To put it simply, Carl English had more reasons to play than retire.
English, the shooting star of the St. John’s Edge and the reigning National Basketball League of Canada MVP announced Monday, he will be back on the court with the team for the 2018-19 season.
It would have been a surprise if he hadn’t. Even as the Patrick’s Cove native headed towards his 38th birthday early next year, he had always seemed to be tilting towards a return to a playing role. English had been continuing his off-season workouts even as he took on new duties as the Edge’s interim general manager. And he said he was aware many fans — some who had spoken to him directly — were waiting on his decision before committing to ticket buying for the second season of the NBL Canada at Mile One Centre.
And then there was the theme line to some of the Edge’s Monday tweets accompanying English’s announcement: “Unfinished business.”
The Edge probably exceeded expectations during their inaugural NBL Canada campaign by finishing third overall in the regular season, then going all the way to the Central Division final before losing to the defending and eventual champion London Lightning.
“I don’t know if it was my ego or what, but when I set out on this, I said I would do whatever I could to make it successful,” said English. “We had a fabulous year, considering it was (the franchise’s) first year, but we still didn’t win.
“And that still bothers me. Winning is everything and then you add in the fact that you so badly want to win for here.”
There is also the plain fact he feels he has more good games in him.
English has long said whether he felt physically ready for the grind of another campaign would be the chief factor in whether he would continue to play. He says he does feel ready, even though he very well could be the league’s oldest player next season.
“Age is just a number. It doesn’t have to be a roadblock,” said English.
“I don’t drink. I don’t party, I don’t smoke. I eat heathy and take care of myself and if you’re like that, you’re probably going to give yourself a chance to play for a long, long time.
In 2017-18, English did miss 10 of the Edge’s 40 regular-season games because of injuries or for rest purposes, but when he played, he was almost always a force, averaging nearly 24 points and more than five rebounds per game, with an average 34.5 minutes of floor time. He was also one of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters, making 137 of 365 attempts from long range.
In addition, he set a new NBL Canada single-game record with 58 points in an early-March game against the KW Titans at Mile One Centre.
“I’ll admit, it’s tough to walk away from that, when you feel you can still do your job well,” he said. “(Wanting a championship) is obviously a big part of it, but when it comes right down to it. I’m not ready to walk away (from playing) just yet.
“And it makes it easier to do it because the opportunity is here, it’s in my back yard, rather than somewhere where I would have to take my family back across the water,” added English, who played 12 years in Europe before signing on with the Edge last season.
As for his new contract, English still has to “work out” the details with Edge co-owners Irwin Simon and Rob Sabbagh, who are taking a more and more active role in player negotiations.
“They’ve been great,” he said of the Simon and Sabbagh. “Not just about this, but everything. If they had come in and been cheapskates, watching every nickel, not understanding what we’re trying to do for the city or the province, maybe that would be another reason I wouldn’t be back.
“But they got behind it, and when you’re getting a push like that, it’s easier to stay on the path.”
English explained that while he has had the interim GM title throughout the summer, he “has been more active on the business side of things,” for the franchise, although he did help develop the team’s protected list and led a scouting mission to the Las Vegas Summer League.
But while he will still offer his opinion about roster construction, he acknowledges direct efforts by him to recruit or re-sign players are now that much more awkward, seeing as he would definitely be dealing with former and/or future teammates.
He’s leaving more of that day-to-day work to Simon, Sabbagh, and new head coach Doug Plumb and his staff.
“I think they’ll be plugging away at that stuff every day,” he said. “I’ll be doing more from behind the scenes.
“And now that I am committed to playing, more of my focus will be in that direction.”
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