Brian McKenzie, a 6’4” guard/forward from Providence College has been announced as the UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders’ 4^th signing of the summer. The 22 year old graduated from Providence this summer, having received the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the college, while averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds a game.

“He’s coming to us from a fantastic University,” said Raiders Coach Gavin Love. “Providence are used to playing teams like Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova, Connecticut and West Virginia. Brian has been playing against the USA’s elite teams week in, week out, and will do pretty much anything his coach asks of him. He’s an athlete, who can score, rebound, play defense and can really shoot the ball well. Two years ago, he was averaging 11 points, 4 rebounds and shooting over 40% from the 3-point line. To put that into context, Jessie Sapp who played at Georgetown, averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game, and he made a fantastic impression on the BBL last year for the Glasgow Rocks. I’m very excited by everything that Brian brings to the table.”

McKenzie can play the small forward or both the shooting guard and point guard positions, so will add a lot of flexibility to the Raiders team, allowing Coach Love the luxury to have a Plan A, but also a Plan B and even a Plan C.

“I’ve spoken to his coaches at Providence and they can’t speak highly enough of him,” added Love. “They’ve told me that on court, he’ll do anything we ask him to do, whether that’s play defense on a bigger guy, bring the ball up, hit the 3 pointer or slash to the basket creating his own shot or looking for others. I’ve talked to coaches of teams who played against him in the Big East last year, and they were all very positive in their praise for Brian. We’re not only getting a very good basketball player, but having spoken to him a lot, he’s also a great guy and will be a terrific ambassador for the team and our sponsors.”

McKenzie brings the number of players recruited so far to four, joining England international Taner Adu, American/German Cody Toppert, and American centre Otis Polk. “So far, it’s a very different line up to last year,” said Raiders Chief Executive Dave Briggs. “Things are shaping up really well. We still have one permit slot left to fill, and a number of other British/European positions as well. Gavin’s determined to put the best team onto the floor come September that’s possible. He’s been working hard day and night to ensure that everything comes together.”