Reddick, Thomas, Christie drafted
Three AUS basketball stars will get a taste of the pro game this spring and summer.
League most valuable player Malcolm Christie of the Dalhousie Tigers and Dondre Reddick and Koat Thomas of the St. Francis Xavier X-men were picked in the top 15 of the recent Canadian Elite Basketball League U SPORTS draft.
Fredericton's Christie went sixth overall to the Scarborough Shooting Stars and Antigonish's Reddick was picked ninth by the Calgary Surge. Thomas was Scarborough's second-round pick (15th overall).
"I am excited for this opportunity," Reddick said in a team news release. "It is an absolute blessing to be able to learn and compete in a professional environment this summer."
Reddick just completed his fourth season at X, where he helped the team win an AUS title and U SPORTS silver medal in 2022-23. He was named a first-team allstar this past season after averaging 16.9 points and six rebounds per game. He was also a second-team AUS allstar in 2022-23 and his career average in 72 games was 14.2 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Christie was this year's AUS tournament MVP after helping Dal beat X in overtime in the championship game. It was his second league title with Dal. He was a part of the Shooting Stars for the 2023 CEBL season on a developmental contract.
The six-foot-five shooting guard set a new league singleseason record for three-pointers with 79 and also set a Dal record for most points scored in a game (51). He averaged 23.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and three assists per game this past season and was named a U SPORTS first-team allcanadian. Christie also won Dal's male athlete-of-the-year award.
Thomas is from Waterloo, Ont., and was the AUS rookie of the year this past season. The six-foot-six freshman averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game and was named to the U SPORTS all-rookie team.
Reddick was the only Nova Scotian selected in the draft but Keevan Veinot of Port Williams is already a member of the Ottawa Blackjacks. The former Dalhousie star spent the past two winters in the BNXT league in Europe, playing for LWD Basket (Netherlands) in 2022-23 and the Telenes Giants Antwerp (Belgium) this past year. He also played for the CEBL'S Brampton Honey Badgers in 2021 and 2022.
Veinot was the AUS MVP in 2019-20. Recent X graduate David Muenkat is with the CEBL'S Winnipeg Sea Bears and UPEI Panthers alumnus Elijah Miller is a member of the Edmonton Stingers. Miller was the 2022-23 AUS MVP.
The 10-team league opens play on May 21.