There was no update Wednesday on the possibility of Patrick’s Cove native Carl English joining the St. John’s Edge — other than that talks between the Edge and English are continuing — but word has been filtering out about some players who have reportedly been signed by the National Basketball League of Canada expansion team for its training camp later this month.
While there has been no official announcement from the Edge, the website usbasket.com says the St. John’s team has agreements with guards Charles Hinkle and Colton Ray-St. Cyr, as well as forward Gavin Thurman.
All three are products of NCAA Division One programs, but their recent basketball histories shows just how far afield the search for players by NBL Canada teams can go.
The 6-5 Hinkle is the most experienced. Collegiately, he played for Vanderbilt and American University. His professional career has seen him playing in Japan most recently, but the 29-year-old from Los Alamitos, Calif., has also suited up for teams in Hungary, Israel Turkey and the NBA’s top development league, now known as the G League.
The 23-year-old Thurman played for Missouri State and Newman University in his native Wichita before starting his pro career last season. He had a brief four-game NBL Canada stay with the now defunct Orangeville A’s, then headed overseas to join Black Star, a team in Luxembourg. In 2015-16, the 6-8 forward averaged more than 15 points per game with Newman (a Division 2 school) and was a second-team all-star in the Heartland Conference.
The 23-year-old Ray-St. Cyr, a 6-5 guard from Williamsburg, Va., was a four-year player at Coastal Carolina University, finishing as that team’s fourth-leading score and second-leading rebounder in 2016-17.
Earlier this week, Edge head coach Jeff Dunlap said he already had agreements with 15 players, with more signings to come. The team should get one or two more additions out of the NBL Canada combine and draft which is being held this weekend in Windsor, Ont., where St. John’s has the first overall pick.
