By Libaan Osman
After three legendary seasons at Ryerson, former Rams men’s basketball point guard Myles Charvis has signed a professional contract with the KW Titans of the National Basketball League (NBL) Canada.
Charvis finished his Rams career ranked second in assists and eighth in steals all-time in program history.
Before transferring to Ryerson in 2016, Charvis played two seasons at the University of Waterloo and was named an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West All-Rookie Team in his first year.
The Mississauga local wrapped up his five-year U SPORTS career this past March at the Final 8 tournament in Halifax, adding a bronze medal to his collection.
Even though a national championship is what Charvis and the Rams strived to accomplish, the standing ovation that himself, Jean-Victor Mukama and Filip Vujadinovic received from the crowd was all he could’ve asked for.
“I don’t even know if they knew we were seniors,” said Charvis. “It was cool because it was the last time we got to walk off the court as Rams.”
Charvis closed out his final season averaging 16.0 points, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals a game while shooting 41.6 per cent from three in 23 games. He was also the team MVP and earned an OUA Second-Team All-Star nod.
At the end of the season, Charvis received a call while on a trip to Vermont celebrating a friend’s birthday. It was from former head coach and general manager, Tarry Upshaw, who brought up the possibility of him being drafted by the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
“I had no idea what the league was about,” admitted Charvis. “I was still in the process of figuring my next steps so I was like ‘Of course, I’m all for it.’ It’s a summer league too so it didn’t hinder any overseas stuff.”
Charvis was selected with the 13th pick in the second round of the U SPORTS draft on March 23.
In his first taste of pro basketball, the 25-year-old experienced almost everything imaginable.
He didn’t play much through the two months of regular season play. But the hiring of coach and general manager Charles Kissi—an assistant for the Raptors 905—in July completely changed the style of play of the Nighthawks, to the benefit of Charvis.
“When he came in, he gave me the tools to be successful,” said Charvis. “I was really happy that he came in and changed the culture of what was going on in Guelph.”
He averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 assists in the Nighthawks last three games of the season while also being named the CEBL’s player of the month of August.
“I was picking the brains of the older guys, guys that have been [playing professionally] for 10+ years. I was one of the youngest guys on the team, if not the youngest,” said Charvis.
That entire summer with the Nighthawks allowed Charvis to soak up a lot of knowledge from seasoned veterans—including learning how to remain level-headed on off nights. Following his time in the CEBL, Charvis was with the Raptors 905 this past summer looking to secure a spot on their roster but was cut by the team right before training camp.
With the European season already underway, Charvis felt his next best move was to look at the NBL. Shortly after, he was offered a chance to play in an exhibition game with the KW Titans of the NBL league.
The game he appeared in was a special one: a matchup against the 905.
It was an opportunity for Charvis to “kill two birds with one stone.” He was able to show the 905 what he’s made of, as the Titans also got a chance to get a closer look at the Charvis’ talent and decide whether to sign him.
“The first play of the game, I came off a screen and shot a deep three. I was like ‘I wanted to let you guys know that I’m here,’” said Charvis.
Dropping 25 points, Titans head coach Cavell Johnson approached Charvis after the game to talk about bringing him on board for the rest of the season. The team announced via social media on Nov. 12 that he’ll be joining them this year.
“It works good for me because it’s not too far from Mississauga where I’m from and my son actually lives in Waterloo with his mom,” said Charvis. “It’s a win-win for my first full year playing pro. I get to be at home and my son’s right there.”
Returning to Waterloo where his university career all started, Charvis is excited about the possibilities to come. For him, it’s just about enjoying the day-by-day process, believing in the work he’s put in and staying ready for any opportunities that come his way.
Charvis came to Ryerson as a winner and left the program as one too. He had one U SPORTS silver medal and two bronze medals added to his name in a three-year span.
“That’s what we all went to Ryerson for. It wasn’t to look cool, or [for] the gear. At the end of the day we wanted to win,” said Charvis. “If I can say anything about Ryerson is that we won there.”
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