Corey Maynard signs professional contract in Australia

SMITHFIELD, R.I. --Senior guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) has signed a professional contract to continue his basketball career and will suit up for Skytrans Cairns Taipains of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL).

Maynard is set to graduate from Bryant University this May after playing four years for the Bulldogs and guiding them into the postseason as a junior and senior. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in his senior season en route to an All-Northeast Conference Third Team selection, as the Black and Gold finished third in conference play (18-14, 10-6 NEC). In his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Maynard averaged 9.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 4.3 rpg while converting 42 percent of his shots from the field.

Taipans head coach said Maynard's 191-centimetre (6-foot-3), 88kg (185 pounds) frame and ability to run a team and defend made him a promising NBL talent.

"Corey is an organising, distributing point guard, a physical player who already has good size to play at this level," Fearne said.

"He's competitive, tough and we know he'll get after it on defence," he said.

Fearne said Maynard's mental toughness had piqued the Taipans' interest in the youngster.

He joined a Bulldogs side that had won just 1 of 30 games the previous season (2009-10), but played a key role in the Bulldogs improving to 19 then 18 wins in 2012-13 and 2013-14, respectively.

"In his first few years at Bryant the programme struggled, but he's showed some resilience to go through that and be part of their success in their last two years. That's a great quality to have."

Maynard will be met in Cairns by familiar faces, having represented Australia at the 2012 World University games alongside current Taipans Cameron Gliddon and assistant coach Mick Downer.