LAS VEGAS — Missoula Sentinel and University of Providence graduate Zaccheus Darko-Kelly will join the Toronto Raptors summer league team, and will begin his pro career this weekend in Las Vegas.
The 6 foot, 6 inch guard was twice named Frontier Conference Player of the Year, and was a two-time first team All-American after two standout years at Providence under head coach Steve Keller.
The Great Falls native played his first two years of college at Montana Western, but followed Keller when he accepted the job with the Argos in 2018.
As a senior, Darko-Kelly averaged 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting 46.8% from the field, 32.3% from three and 90.5% from the free throw line.
As a junior he averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, leading the team in all categories. He shot 51.9% from the field and 42.5% from beyond the arc. During the 2019-20 season, Darko-Kelly became the first ever player to win NAIA Player of the Week for three weeks in a row.
He led the Argos to a Frontier Conference regular season and tournament championship in 2021. Darko-Kelly had one more year of eligibility remaining due to the extra year granted as a COVID-19 hardship, but professional interest picked up after the season ended in March.
At Missoula Sentinel, Darko-Kelly was named 1st Team All-State his senior year but only received one college offer to Montana-Western out of high school.
Darko-Kelly had pre-draft workouts with the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers among other teams.
He is the only NAIA player on the Raptors Summer League roster, which is headlined by Florida State product Scottie Barnes, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Raptors will open their Summer League schedule on Sunday, August 8 at 2:30 p.m. in the Thomas and Mack Center (MST) against the New York Knicks.
