Riptide receive Pitchford from Sudbury for NBLC veteran's rights
Walter Pitchford has been traded from the Sudbury Five to the Saint John Riptide in return for the rights to experienced player Alex Johnson.
The Riptide will be hoping that the addition to Pitchford to their roster will help overturn their poor start to the season, as they are the only winless team in all of the NBL Canada.
Pitchford originally signed with the Moncton Magic, before being traded to the Sudbury Five in October during the off-season. He appeared in only one game for Sudbury prior to this trade.
A former starter for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Pitchford began playing for the Raptors 905 after turning professional in 2015. He then went on to play for Olimpi Tbilisi in Georgia, where he averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Alex Johnson, a current free agent, has been playing professional basketball since 2012 and is a veteran of five NBL Canada teams - and has two All-NBL Canada selections to his name. He has also seen time with the Grand Rapids Drive in the NBA G League, Timișoara in Romania and most recently with Riobamba in Ecuador.
He has yet to make an appearance in the NBL Canada so far this season, but should he now sign with the Sudbury Five, he could be a big asset in helping continue the great early form of the team that are currently sitting at the top of the Central Division with a 4-1 record.
