Darin Mency to return to Saint John

Photo Credit: Rod Stears / Saint John Riptide

He can get you right back in a game if your down double digits or extend your lead with his hot shooting hand and he plays intense defense. That's why he is such a crowd favourite.

Saint John is bringing back another familiar face from its past.

The Saint John Riptide have brought back six-foot-three guard Darin Mency for this upcoming season, according to a team-issued statement.

Mency, who played for La Roda in Spain earlier this year, had been a member of the then-called Saint John Mill Rats during the 2014-15 National Basketball League of Canada season. He had averaged 13.9 points per game on 42.9 per cent shooting from three-point range in 13 appearances that season.

He had also played for the London Lightning the previous season.

“It’s great to get a great shooter like Darin back with Saint John,” said head coach and general manager Rob Spon in a statement. “He can get you right back in a game if your down double digits or extend your lead with his hot shooting hand and he plays intense defense. That's why he is such a crowd favourite.”

Mency, a one-time Premier Basketball League Sixth Man of the Year award winner, also has NBA D-League experience. He had appeared in three games for the Delaware 87ers before being released during the 2013-14 season before signing with London.

Spon said Mency brings excitement to the team, something that is important to Saint John.

“Usually great shooters are not good defenders, but Darin takes on the challenge of guarding our opposition’s best backcourt scorers,” said Spon.

The announcement comes hours after the team traded their two picks in this weekend’s NBL Canada Entry Draft to the Windsor Express for the signing rights to Michael Nwelue and Bright Mensah.

In addition to bringing Mency back into the fold, Saint John has re-signed Anthony Anderson, Anthony Stover, Gabe Freeman, Jabs Newby and Olu Famutimi so far this offseason.