Highlanders’ Tyrone Levingston becomes new president of St. John’s Edge professional basketball team

Bound St. John's

Tyrone Levingston - Contributed

SYDNEY, N.S. — The person who helped bring professional basketball back to Cape Breton in 2016 has changed teams for the 2019-20 season.

Cape Breton Highlanders president and general manager Tyrone Levingston has signed a one-year contract to become the new president of the St. John’s Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).

Levingston confirmed the news via email with the Cape Breton Post late last week, noting he officially began his new position with the Newfoundland-based Edge, a team owned by Cape Breton Eagles majority owner Irwin Simon, on Monday.

The news comes more than two months after the Highlanders announced they’d be taking a one-year leave of absence from the NBLC because of financial problems.

The Cape Breton franchise first announced in July it would be suspending operations, but in early August, began a season-ticket drive with a goal of getting 1,500 season-ticket holders in an attempt to save the 2019-20 year.

The team was able to sell 700 seats in less than a week, but never did meet its goal, forcing the club to sit on the sidelines this season.

Like many new organizations, the Highlanders struggled in its first two seasons, posting a 15-25 record in their inaugural year in 2016-17, before finishing the 2017-18 season with a 12-27 record.

The team improved last season, finishing the year with a 19-21 record, while making franchise history for most wins in a single season and clinching their first-ever playoff spot, something many believed would be a positive for the club heading into the off-season.

The Sydney-based team was eliminated in the first round of the NBLC playoffs by the Halifax Hurricanes in five games in mid-April.
Despite Levingston’s decision to join the Edge for this season, he isn’t ruling out the return of the Highlanders next year.

“Our goal is to revitalize the Highlanders next season if the funds are there,” said Levingston in an email. “I would love to see them back.”

For now, the NBLC will feature eight teams including the Edge, Island Storm of Charlottetown, Halifax Hurricanes, KW Titans of Kitchener-Waterloo, London Lightning, Windsor Express, Sudbury Five and defending league champion Moncton Magic.

The league’s preseason began last week, while the regular season is expected to start next month.