The Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Saturday the signing of Justin Edwards, who was drafted by Hamilton in the open round of the 2019 CEBL Entry Draft.

A 6-foot-4 guard from Whitby, Ontario, Edwards has averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 21.8 minutes in 156 games as a pro. He completed the 2018-19 campaign with Anyang KGC of the Korean Basketball League where he averaged 14.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 36 games. Edwards netted a season-high 38 points on February 3 versus DB Promy and recorded 20 or more points on eight occasions. He played two games for the Toronto Raptors in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 2.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 blocks and 19.1 minutes. His first professional contract was with Alba Fehervar where he helped lead the team to the Hungarian Cup and Hungarian League Championship. He earned FIBA Europe Cup Top Performer honours after netting 22 points on nine-for-11 shooting from the field in just 24 minutes November 2, 2016 vs. Elan Chalon. He has also competed professionally in Israel, Italy and France.

Edwards played collegiately for two seasons with Kansas State after transferring from Maine. In 126 total NCCA games, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in May 2016 after being named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honour Roll in 2015. Edwards became just the fifth sophomore in America East history to lead the league in scoring. He enjoyed one of the best freshman campaigns in Maine basketball history, earning CollegeHoops.net America East Rookie of the Year and recognition to the All-America East Rookie Team by the league coaches.

In 2013, Canada Basketball named Edwards to its national team training camp roster. In high school, Edwards led Anderson Collegiate to five consecutive conference titles, including one OFSAA championship.

The 26-year-old Edwards is expected to join the Honey Badgers training camp Monday in Hamilton as the team prepares for its inaugural season. Hamilton’s historic first game is scheduled for Sunday, May 12 when Edmonton visits FirstOntario Centre. To learn more about Hamilton’s new professional sports franchise, visit www.honeybadgers.ca.

The CEBL, the official professional league partner of Canada Basketball, opens its inaugural season May 9 with franchises in Fraser Valley (Abbotsford), Edmonton, Guelph, Hamilton, Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), and Niagara (St. Catharines). CEBL teams will play a 20-game regular season from May 9 to August 15, culminating with a league championship playoff at a site to be announced. Honey Badgers season tickets are available by contacting tickets@honeybadgers.ca while individual tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca.

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Media Contact:
Maria Suriani, Manager, Operations & Community Engagement
(647) 924-2274 / msuriani@honeybadgers.ca