The St. John’s Edge have signed a Bulldog of a player.
The National Basketball League of Canada team announced Friday that it has added former University of North Carolina-Asheville star Ahmad Thomas, the Big South defensive player of the year and a conference all-star in both 2017 and 2018.
The 24-year-old Thomas, six-foot-three, 230-pound guard from Danville, Va., played four NCAA Division One seasons for the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs, starting 97 of 99 games over his last three years at the school.
The Bulldogs made it to the NCAA tournament in 2016, Thomas’s sophomore year.
He is the first player in the history of the Big South conference to finish with more than 1,500 points (1,626), 700 rebounds (705), 250 steals (251) and 250 assists (256).
His 251 steals are the most in Bulldogs history.
“Ahmad had one of the best college careers in NCAA history at UNC Asheville,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Marcus about Thomas, who has one pro season under his belt, having played in Europe last season.
“He is a Swiss army knife that can guard every position on the floor, he is an absolute junkyard dog that loves doing all the little things to help his team win.”
The Edge, who now have 11 players on their roster, are set to start their 2019-20 NBL Canada season in just under seven weeks, on Dec. 27 in Moncton against the defending champion Magic.
