UNB men's basketball bolsters frontline for 2015-16

UNB's Varsity Reds men's basketball team is pleased to announce the addition of three strong recruits to the 2015-16 squad.

The V-Reds will see a bolstered frontline thanks to brothers Cam and Ben Redl from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and New Orleans' Stephon Smith.

Cam Redl stands at an impresive 6'9". He comes to UNB from the University of Saskatchewan, where he played on the offensive line for three years while completing an honours degree in English. Redl has two years of eligibility remaining, and chose to spend them with the squad at UNB over a competitive offer from NCAA D2 Simon Fraser. 

Cam's 6'7", 210-pound brother Ben comes to UNB after a successful stint with the Saskatchewan provincial team in 2010 and 2011 which included being named Player of the Game at Nationals in 2010. While playing with his high school team, the Yorkton Raiders, Ben was co-MVP, Top Scorer and Top Rebounder in 2013. He was just three rebounds shy of the YRHS all-time rebound record set by former CIS All-Star Kris Heshka.

Both Cam and Ben Redl were studying Geomatics at BCIT. After discovering the Geomatics degree offered at UNB, in conjunction with the exploding V-Reds basketball program, they opted to come to Fredericton to play and complete their studies over the University of Calgary.

New Orleans' native Stephon Smith comes to the Varsity Reds after playing three years with San Jose State University. The 6'8", 260-pound force spent his high school career playing in Houston, Texas. Smith is enrolled in the BBA program at UNB.

UNB head coach Brent Baker says he's excited to add these three young men to the roster.

"All three are physically mature and bring experience from competing at a high level. Ben should help us at the stretch 4 position, while Cam and Stephon should anchor the front court with the size and athleticism," Baker said.

"The great thing about all three of them is that rebounding is a main component of their stat line as a player."

The Varsity Reds plays next on January 2 and 3, when they host some exhibition play at the RJCC.