(Vaughan, ON): The Saint John Mill Rats went into last night's NBL Canada Draft with pieces coming together for what could be a very athletic team, and used the draft to continue to stockpile athletic, physical pieces to the roster.
Mill Rat General Manager Ian McCarthy and new Head Coach Julian King used their two first round picks to tab two high flying Canadians in (#2) 6'3 combination guard Jabs Newby and (#5) 6'7 forward Jahmar McQueen. With the #13th pick they grabbed Kenyan power forward 6'8 John Paul Nyadaro, and with the #21 pick 6'7 Anthony Winbush.
Winbush and King are now reunited on the professional level since Winbush played for Coach King at T.C. Williams (Virginia) in 2007-2008 on state championship team. Winbush earned his way into the draft pool by being selected by a vote of all the coaches. He played his college ball at Loyola - Maryland.
The Mill Rats top pick, Jabs Newby, hails from Brampton, Ontario and played collegiately at Eastern Kentucky and Gannon.
"Coach King identified Newby right away on the Canadian day because of his outstanding athletic ability,skills, and aggressiveness," said McCarthy. "He's a big, strong power guard which will complement our existing backcourt players."
Their other first round pick, Jahmar McQueen, played college ball at the University of Windsor. "McQueen is 6'7 with a 7 foot wing span and posse ss toughness and good athletic ability," McCarthy continued.
At #13, the Mill Rats were able to select 6'8 power forward Nyadaro, a native of Kenya with a U.S. green card. Nyadaro was rumored to potentially be the top pick the draft, so he appears to be a steal in the second round.
"The bottom line we were probably the oldest team in the league last year, and the least athletic. We were last in blocked shots, 8th in rebounding, and in the bottom third in points allowed," explained McCarthy. "All four of our picks are very young and athletic players, which fits well with projected roster. This team will be exciting to watch."
Mill Rats Draft Picks:
#2) Jabs Newby 6'3 guard (Canadian)
#5) Jahmar McQueen 6'7 (Canadian)
#13) John Paul Nyadaro 6'8 (Kenyan)
#21) Anthony Winbush 6'7 (USA)
Season tickets are now on sale at the Harbour Station box office or by calling 506-657-1234. The Mill Rats have introduced new tiered pricing by zone which makes Mill Rats games affordable to all Saint Johners. If fans purchase 1,000 season tickets for the upcoming season by September 30th, then each adult fan will receive stock in the team as a bonus. Certain terms and conditions apply and a written statement of details and exclusions about this program will be on our website.
For more information, visit www.millratsbasketball.ca or email hoops@millratsbasketball.ca.
The Saint John Mill Rats are part of the National Basketball League of Canada.
National Basketball League of Canada founded in 2011, is a Canada's only professional basketball league. There are currently 8 teams, with 2 divisions: Central and Atlantic. The NBLC is committed to being one of the leading professional basketball leagues in the world. The NBLC provides Canadians, international athletes, coaches and officials the opportunity to participate in the game they love at the professional level. The NBLC is dedicated to raising awareness of the sport of basketball throughout Canada, by providing fans with an exciting and entertaining experience.
For more information on the league, please visit www.nblcanada.ca.
