CARL ENGLISH
Early Life
Carl English was born on February 2, 1981 in St. John's, Newfoundland to Kevin and Lavinia English and had four brothers: Peter, Michael, Bradley, and Kevin Jr. Following the loss of his parents, Carl began living with his aunt and uncle, Betty and Junior McGrath, and his cousins in the remote community of Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove in Newfoundland. His brothers were separated among different family relatives.
In Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove, English began playing basketball regularly on a makeshift hoop built by his uncle. Although Carl could only watch ice hockey on their television, which only offered two channels, his uncle often brought National Basketball Association (NBA) tapes from Ontariofor him to analyze.[1] By the time English reached grade six, he frequently played with his older brothers, who he struggled to beat.
As English improved at basketball he sought to attract interest from American colleges so he moved to the Greater Toronto Area, where he lived with his cousin, and attended Oakville's Saint Thomas of Aquinas High School. Due to a school dispute affecting extra-curricular activities, he went mostly unnoticed until the summer of 1999, when English toured with a Canadian All-Star team and caught the eye of a few Division I schools. Baylor, Notre Dame and Hawaii were all impressed by what they saw: a six-foot five-inch (196 cm) athlete with significant range on his jump shot. English had the option of returning for another year of high school but chose a late summer scholarship offer from the NCAA Division I University of Hawaii.
College Career
As a freshman, English played in two games before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left ankle. He made his only field goal attempt and sank both free throw attempts. He was granted a medical redshirt.He averaged 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a sophomore, starting all 33 games. English ranked ninth in the WAC in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage, having scored 20 or more points eight times. Memorable games include a season-high 33 points against Fresno State, five three-point shots on 11-for-16 shooting for 28 points against Tulsa and tallying 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists at SMU. English posted first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game of the WAC Tournament at Tulsa, en route to being named Second Team All-WAC.
As a junior, he started 31 games to average 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He ranked second in the WAC and 48th in the nation in scoring and scored 20 or more points 11 times and surpassed the 30-point mark three times to obtain the fifth-highest single-season point total in school history. He posted season-high 33 points against Tulsa, registered 30 points against Rice and Fresno State, scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Louisiana Tech and tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and season-high six assists against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. English finished the season on the First Team All-WAC, NABC District 13 Second Team, and USBWA District 9 First Team.[4]
Carl was a dominant player for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and led them to the NCAA tournament two times, and currently ranks 7th on their all-time scoring list. He holds the school’s single-season record for most three-point field goals with 89 and ranks second in school history in three-pointers made (162), fourth in three-pointers attempted (414) and fifth in career three-point percentage (.391). He posted 20 career 20-point games, four 30-point games and scored in double figures 59 times. Dick Vitale loved the Canadian’s game and his Hawaii Rainbow Warriors got their shine on in the 2001 and 2002 NCAA tournament. ESPN Magazine and USA Today both ran feature stories on English.
English opted to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and declare himself eligible for the 2003 NBA draft amidst speculation that he was likely to be a late first-round draft pick after averaging 19.5 PPG and leading the WAC in scoring.[5] While he initially did not hire an agent, positive early feedback led him to sign with Toronto-based agent Harold Cipin, a highly surprising choice given Cipin's low profile and lack of experience representing NBA players or other professional athletes. This was a critical decision as it rendered English ineligible to return to Hawaii for his final year of eligibility[6] and put him at a significant disadvantage against players represented by more established agents. Prior to the draft, English expected to go anywhere from 21st to 35th, according to draft boards and mock drafts
Professional Career
English went undrafted. However, The Indiana Pacers had scouted English and invited the guard to their 2003–04 training camp. In a highly confusing move, English's agent Cipin announced that English had signed a two-year guaranteed contract with the Pacers from which he would stand to earn about $1 million and told the media that Pacers GM Larry Bird had fallen in love with English's game
Following his stint with the Indiana Pacers In the 2003–04 basketball season, he played for the Charleston Lowgators of the NBA D-League. In the 2004–05 basketball season, English followed the franchise to Florida as it became the Florida Flame. Then, in the 2005–06 season, he went to Italyas Virtus Bologna enrolled him to play in the country's top basketball league. He finished the season with 25 games under his belt, averaging 19.9 minutes and 7.6 points-per-game.
In 2006–07 he signed with KK Zadar from Croatia, where he was an All-Star Game MVP in the Adriatic League. He helped win the Croatian Cup while posting over 20 points per game along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
For the 2007–08 season he moved to Spain, English then posted averages of 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 40% long-range shooting for CB Gran Canaria, resulting in performing strongly in league play. He finished first team all league.
In 2009, he left CB Gran Canaria and joined Caja Laboral for the 2009–10 season, where he averaged 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in the ACB League and helped lead the team to the ACB championship. A major accomplishment.
On 3 August 2010, he signed with DKV Joventut. Where he averaged 15.1 PPG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists while shooting 48% from Three point line.
In August 2011 he moved to Cajasol Sevilla.
2012 - 2013 was arguably the pinnacle of English’s European career. He played for Asefa Estudiantes Madrid and led the ACB in scoring at 17.2 PPG while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He shot 40% from the Three-point line.
Another year later, on March 2014, English agreed terms with Iberostar Tenerife.
On 5 November 2014 he signed with AEK Athens of the Greek Basketball League. He averaged 15 PPG, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
In 2016 he signed to play in Puerto Rico for the club Caciques de humacao where he was finish up a rehabilitation stint yet still maintained averages of 16.6 PPG, 4.4 rebounds per game and 3 assists per night.
In 2016 - 2017 season he signed with Iberostar Tenerife he posted averages of 15.2 PPG, 2 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 61 % from behind the arc. He was bought out in December and moved to Alba Berlin (Germany ) where he finished the season averaging 10 PPG, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 45% from 3.
On November 15, 2017, English returned home to sign with the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada. In a move to give back to the province of Newfoundland and to play in front of his family, friends and the people of Newfoundland for the first time since HS he finished the regular season averaging 23.7 PPG while shooting 40% from the Three-point line. He added 6 rebounds and 4 assists a night. St. John’s went from an expansion franchise and quickly garnered a proud fan base finishing second in the league with over 3500 people a night. He went on to become the league MVP, the first ever Canadian player to win the award.
Canadian National Team
Carl has been a mainstay on the national team since 2004. He played his final season 2015 - 2016. He was team captain for multiple years and led the team in scoring multiple summers.
"As an athlete it's an amazing honour to represent your country, one of my most memorable accomplishments of my career . I felt like I was representing the province of Newfoundland, my family, friends and fans as I proudly wore the Canadian Red and White."
PAG: 2015 – SILVER
FIBA Americas: 2011 – 6th; 2009 – 4th; 2007 – 5th