Edge officially announce return of two core Canadians
Junior Cadougan and Murphy Burnatowski were among the players on St. John’s off-season protected list
The St. Johns’ Edge have made it official. Canadians Junior Cadougan and Murphy Burnatowski are returning to the team for the 2019-20 National Basketball League of Canada season.
This past Saturday, Telegram Sports Editor Robin Short reported the Edge were bringing back the two players who helped the team make it all the way to the league final last season.
Cadougan and Burnatowski were among the seven players on St. John’s protected list submitted at the end of last season, and this past summer, head coach Steve Marcus suggested they comprised a pair the team could build around.
Cadougan, a 29-year-old Toronto native, appeared in 45 regular-season and playoff games last season. The 6-1 point guard, who took over a starting role six games into the campaign. averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 assists per outing.
That performance, from someone who had been limited to about a half dozen games the previous season because of an injury, earned Cadougan the NBLC’S Most Improved Player award.
“Bringing Junior back was our No. 1 priority this off season,” said Marcus in a team release. “Being with him last season, I learned very quickly that he impacts the game in more ways than one. He is an absolute winner in every sense of the word.
As for his part, Cadougan says “There was no other place I wanted to be.”
Burnatowski, a 28-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., didn’t join the Edge until early March, but quickly made an impact. In 22 games with the St. John’s, the 6-7 forward averaged 15.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
“Murphy and I had great talks all off-season; he was one of the first guys I engaged with after the season ended,” said Marcus. “With his ability to stretch the floor, he is a guy that will be a focal point of our offence.”
But that won’t happen until Burnatowski rejoins the Edge upon the completion of his season with a team in Switzerland.
Beside Burnatowski and Cadougan, the Edge also protected Canadians Jarryn Skeete, Kyle Johnson and Shaquille Keith, along with Americans Dez Lee and Russell Byrd. However, Johnson, Byrd and Lee have since signed with teams in other pro leagues overseas.
The 2019-20 NBL Canada schedule is set to begin on Boxing Day. That’s about a month later than the start of last season. However, with the roster of league teams down to eight from 10 teams, each team will be playing 36 games as opposed to the 40 they played in 201819.