ORONO, Maine — Soon-to-be former University of Maine basketball player Justin Edwards is taking time out of his late-semester schedule to take another NCAA official visit.
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-3 sophomore was en route to Omaha, Neb., where he was scheduled Wednesday and Thursday to talk with the coaches and players at Creighton University.
Edwards, an All-America East second-team guard, on March 28 announced he was leaving UMaine to pursue other basketball opportunities at a higher level.
Edwards’ trip was confirmed Tuesday by a post on his Twitter account, @Justedwards14. It read: “Airport life gets old, real fast! #nextstop Omaha @JManigat12 needs to show me what’s good out there!”
The reference made was to Jaheens Manigat, who will be a senior at Creighton next season. He also hails from Ontario (Ottawa, Canada).
Whiteandbluereview.com, a website that covers developments involving Creighton athletics, recently reported that the staff of the Bluejays was among those who had recruited Edwards during his high school years.
It also theorized Creighton might be able to entice Edwards with the possibility of significant playing time, especially after Manigat graduates.
Creighton, which played this season in the Missouri Valley Conference, earned a No. 7 seed for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The Bluejays advanced to the third round, where they lost to perennial power Duke.
Creighton, coached by Greg McDermott, beat eventual Final Four participant Wichita State to win the MVC title.
Next season Creighton, along with Atlantic 10 defectors Xavier and Butler, will become part of the new Big East Conference along with Catholic universities Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova, Marquette and DePaul.
UMaine signs Reid-Knight
UMaine on Thursday announced that Troy Reid-Knight has signed a National Letter of Intent as the latest member of coach Ted Woodward’s 2012-13 recruiting class.
Reid-Knight is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard from Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, who is attending Thornlea Prep. This season, he was named a Rock Invitational Tournament All-Star and played in the Battle of the Boards High School All-Star Game.
“Troy provides our program with great playmaking ability and production at the guard position, competitive toughness, and excellent court awareness on both ends of the floor,” Woodward said in a press release. “He is a terrific person and student as well. As a player, he is a lock-down defender, and guard with tremendous skill handling the ball, shooting from three-point land, and making plays off the dribble.”
Reid-Knight will help bolster a back court that loses two-year starter Edwards and senior Jon McAllian of Bangor.
Previously, Reid-Knight helped Vaughan Secondary School claim four York Region Championships and two Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association titles while averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Reid-Knight was also on the four-player Team Canada squad that finished fourth at the FIBA Under-18 3-on-3 Championships and led his CIA Bounce AAU team to a national championship in 2011.
The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the university and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Cole Bone Marrow Drive set
The University of Maine football team, in conjunction with the women’s soccer team and students from the Bodwell Center, will host the sixth annual Jeff Cole Bone Marrow Drive on Wednesday, May 1.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bangor Room at the Memorial Union on the UMaine campus.
The process takes only a few minutes and requires just a swab from the inside of the cheek to be put on the registry. Donations of bone marrow facilitate life-saving treatments used to combat several types of cancers and other serious illnesses.
The Drive is in memory of former Black Bears assistant coach Jeff Cole, who died on October 18, 2004, after a multiyear battle with cancer.
UMaine swim captains named
Joey Quinn of Bangor, Brent Williams of Clifton and Lauren Dwyer of Orono are among several student-athletes who have been named captains for the 2013-14 UMaine swimming and diving team.
Head coach Susan Lizzotte made the announcement.
The other women’s captains are Shannon Bender (Cumberland, R.I.), Rebecca Bonnett (Bath, Maine) and Kara Capossela (Greenwich, Conn.). Cody Lachance (Winslow, Maine) also will captain the men’s squad. Williams served as a captain this season.
The seven captains will all be seniors next season for Lizzotte’s teams.