Magic Add Rookie Point Guard
September 24, 2019 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Moncton Magic News Release
(Moncton, NB.) The Defending NBL Canada Champion Moncton Magic have added another talented young prospect to their roster, as the team announced today the signing of 6'5" point guard Brandon Alston.
Alston, who hails from Vienna, Virginia is the 4thnew player and third true rookie the Magic have signed for their upcoming training camp, scheduled to kick off in November. Head Coach and General Manager of Player Operations Joe Salerno spotted Alston at an exposure camp in Las Vegas this past July and was immediately impressed.
"You could see right away that Brandon really understood how to play the game. He has a tremendous presence on the floor. He plays with great patience and makes very good decisions with the basketball, something that is not always easy to find in such a young player" stated Salerno.
Alston played the previous two seasons at Georgia Tech University, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which is arguably the best NCAA Division 1 Conference in the United States. He averaged 7 points, and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes per game last season, while shooting over 46% from the floor, and 39% from 3-point range.
Before joining the Yellow Jackets as a graduate transfer for the 2017-2018 season, Alston earned his Bachelor's degree in just three years at Lehigh University, where he appeared in 62 games for the Mountain Hawks. He then went on to earn his master's degree in Economics from Georgia Tech, where he was named to the ACC's All-Academic Basketball Team in 2019.
For Salerno, he hopes the rookie PG can help fill a large void left in the team's roster with the departures of 2019 Finals MVP Trey Kell, who recently signed with a professional team in Hong Kong, as well as Gentrey Thomas who is playing professionally in England this season.
"Brandon checked off a lot of the boxes we were looking for in a point guard this summer. He has great size, plays with a good pace, and a high basketball IQ. He can score, distribute, defend multiple positions, but above all, I think he is a team first guy, who will make great decisions with the basketball. He has the ability to make everyone around him better."
For Alston, there were plenty of options for his upcoming rookie campaign. He recently showed well at invite only workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento King's G League teams, as well as received multiple offers to play overseas this summer, but it ultimately came down to going with his gut and the relationship he has started to form with Salerno.
"I chose Moncton because of the multiple conversations I have had with Coach Salerno. I trust him, and I am excited to carry on the tradition of winning Moncton has established over the last couple of seasons" commented Alston.
Alston will join the rest of the Magic at the team's training camp, scheduled to kick of in November at Crandall University. The team expects to announce its 2019-2020 regular season schedule in the coming days.
National Basketball League of Canada Stories from September 24, 2019
- Chris Johnson Signs with Halifax Hurricanes - Halifax Hurricanes
- Magic Add Rookie Point Guard - Moncton Magic
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