Former Columbia forward Jeff Coby signs with New York Knicks

 

The New York Knicks announced Sunday night that they have signed former Columbia forward Jeff Coby, making Coby’s Knick status official.

Ian Begley of ESPN reported Sunday that Coby and the Knicks had reached a verbal agreement prior to training camp.

Coby averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game during his four seasons as a Lion, providing strong rebounding for Columbia’s 2015-16 CIT champion squad.

“We’re incredibly happy for Jeff on getting this opportunity with the Knicks,” Columbia coach Jim Engles said, per the Columbia Spectator. “He had a nice season in Spain and played well for the Haitian national team during the summer, so it’s great to see him being rewarded for all the work he has put in. We wish him the best of luck during training camp.”

“During that whole process, I just tried to learn good traits that could implement into my game,” Coby told the Spectator of his summer playing with the Haitian national team after competing in Spain. “Being a good teammate, learning the game—it really forced me to become a student of the game.”

Fellow 2017 Columbia graduate Luke Petrasek spent last season with the Charlotte Hornets’ G-League affiliate Greensboro Swarm and played for the Hornets Las Vegas Summer League team.