Carl Jerome English (born February 2, 1981) is a Canadian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

for the

St. John's Edge The St. John's Edge are an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and compete in the National Basketball League of Canada. From 2017 to 2020, they played home games at Mile One Centre. The ...

of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

. A

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, he has also played for the Canadian national team. Born in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

, English was a member of the provincial youth team and shone with his local school Fatima Academy, before moving to

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...

. He spent four seasons at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

level with

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the first of which he

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

due to injury. He earned All- WAC accolades in his final two years of college and left with the second-most career three-pointers in school history. After going undrafted in the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

, English began his professional career in the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. In 2005, he signed with Italian team

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

. English subsequently joined

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

in Croatia, where he was one of the best scorers. In 2007, he moved to Spain for several years, leading the top Spanish league in scoring with Estudiantes in 2013. He returned to his hometown in 2017 with NBL Canada team St. John's Edge and was named

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

and Canadian of the Year in his first season.

Early life and high school career

English was born in St. John's, Newfoundland in Canada to Kevin and Lavinia English and had four brothers, named Peter, Michael, Bradley, and Kevin Jr. When he was five years old, his family's house caught fire in March 1986, but he escaped with his brothers. However, his parents suffered severe burns and both died in the next month. As a result, English began living with his aunt and uncle, Betty and Junior McGrath, and with his cousins in

Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the Cape Shore of the Avalon Peninsula. The area was first settled by James Coffey in the early 19th cent ...

, a remote community in Newfoundland. His brothers were separated among different family relatives. In Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove, English practiced basketball on a makeshift hoop built by his uncle beside Route 100, a two-lane highway in front of their house. He often played with his brothers when they visited. In eighth grade, English was the starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

for Fatima Academy in the nearby town of St. Bride's, averaging 50 points per game. He was named team

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(MVP) and was also a member of the varsity cross country team. At age 16, English joined the provincial basketball team at the 1997

Canada Summer Games The Canada Games (french: Jeux du Canada) is a multi-sport event held every two years, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. They represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. Two ...

, where he was a starter despite being younger than most of his opponents. For his senior year, English transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...

, a program that had produced

players. He started living with his cousin Howie. After a labor dispute suspended the school's basketball program for a year, English considered returning home. However, he remained after joining a Canadian under-18 team that competed across the United States. His success with the team drew attention from top college programs, including Georgetown,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

College career

Holding about 50

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

offers from college programs, English decided to attend the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and play for the Rainbow Warriors. He became the third player from Newfoundland to play NCAA Division I basketball. English only played 2 games in his first season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left ankle. He averaged 2 points and 1 rebound per game and was allowed to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

the season. As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, coming off the bench through 28 games. He scored a season-high 25 points in a championship game win over

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

at the 2001 WAC tournament, in which he was named MVP. In his sophomore season, English averaged 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, earning second-team All- WAC honors. On February 21, 2002, he scored 28 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range, against Tulsa. English posted a season-best 33 points in a win over

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

on March 2, as Hawaii claimed a share of the WAC regular season title. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in his junior campaign and was named first-team All-WAC and to the All-WAC Tournament team. On January 14, 2003, English erupted for 30 points against Fresno State. Later in the month, he scored 30 points again, in an 85–70 win over

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

. On February 2, 2003, English tallied 28 points, with a career-high 8 three-pointers, to guide his team past Tulsa. He broke Hawaii's single-season three-pointer record, with 89, and ranked second in school history in career three-pointers.

Professional career

NBA D-League stint (2003–2005)

Despite having one more year of college eligibility, English entered the

, confident that he would be selected by a team. After going undrafted, he joined the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

for NBA training camp, where he impressed general manager

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

. On October 26, English was waived by the Pacers. On November 6, he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the

2003 National Basketball Development League draft The 2003 NBDL Draft was the third annual draft by the NBA Development League, National Basketball Development League. It was held on November 6, 2003. Draft Key Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 ...

by the

Charleston Lowgators Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

. In 2003, he was also picked by the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

in the fourth round of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) draft. Through 45 games with the Lowgators, English averaged 8.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.1 minutes per game. He ranked second in the league with 50 three-pointers. On October 5, 2004, English signed with the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in the NBA but was waived 10 days later. He returned to the D-League with his old team, which had relocated and changed its name to the

Florida Flame The Florida Flame was an NBA Development League team based in Fort Myers, Florida. The Flame announced they would temporarily shut down operations during 2006–07, due to not having a home arena in which to play. The team maintained its league m ...

. Through 48 games, English averaged 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, shooting 46% from the field. He finished with the fifth most points in the league.

Move to Europe (2005–2007)

Estudiantes vs Unicaja Málaga - Carl English - 01

English played for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

at 2005

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

. For the 2005–06 season, he played with

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier le ...

