by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix are pleased to announce the signing of American guard Mike McCall Jr.
McCall was born in Chicago, USA and spent his collegiate career playing for the Saint Louis Billikens in the Atlantic 10 conference, NCAA D1.
The 6’0 guard accumulated 133 apperances (110 starts) for the Billikens and averaged 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game whilst shooting 36% from 3-point territory.
McCall spent the 2014-15 season playing in the G-League for the Iowa Wolves (Minnesota Timberwolves’ affiliation team) before moving to Deportivo Quevedo in Ecuador, where he averaged 32 points per game.
The Chicago-native then spent two seasons at his hometown club, Chicago Steam, in the ABA, where he averaged 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals per game, whilst shooting 40% from 3-point range.
McCall had his first stint in the BBL during the 2018-19 season, when he suited up for the Manchester Giants on 33 occasions (all starts) and averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.2 rebound per night whilst converting 38.8% of his attempts from 3-point land.
Before signing for the Phoenix, the 29-year-old was in red-hot form at AB Contern in Luxembourg’s Total League, as he was averaging 16 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists on an eye-popping 41.2% shooting from beyond the arc in the first four games of the 2020/21 season.
Ben Thomas: “Mike is exactly what our team needs right now. He’s a proven player at this level and is effective at both ends of the floor.
“With his current season being cut short, I know he is desperate to get out on the floor and start competing.
“I’m looking forward to working with him!”
Mike McCall Jr: “I’m definitely excited to be back!!
“My previous season in the BBL was very competitive and fun, now that I’m back here with the Phoenix, I’m looking forward to getting things started and ready to win a lot of ball games with the club.”
Following the arrival of Mike, we have parted ways with Devin Mitchell by mutual consent. We would like to thank Devin for all his hard work and professionalism and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.