MONCTON, New Brunswick, Canada – Former Slippery Rock University men's basketball standout Michael Evans Jr. recently signed a contract to play professionally in Canada.

A 6-foot-3, 185-pound shooting guard, Evans is a member of the Moncton Miracles of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL), the first-ever Canadian national professional basketball league.

Evans and the Miracles, coached by Norris "Bo" Bell, open training camp Oct. 18 and play their first exhibition game Oct. 24 against the Summerside Storm at Moncton Coliseum. The first regular-season game is scheduled for Oct. 29 on the road against the Quebec Kebs.

Evans served as an assistant coach/practice player last winter for the Halifax Rainmen in the Premier Basketball League. He helped lead the Rainmen, who were coached by his father, former Kansas State and NBA standout Mike Evans, to their first playoff victory in franchise history against Lawton Ft. Sill Cavalry, a decision that ended the Cavalry's 33-game home winning streak. The Rainmen are now part of the NBL Canada.

A native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., and graduate of Thunder Ridge High School, Evans averaged 12.3 points per game in two seasons at The Rock after transferring from Division I Morehead (Ky.) State University. He began his collegiate career at Daytona Beach Community College (Fla.).

Evans left his mark at SRU as one of the top 3-point shooters in school history. He tied a school record with eight treys against Ashland in the 2008-09 season, his first at SRU, and also hit seven long-range bombs vs. West Chester that season and seven more vs. Seton Hill in 2009-10.

A starter in 39 of The Rock's 52 games from 2008-10, Evans ranks fourth on the school's career 3-point attempts list with 405. He buried 73 long-range shots in 2009-10 after hitting 57 the previous season. Those totals rank third and seventh, respectively, on SRU's single-season chart. His 222 3-point attempts in 2009-10 and 183 in 2008-09 rank second and fifth, respectively.

Evans is the fourth Rock player coached by current SRU head coach Kevin Reynolds to sign a professional contract. He joins former teammates Kyle Camper (Germany), Erroll Robinson (ABA Dallas Impact) and Denell Stephens (Luxembourg) in that elite group.

About the NBL

The NBL was founded by the Kebs, Rainmen and Saint John Mill Rats and took on four expansion teams for the 2011-12 season: the Miracles, Storm, Oshawa Power and London Lightning.

Each team will play a 36-game regular-season schedule starting Oct. 14 and ending in March followed by the playoffs.