The Saskatchewan Rattlers member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), have announced the signing of American guard, Jonah Mathews, USC’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.
Mathews joins the Rattlers with an already impressive career for his young age. The Santa Monica, CA., -native is currently playing in the Swedish Basketligan for the Köping Stars, averaging 21.6 points, 1.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds in eight games for the Stars. The 6-foot-3 guard can play both the point and shooting guard positions and has started six of his eight games in the Basketligan. A key contributor on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, Mathews has demonstrated an immense all-around understanding of the game and is seen as a strong shooter and facilitator.
“I’m excited for this opportunity to play in the CEBL and represent the province of Saskatchewan”, said Jonah Mathews. “I’m ready to get into Saskatoon and start competing for another CEBL championship.”
Prior to turning professional at the end of the 2020 collegiate year, Mathews spent all four years of his eligibility at the University of Southern California (USC). During the four years at USC, Mathews averaged 10.5 points, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds over the course of 133 games. Mathews’ illustrious collegiate career saw him named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team in 2018, as well as the All-Pac Second Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team in 2020. In his final game for the Trojans, Mathews broke the school record for career three-pointers made (247), and sealed his legacy at USC by sinking the UCLA Bruins with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the game. Mathews led the Trojans to a 22-9 record in 2019-20, and served as the team captain for two years. He ranks 17th on USC’s all-time scoring list.
“We are very excited to have Jonah joining us for the upcoming season”, said Rattlers General Manager Barry Rawlyk. “Jonah was an excellent all-around player during his time playing in the highly competitive Pac-12, and that same talent has transferred over to the professional game. We are positive that he will become a big addition here in Saskatchewan.”
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 starting June 5, following the success of this past year's CEBL's Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ont., which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in starting July 25, to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition.
