CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Island Storm has parted ways with one of its best players in the middle of its first-round playoff series with the Halifax Hurricanes.
The Storm announced Tuesday morning it had released forward Du’Vaughn (Mad Max) Maxwell for conduct detrimental to the team and said no further comment would be made.
Storm owner Duncan Shaw agreed to an interview with The Guardian and acknowledged fans would be looking for information, but said the privacy of the team’s employees is critical.
“There is always a responsibility to the fans, but that responsibility is trumped by the fact that Max is an employee of our organization,” he explained. “The majority of those fans have either been an employee or employers and understand very clearly that they would not want facts or circumstances relating to their employment online or in the paper.”
Maxwell averaged 18.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Storm. He was named the National Basketball League of Canada’s defensive player of the year last week.
“I want to see Max move on with his career. I want to see Max get another great job,” Shaw said.
The news comes during a season that has seen the squad hampered by injuries most of the year. It cut forward Jarion Henry after the roster freeze, leaving the team down a player on its 12-man roster.
The Storm split the first two games of its best-of-five series in Halifax and will be back on home court Thursday for Game 3. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
“There are 10 guys that are gunning for Halifax,” Shaw said.
He said Franklin Session is the best guard in the league, Carl Hall the best post player, Chris Anderson has really stepped up and Kemy Osse is not a rookie anymore. He is hoping both Chris Johnson and Tyler Scott will be healthy enough to play after both missed Game 2 with injuries.
“We’ll play with the guys that are here,” Shaw said. “They will fight for all their worth and Halifax will be in for a battle.”
Shaw wouldn't say if it was one incident that led the team to make the critical decision with Maxwell in the middle of a series, but acknowledge it is taking away the focus from the quarter-final.
“We’re talking about that rather than basketball,” he said. “But I will guarantee there will be a coaching staff and 10 players focused on nothing but going up 2-1 on Halifax after Thursday night.”
