Skip to main content




Like what you see?  Interested in advertising?  Send us an email at info@bpsportsniagara.com and we’ll be in touch with some great options!

Jazz sign Xavier Sneed

By
-

Niagara River Lions player Xavier Sneed has been inked to a two-year, two-way NBA contract by the Utah Jazz.

The 24-year-old St. Louis native joins Trent Forrest as players who are on two-way contracts with the Jazz. Two-way players are usually limited to how much time they can spend with their NBA team and generally play a lot in the G League, but the rules have been altered this season because of COVID-19 pandemic. Forrest has become a regular in the Jazz’s rotation.

Sneed was the second River Lion to ink an NBA deal. Javin DeLaurier signed a 10-day deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in December.

“Xavier is a prototypical, two-way player at the highest level,” said Antwi Atuahene, the River Lions’ head of basketball operations and co-general manager. “We have seen him expand his game with us throughout the summer and transfer those skills to the NBA. We are extremely proud and honoured to have been a part of his journey.”

Sneed became aware of Niagara and the Canadian Elite Basketball League because his agent is a friend of Atuahene.

His deal with Utah Jazz is his second NBA opportunity this season. He recently completed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in early January. He got in two games for the Grizzlies and played a total of seven minutes.

Since the end of the 2021 CEBL season, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward has spent most of his time playing for the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate. With the Swarm, the Kansas State alumnus averaged 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18 games. With Niagara, Sneed lead the team in points (17.8 per game) and was third in rebounds (4.7 per game), before joining the Charlotte Hornets in NBA Summer League action.

The River Lions, who went 10-4 in the 2021 regular season and advanced to the championship game, open the 2022 season May 25 on the road in Saskatchewan. Their home opener will be June 3 at the Meridian Centre against the expansion Montreal Alliance.

The teams roster is in the process of being completed. Signed so far are import Tidjan Keita and Canadian Daniel Waldin-Mullings. Training camp is scheduled to open May 15.

Season tickets are on sale now. Visit www.riverlions.ca/seasontickets for more information.

Bernie Puchalski, a graduate of Brock University and Niagara College, worked in journalism in Niagara for more than 27 years before taking a voluntary buyout from The Standard at the end of 2016. He started his career as a news reporter for the Niagara Falls Review before switching to sports reporting. He was a sports reporter and sports editor at the Niagara Falls Review before joining the Standard's sports department in 1996. He was named the Standard's sports editor in 2000 and became the regional sports editor, in charge of the Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune and Standard, in 2015, a position he held until he left the company. During his time in newspapers, he was a multiple winner and finalist for numerous Ontario and Western Ontario Newspaper Awards for sports reporting, spot news reporting and humour writing. He was a member of the Standard Boys Basketball Tournament committee and co-chair of the Standard Girls Basketball Tournament, helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for bursaries presented to participants in the tournament. He also served on countless local sports committees both in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines.

Related News

Phoenix gunning for 11th Standard title

Standard tournament rosters

61st Standard tourney starts Monday