the Akron Zips and a having had a successful high school career at Gahanna Lincoln, winning district and conference honours.
3rd – Charles Boozer
6’3 Guard from Raleigh, North Carolina
Selected by Cape Breton Highlanders
Boozer previously had the second-best scoring average while playing for the Stone Ridge Knights, spent three years in the NCAA with the Iowa State Cyclones and joined the Chicago Bulls for the 2013 NBA Summer League.
4th – Brent Arrington
6’3 Guard from Baltimore, Maryland
Selected by Saint John Riptide
The Riptide have snapped up one of the most experienced players in the draft in Arrington, who averaged 11.0 points per game in three seasons for the Morehead State Eagles. He has played professionally for Jaszberenyi in Hungary and most recently the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League.
5th – Darnell Landon
6’2 Guard from Woodbridge, Ontario
Selected by Saint John
Landon’s stock rose during his two years with the Lake Region State Royals in North Dakota, and he was later recruited to the Mayville State Comets.
6th – Gabe McCray
6’7 Forward from Mitchellville, Maryland
Selected by Saint John
The third pick in a row for the Riptide, McCray led the Prince George Owls for two years before making it to NCAA Division 1 with the South Carolina State Bulldogs, for whom he started every game in his senior year and averaged 11.6pts and 4.8 rebounds. He also has one year’s professional experience with the Surrey Scorchers in the UK.
7th – Edward Asamoah
6’7 Forward/Centre from Calgary, Alberta
Selected by Moncton Magic
Asamoah previously spent four years with the NCAA Division 2 team Bridgeport Purple Knights in Connecticut, for whom he became a regular starter and big rebounder in junior year and averaged 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in two seasons.
8th – Funsho Dimeji
6’5 Forward from Malton, Ontario
Selected by Sudbury Five
Coming from the Durham Lords in Oshawa, averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season, and also having played for the Humber Hawks in Toronto, Dimeji becomes the Sudbury Five's first-ever draft pick.
9th – Chris Early
6’7 Forward from Norfolk, West Virginia
Selected by St. John’s Edge
Former high school team mate of OJ Mayo and Patrick Patterson, Early spent four years in NCAA Division 1 with the Chattanooga Mocs – playing in the championship first round in 2009 – and has prior NBLC experience with the Riptide in 2017.
10th – Jonathan Wallace
6’1 Guard from Guelph, Ontario
Selected by London Lightning
The Lightning’s latest recruit comes in off of five years with the Guelph Gryphons of Ontario University Athletics with career averages of 8.9 points and 2.2 rebounds.
11th – Davon Eley
6’4 Guard
Selected by Halifax Hurricanes
The American guard’s past playing experience includes NJCAA team Lakeland Lakers in Kirtland, Ohio and the Akron Aviators of the American Basketball Association.
Second Round
12th – Miroslav Jaksic
6’11 Forward from Belgrade, Serbia
Selected by Windsor Express
Jaksic comes to the NBLC from the Oklahoma Christian Eagles, having previously played for the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Grand Canyon Antelopes and the Walled Lake Western Warriors. He also won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2011 Under-16 Ameircas Championship.
13th - Matthew Hart
6'1 Guard from Orchard Park, New York
Selected by Kitchener-Waterloo
After being named to the All-NESCAC First Team in 2014, Hart moved from the Hamilton Continentals to the George Washington Colonials, where he spent the remainder of his NCAA eligibility.
14th - Benjamin Batts Jr
6'1 Guard from Saginaw, Michigan
Selected by Cape Breton
Batts won the 2015 Sooner Athletic Conference title with the Texas Wesleyan Rams and went on to make the Red River Athletic Association First Team with the LSU Shreveport Pirates the following year.
15th - Marcus Jones
6'1 Guard from Brantford, Ontario
Selected by Cape Breton
Former high school captain Jones went on to play three years with NCAA Division Two team Gannon Golden Knights. He spent one year with the Windosr Lancers prior to being drafted here by the Highlanders.
16th - David Atkinson
6'7 Forward from McAllen, Texas
Selected by Saint John
Atkinson averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game over two years with the Salem Tigers in West Virginia.
17th - Daniel Dooley
6'3 Guard from Burlington, Ontario
Selected by Windsor
Playing five years with the Guelph Gryphons, Dooley averaged 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while also making 43.2% of all three-point attempts.
18th - Aaron Edison
6'2 Guard from Los Angeles, California
Selected by St. John's
Edison played in 2016/17 with the Santa Monica Corsairs in the CCCAA.
19th - Jameel Williamson
6'2 Guard from Pickering, Ontario
Selected by London
Williamson has won the Windsor St Clair Saints Rookie of the Year award, was named to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association First Team with the Centennial Colts and played for the St Francis Xavier X-Men before being drafted to the NBLC.
20th - Donell Tuff
6'6 Forward from Tifton, Georgia
Selected by Halifax
Tuff averaged 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds for the PCC Spartans in Pasadena after one year in NCAA Division 2 with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.
