The St. John’s Edge recently promised there would be a steady announcement of player signings, and so far, that’s been the case.
Cassidy Ryan, a 6-7, 230-pound Canadian forward, is the latest addition to the roster. He’s the third player whose signing was announced in the past week.
The 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., played the past three seasons with Brock Badgers of the Ontario University Association after transferring from Cansius University in upstate New York after two years with that school’s Division 1 NCAA program.
Ryan was a conference all-star the past two seasons — a second-team selection in 2017-18 , when Brock made it all the way to the USports Canadian championship tournament, and a third-team choice in 2018-19, when he averaged 19.6 points (second-most on the team), and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Badgers
A graduate student in his final year at Brock, Ryan was the recipient of the school's Jason Pearson Memorial Scholarship awarded an athlete who embodies the spirit of Pearson, who played both volleyball and basketball at who killed a car accident in 2001.
Ryan will be a rookie for the National Basketball League of Canada’s Edge, but he did spend this past summer on the practice squad of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Niagara River Lions, where his teammates included former St. John’s players Alex Johnson and Guillaume Boucard.
“Cassidy impacts the game with his athleticism the second he steps on the floor,” said Edge coach Steve Marcus in a team release. “He had a great career at Brock and his skill level and athleticism will translate to the professional game extremely well.”
Ryan is the third Canadian on the Edge’s roster, joining returning players Murphy Burnatowski and Junior Cadougan. The team has also signed American newcomers Cane Broome and Montay Brandon.
St. John’s plays its first game of the 2019-20 NBL Canada season Dec. 27 in Monctomn against the defending chamopion Magic, whoi swept the Edge in last sxeason's final.
