River Lions Announce Signing of Aaryn Rai

St. Catharines, ON - The Niagara River Lions announced today the signing of 25 year-old Canadian, Aaryn Rai. The 6’6 forward from Markham, Ontario is currently playing for the Cheshire Phoenix of the British Basketball League (BBL) where he is averaging 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.6 minutes per game. 

“Aaryn is a young Canadian who has really impressed me with how he plays the game,” said Head Coach and General Manager, Victor Raso. “His game is very multi-faceted, he plays multiple positions, can score in many ways and is an excellent rebounder. On top of that, he is a very impressive young man who has a bright career ahead of him. Aaryn is an excellent addition to our team and I’m very excited to have him!”

Prior to his professional career, Rai spent five years at Ivy League, Dartmouth College where he played Division 1 basketball while earning a neuroscience degree. As a member of the Big Green, Rai averaged 8.6 points, 5,3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 107 games played. During the 2021-2022 season, Rai ranked among the top 10 in the Ivy League in scoring (12.3 per game, 10th), rebounding (7.2 per game, 3rd), blocked shots (0.6 per game, 7th) and steals (1.2 per game, 10th).

Following his collegiate career, Rai signed with the Hemel Storm of the National Basketball League in England where the team went unbeaten all season and Rai made his mark in Storm history. Rai became the team’s second ever season MVP after averaging 24 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists amongst many memorable performances. 

In his current season with the Pheonix, Rai helped lead the team to a BBL Cup victory putting up 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the final game. He sits second in the league in points per game (18.4), and fifth in total rebounds per game (7.8).

“I'm super excited to play for Coach Victor and the River Lions this summer.” said Rai “I'm preparing to bring great energy to the team and hopefully some silverware back to Niagara at the end of the season!”

The Niagara River Lions are one of the original six teams of the CEBL. Playing out of Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, the River Lions represent the twelve municipalities of the Niagara Region while living up to the River Lions moniker of pride and strength of community. Season tickets, voucher packs and group tickets are on sale now. Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.