6-foot-7 Cole Long will take his talents to the University of Detroit Mercy this fall.

Former Raptor Jermaine Jackson wasted no time tapping into his Toronto roots. Recently promoted to associate coach at the University of Detroit, he’s landed  a coveted Canadian domino. St. Johns, NL native Cole Long will take his talents to the University of Detroit Mercy this fall.

2016 Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) champion under Brandon Lesovsky with Athlete Institute.

Originally from the Atlantic Coast, it was forty-five minutes from Toronto at Athlete’s Institute in Orangeville, Ontario, where Long spent his final two high school seasons. Cole was teammate to NBA draft bound Thon Maker. Along side Maker, Long was instrumental in helping the Bears to their first ever Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) playoff title. Making opposition pay for double teaming is one of the many things that drew the Titans to Long.

“He’s a glue guy,’’ Jackson told the Detroit Free Press. “He played with one of the best big men in the country in Thon Maker. Halfway through the season, teams couldn’t double-team Thon because Cole would hit the three. He’s a great shooter, and teams won’t be able to double Jaleel Hogan now with Cole on the floor.’’

With time available and the opportunity to become an immediate impact player, Long’s former head coach at Athlete Institute Brandon Lesovsky gave UDM fans an idea of what to expect.

St. John’s native Cole Long, 18, has committed to Detroit. (Havard Gould/CBC)

“Detroit gets somebody that in four years is just going to continue to get better and better and better, They need somebody that’s a pick and pop guy, somebody who understands his role. So Cole is willing to fulfill anything he can to help the team win,” Lesovsky told Hoops Hype Canada. “6-7 shooter who can stretch the defense. Can handle the ball and do a lot of different things other than just shoot it but obviously he can really shoot it,” he added.

Lesovsky when asked about the biggest change in Cole’s game from when year one to year two was consistent production in a season that saw Athlete Institutes level of competition spike  from  the arrival of Thon Maker and also a  Notre Dame commit Nikola Djogo.

“Consistency. Not consistency of effort because that was always there. Consistency of production. When Thon wasn’t in there with injury, Cole and Nik really proved what they were about.” Added coach Lesovsky.

(L to R): Jermaine Jackson, Cole Long, Bacari Alexander.

Detroit  now presents 6-foot-7 Long  the opportunity to be coached by guys that have coached players from a high level.  Titans head coach Bacari Alexander enters his first year at the helm via Michigan where he was instrumental developing big men such as Mitch McGary, Jordan Morgan and, most recently, Mark Donnal. Associate Jermaine Jackson prior to a successful career in Europe spent several seasons in the NBA coached by Hall of Fame coaches Larry Brown and Lenny Wilkens among others.

Both Alexander and Jackson are Detroit alums from the programs heyday in the late 90’s. Now eager and enthusiastic to create a championship culture again, adding high iq and character guys like Cole Long will only help expedite a Titans renaissance some twenty years later!

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Long is the first Newfoundland product to earn a Division 1 scholarship since current professional and long time Canadian international Carl English did in 2001 when he committed to Hawaii.