Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The Saskatchewan Rattlers are looking to end a losing season on a winning streak.
Enter Tevian Jones.
Jones was leading the Winnipeg Sea Bears in scoring this season when he left the team to pursue other pro basketball options, only to land back in the Canadian Elite Basketball League — this time with the Rattlers.
“That was the goal, to try and get into (NBA) Summer League,” offered Jones, who has 73 points in three games with Saskatchewan since joining the team.
Jones had 21 points, six rebounds and two assists in the team’s most recent game, scoring the target-score game-winning free throws for a 97-96 win over the host Ottawa Blackjacks over the week.
Jones, a former CEBL all-star, has averaged 17.6 points, 2.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game during three seasons in the Canadian pro league.
“I went home for a little bit, stayed working out,” explained Jones, who had a strong 2024-25 campaign with the NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Gold where he averaged 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals over 18 games.Jones recorded a season-high 30 points on February 1 against the Santa Cruz Warriors as the Gold reached the NBA G League Showcase Cup semi-finals.
He had played in the NBA Summer League previously with the Brooklyn Nets but nothing materialized for him this time around.
“That (NBA Summer League) really didn’t happen so I came back,” said Jones, who played his NCAA college basketball at Southern Utah University and the University of Illinois. “They (Rattlers) offered the opportunity. I feel like it was a good opportunity for me to kind of finish off the season, stay sharp to get into the next season coming up.”
The Rattlers — who lost American starter Jamir Chaplin to a leg injury earlier this season and jettisoned imports Johnny Hughes III and Takal Molson, as well as Canadian guard Cody John — were looking for scoring help.
“Tevian’s a pro,” said Rattlers head coach Eric Magdanz. “He’s had limited practice time with us but he knows how to find his spots. He knows where he wants to get his shots, so it’s something we hope to build off for the rest of the season.”
Jones left a Winnipeg team — which automatically gets into the CEBL championship weekend as the host team — for a team that has been officially eliminated from playoff contention.
“Yes, definitely a challenge, but I think it’s important to stay focused during those times and really lock in with each other,” said Jones. “I think we’ve kind of done a good job of that so far.”
Saskatchewan (5-14) has five games remaining, two of them at home. The Rattlers are on the road for their next two games, Friday in Winnipeg against the Sea Bears and Sunday in Edmonton against the Stingers, before returning home for a game Wednesday, Aug. 6, against the Stingers.
“It’s important that we just take it one day at a time, really try not to look too forward into the future,” said Jones. “I think, if we can do that, we will be able to string together wins down these last few games. I think we can have a good end to the season.”