. Through 25 games, English averaged 7.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 19.9 minutes per game. On December 28, 2005, he scored a season-high 22 points, with 5 three-pointers, in an 84–78 loss to Reggiana. In 2006–07, English signed with

of the Croatian League and

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

, leading the team to a Croatian National Cup victory. He finished second in the Croatian League in scoring, with 27 points per game, and earned all-league second team honors from basketball website

Eurobasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

. In addition, he was named ABA League All-Star and won the All-Star MVP award.

Success in Spain (2007–2014)

On July 27, 2007, English signed with Spanish team

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

and ULEB Cup for the 2007–08 season. Through 34 ACB games, he averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Through 14 ULEB Cup games, English averaged 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. In his debut on October 6, 2007, he recorded a team-high 18 points and 4 steals in a 68–61 win over

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...

. On December 9, English scored 26 points, shooting 4-of-7 on three-pointers, in an 85–79 loss to

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

. He scored a season-high 28 points in 25 minutes on January 20, 2008, against

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

. On August 3, 2008, English re-signed with Gran Canaria for one more season. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game through 33 ACB games. English averaged 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game through 6 EuroCup games.Beginning in its 2008–09 season, the ULEB Cup was renamed to the EuroCup. He made his season debut on October 8, 2008, scoring 20 points in a 76–68 loss to

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

. In 2009, he left

CB Gran Canaria Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria – Claret, S.A.D., is a professional basketball club based in Las Palmas, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is the Gran Canaria Arena. From 2012 until 2021, they have been sponsored by Herbalif ...

and joined

Caja Laboral Caja Laboral Popular Cooperativa de Crédito or Caja Laboral (Workers' Credit Union) was a Spanish credit union established in 1959 as part of the Mondragon Corporation and headquartered in Mondragón, in the Basque Country of Spain. The major ...

for the 2009–10 season, where he averaged 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in the

ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. On 3 August 2010, he signed with

DKV Joventut Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two teams ...

. In August 2011 he moved to Cajasol Sevilla. One year later, he signs for

CB Estudiantes Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, S.A.D., known simply as Estu and as Movistar Estudiantes for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball team based in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is a member of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto (ACB). Founded in 19 ...

leaving the team in 2013 without finishing the season. Another year later, in March 2014, English agreed terms with

Iberostar Tenerife Club Cantera Base 1939 Canarias S.A.D., also known as Lenovo Tenerife for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Domestically, the team plays in the top level league i ...

Twilight years (2014–2017)

On November 5, 2014, English signed with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...

of the

Greek Basketball League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

Return to Canada (2017–present)

On November 15, 2017, English signed with the

of the

. In his season debut versus the

Island Storm The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...

on November 18, he made a game-winning three-pointer with about 4 seconds left. On March 3, 2018, English broke the league's single-game scoring record with 58 points in a 127–117 win over the

KW Titans KW Titans (formally known as Kitchener-Waterloo Titans Basketball Club) are a professional basketball team based in Regional Municipality of Waterloo and competing the National Basketball League of Canada. The team plays its home games at Kitche ...

. He finished the season with 23.7 points per game, second in the league behind

Royce White Royce Alexander White (born April 10, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. During his brief tenure with the NBA—he played just briefly in three regular-season games—White was open about his history of Generalized Anxi ...

National team career

English has been part of

Canada Basketball Canada Basketball (CB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada. ...

since 2000. He has been a crucial component of the Canadian national basketball team in recent years and spent the summer of 2008 playing with the Canadian national team, trying to help them qualify for the 2008 Olympics. The following summer English also participated in the

2009 FIBA Americas Championship The 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the continental championship held by FIBA Americas, for North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. This FIBA AmeriCup championship served as a qualifying tourname ...

, he helped lead Canada to a 4th-place finish losing in the 3rd place game to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Personal life

English is married to his high school sweetheart Mandy and has three children: son Ryder, and daughters Kirsten and Kylie.

Notes

References

External links

Euroleague.net ProfileEurobasket.com ProfileSpanish League Profile

Italian League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Carl 1981 births Living people ABA League players AEK B.C. players Alba Berlin players Basketball people from Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Caciques de Humacao players Canadian expatriate basketball people in Croatia Canadian expatriate basketball people in Germany Canadian expatriate basketball people in Greece Canadian expatriate basketball people in Italy Canadian expatriate basketball people in Spain Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players CB Estudiantes players CB Gran Canaria players Real Betis Baloncesto players Charleston Lowgators players Florida Flame players Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball players Joventut Badalona players KK Zadar players Liga ACB players Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Saski Baskonia players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's Edge players Virtus Bologna players