Hoop dreams: Players arrive for first-ever St. John's Edge training camp

Wearing the brand-new navy, blue and gold practice jerseysof the St. John's Edge, 16 hardcourt hopefuls went through drillsWednesday to show off their skills at the team's training camp.

Three more are expected to show up, pumping that number up to 19 players hoping to crack the team's first-ever roster of 12.

"This is an opportunity to play professional basketball and it's going to be difficult," Coach Jeff Dunlap said.

"There's no question when it comes time to say, 'Hey, not now, or hang on, or maybe I will bring you back,'or whatever the case may be. That's going to be hard. No doubt."

But for the longtime American coach they're not the not first cuts he has madeor the first dreams he has shattered. It's not personal.

I'm the opposite of what it means.- Jarryn Skeete

"I wanna win," he said on the hardwood floor of the PowerPlex in St. John's on Wednesday.

"At what clip? I don't know. Hopefully we can put out a product that can compete and be a formidable challenge to some of the better teams in the league."

For the handful of people watching most of the names of the players at the training camp aren't well known.

Save for one:Jarryn Skeete.

The 24-year-old player got a quick lesson in local lingo when he signed to come to camp last week.

"About like two days ago my phone started blowing up a lot, saying I had a bunch of Google alerts popping up about my last name," Skeete said.

"My dad Googled it and looked it up and told me that it's a funny term people use out here. So I am just going to use it to the best of my ability and basically use that as promotion. Obviously I'm the opposite of what it means, but I think it's all fun and games."

Skeete played part of last season for the Cape Breton Highlanders. Before that he spent four years at the University of Buffalo, where he majored in communications and averaged a career7.5 points per game for the NCAA Division I team.

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes, what ever [Dunlap] needs," he said.

"[I'll] just be a good player, a good teammate. Show the young guys what I learned last year and learn what I can from the vets we have here on the team."

Among the hopeful hoopsters is St. John's local Noel Moffatt.

The 24-year-old played a handful of games last year for the Windsor Express of the NBL Canada's Central Divison.He, and all of the fellas on the floor, know that he's the local boy.

"I'd be lying if I said there wasn't pressure," he said.

"At the same time I have to try and enjoy the moment. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I kinda just try to live in the moment and just soak it in."

Training camp will continue for the next few weeks as Dunlap works to find the best fit for the new team.

The St. John's Edge first-ever tipoff comes on Prince Edward Island against the Island Storm on Nov. 18 in Charlottetown. The team's home opener is Dec. 1 against the Niagara River Lions at Mile One Centre.