Edge acquire the rights to one of NBL Canada’s top guards
Maurice Jones is a former league rookie of the year who played particularly well against St. John’s last season
Less than a week after signing 7-2 centre Satnam Singh, who is in line to be the National Basketball League of Canada’s tallest player, the St. John’s Edge have acquired the rights to one of the circuit’s shortest.
But don’t misjudge Maurice Jones because he’s listed at 5-7; he may be small, but he has shown himself to be one of the league’s biggest talents.
To acquire the 26-year-old American point guard, the Edge shipped the rights to Canadian centre/ power forward Grandy Glaze, along with cash considerations, to the Express.
Jones, a native of Saginaw, Mich., broke into the NBL Canada with the Express in 2016 and was the league’s rookie of the year in 2016-17.
Last year, he was named to the NBL Canada third all-star team and was named to the league’s all-defensive team,
In 43 games last season, Jones averaged almost 18 points and six assists. He also led the league in total steals with 91. He was top 20 in average scoring and top 10 in both average
assists and minutes played (38.3) per game, finishing off the regular season with a 50point performance against the KW Titans.
The Edge should know Jones well because he played particularly well against them last season. He was at his very best in a first-round playoff series against St. John’s, averaging nearly 29 points and seven assists in three games.
Now, the Edge have to convince Jones — who played two seasons at USC before transferring to Northwood, a small Michigan college — to agree to a contract.
The Edge had some success in this regard earlier this summer.
St. John’s dealt the protected rights to guard Alex Johnson to the Saint John Riptide for the rights for former NBL Canada MVP Gabe Freeman, and although it took a few weeks, eventually signed Freeman.
Jones would add to a backcourt-tilted roster for the Edge. Other than Singh and Freeman, the other six players who have been signed for 2018-19 are all listed as guards — returnees Desmond Lee, Jarryn Skeete and reigning league MVP Carl English, and newcomers Kevin Zabo, Junior Cadougan and Drew Cushingberry.