UT Alum and Canadian Native Returns Home to Play Professional Basketball

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, Canada - Former University of Tampa men's basketball player Ashton Graham has signed a professional contract to play for the Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada).

Coached by Joe Salerno, the Island Storm is based in Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island (PEI). The team made its first playoff appearance in 2012 after finishing second overall in the regular season.

The guard will report to PEI on October 15, as the squad's first game is scheduled for November 2. Fans may follow Graham and the Storm at stormbasketball.ca or nblcanada.com.

Graham, a guard from Toronto, Canada, started for head coach Richard Schmidt during his junior and senior years. He led the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game overall ranking him sixth in the Sunshine State Conference for the 2011-12 season.

Ashton is excited about this opportunity as he states, "I've always worked for what I needed to get, so I'm happy to start…My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA, I've wanted to do it since I was six, I'm not going to stop until I get there."