The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that former New York Knicks guard, national team member, and Syracuse University star Andy Rautins has been named assistant general manager of the club.

Rautins, 34, is an American-born Canadian who played five games in the NBA with the New York Knickerbockers, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft. He played a total of 13 NBA preseason games with New York, Oklahoma City and the Toronto Raptors, in addition to 10 NBA Summer League games split between the Kickerbockers and the Chicago Bulls. Rautins averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 29.7 minutes in 48 games for the Tulsa 66ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder affiliated team in the NBA G League.

During eight years playing in some of Europe’s top leagues in Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Greece, Rautins has averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 28.0 minutes in 244 games. He played last season with the world-renown Panathinaikos club of the Greek HEBA A1 League which included nine games in Euroleague.

Rautins has represented Canada over a period of seven years on the international stage, averaging 9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 23.8 minutes in 40 games, including the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

During his collegiate career at Syracuse University, Rautins finished second on the school's all-time list with 282 career three-point field goals made. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 24.4 minutes in 127 games. He finished his senior season with the Orangemen averaging 12.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals (leading the Big East), was named to the All Big East Second Team and was also named an AP All American Honorable Mention.

A member of Canadian basketball family royalty, Andy and his father, Canada Basketball Hall of Famer Leo Rautins, are among a handful of father/son duos who both played in the NBA. Leo was drafted 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 NBA Draft and played 32 games in the Association. The two Rautins also share pride in being alumni of the Syracuse University Orangemen.

Rautins joins BlackJacks General Manager Jevohn Shepherd in the Ottawa basketball operations front office. They will lead the direction of the team on the court by hiring the BlackJacks coaching staff and building the team roster.

Apart from the BlackJacks, Shepherd and Rautins chat hoops with CEBL broadcast director and Canadian award-winning basketball producer Dan Gladman on the popular weekly podcast Gym Ratz & Jointz.‍

Quotes:‍

“Andy brings experience from all levels of basketball. His network of players, coaches, management and agents from Canada and around the world will bolster the basketball operations department of the BlackJacks and provide additional global credibility to the CEBL.” - Jevohn Shepherd General Manager, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club

“Watching the CEBL from a distance in its first two years, it is clear to me this professional league is going to be one of the most desirable places for players to compete. It is not just a league to develop professional players, but also coaches and management. Having worked with Jevohn (Shepherd) in the past, I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate again and bring a championship program to the Ottawa BlackJacks.” - Andy Rautins Assistant General Manager, Ottawa BlackJacks Basketball Club