The NBLC Players Who Broke Through in 2018-19
There was plenty of spectacular sights and records and milestones broken in the 2018-19 NBL Canada, and for a handful of players it will be a memorable ones, as it was their breakthrough seasons. Six players had their best results and made a name for themselves in the league, hopefully carrying that forward in their career in the NBLC and beyond.
Here is the full list of players who reached new heights in 2018-19:
Junior Cadougan
It stands to reason that the recipient of the 2019 Most Improved Player accolade would have had his breakthrough season, but Junior Cadougan did not earn that title without good reason. He put up a respectable 8.0 points per game in his first season with the London Lightning, but even so it wasn't enough to really turn any heads.
Joining the St. John's Edge for the 2018-19 season, he vastly improved his scoring and rebounding (an average 12.2 points and 3.8 boards), earning himself a bigger role in the team's rotation and part of their game plan.
Alex Campbell
The 2018-19 season was Alex Campbell’s second in the NBLC. In his first he split his time between the Saint John Riptide and Windsor Express, averaging 4.7 points per game across the whole basketball year.
After a year spent in Spain he signed with the Island Storm to little fanfare, but fans were making a very much different noise when the season got underway. Averaging 13.3 points in 37 appearances, he finished in the top five scorers for the Storm, and his 6.7 rebounds per game saw him earn a place of the Defensive Team of the Year.
Wayne McCullough
McCullough first came to the NBLC in 2016, when he joined the Island Storm, whom he played two years for – but appeared in only 24 games and averaging only 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds during his tenure.
Out of nowhere, his game underwent a transformation when he joined the Moncton Magic for the 2018-19 season: more than doubling his rebounding efforts and almost quadrupling his scoring average of the previous season. He became a starter for the team, beginning in 36 out of 53 games in 2018-19, the most season starts in his career.
Ashton Smith
After three seasons playing in the NBLC, with – numbers, Ashton Smith went to play overseas in Mexico and Germany. His time abroad seemed to have had an effect on his game, because when he returned to Canada to play for the KW Titans, he was playing at a all new level.
In his last full season played in Canada he averaged a perfunctory 6.5 points per game. In the 2018-19 season for the Titans he vastly improved his previous numbers in the league, averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 41 games played.
Jamal Reynolds
In his prior season for the Cape Breton Highlanders, also his rookie year, Jamal Reynolds made something of an impact off the bench with 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 37 appearances. When he rejoined the Highlanders for a second season, while he played a similarly reduced role, he even more spectacular.
Even though he only started in five out of forty-four games, Reynolds averaged 17.6 points per game – a total which put him fifth overall in the league for scoring. At the season's conclusion, he was the only choice for Sixth Man of the Year.
Braylon Rayson
Rayson has now written himself into the NBL Canada history books as the eighth recipient of the Most Valuable Player award - what made his win all the more impressive was the speed of his progression as a player.
Previously he was a role player for the Windsor Express, where he averaged an impressive 13.9 points in the season where he started only ten times out of thirty-nine games. However, he was overshadowed by superior performances from his team mates as well as those of others in the NBLC.
In his new starting role for the expansion Sudbury Five, he had the room to let his talents flourish. He led the league in scoring, with 24.2 points per game, as well as shooting from both the field and three-point line.
