Canadian Men’s Basketball on precipice of becoming a world player
It’s been a productive summer for the Men’s National Basketball program as they continue to build confidence on the international stage. At the Pan Am Games in Toronto they won the silver medal losing their only game to the gold medalist Brazilian team. Along the way they shocked the U.S. squad, knocking them out in the semi finals and created history with the first Men’s Basketball medal ever won at a Pan Am Games..
The youngsters are also faring well in tournaments proving Canadian Basketball is on the rise with a solid foundation in place to maintain a presence in the future. The Under 16 Men’s Team finished second at the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. The player to keep an eye on as he rises up the ranks is 15 year old 6’6″ Rowan Barret Jr.
He’s the son of Rowan Barrett who along with Steve Nash forms the brain trust of the Canadian Men’s Senior National Team. R.J. has been surrounded by basketball his entire life and Nash is his godfather. Barrett Jr is ranked second in North America in his age group and with his natural athleticism may well be what many have already coined him as “Canada’s next Andrew Wiggins“.
Despite a 6-1 record the Under 19 squad finished fifth at FIBA World Championships in Greece losing only to Croatia in the quarter finals.
The player who stands out in this age group is 18 year old 6’4″ Jamal Murray who was kept off the U19 team to gain experience with the senior team at the Pan Am Games. Wise beyond his years the point guard led the Canadian squad to the upset of the US team at the Pan Am Games which ultimately took them to the gold medal game.
He’s getting compared to some big names in the NBA and his recent 30 point performance at the NIke Hoop Summit equals a mark set just twice previously by Kevin Durant and Nicolas Batum. This year Murray heads to Kentucky where he’ll hone his skills en route to his inevitable entry into the NBA the following season.
“When I watched the Hoops Summit (global all-star game) out in Portland earlier this year he had 30 points, and I was reminded after the game by Nicolas Batum that only two players prior to that had 30 points in that game,” said the coach. “They were Nic Batum and Kevin Durant, so I knew he was in good company with the way he played in that game and the poise he had on the big stage – Triano.”
This past week in a warm-up to FIBA Americas, the Senior Team won the Tuto Marchand Continental Cup in Puerto Rico posting a 4-0 record.Brimming with confidence and the roster trimmed to 12 they arrive in Mexico primed to compete for the title. The goal is a a top 2 finish which will guarantee them an Olympic berth next summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tuto Marchand Results
August 23: Canada 85- Argentina 80
August 24: Canada 80- Brazil 64
August 25: Canada 86- Dominican Republic74
August 26: Canada 78- Puerto Rico 72
Showcasing how much Canada has grown both in the NBA and internationally they have 9 NBA players on the roster and that doesn’t include 2 players who’ve participated internationally previously (Tristan Thompson and Tyler Ennis).
Cavalier rebounding specialist Thompson is likely focused on finalizing his free agency as he remains the top unsigned free agent and Ennis is recovering from off season surgery. Both would be strong possibilities to be a part of the Olympic roster should the Canadians earn a berth at the FIBA Americas Cup.
FIBA Americas Canadian Roster
While Canada will face some of the same teams in Mexico City the rosters will likely change as this tournament has greater importance given the Olympic qualifying stakes. At present 4 teams have clinched their spot to Rio:
- United States – Gold Medal, FIBA World Championships in Spain 2014
- Brazil – Olympic Hosts
- Australia – Gold Medal, FIBA Oceania
- Nigeria – Gold Medal, FIBA AfroBasket 2015
Ten countries will compete for these two spots up for grabs in Mexico City including Argentina,Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela and our Canadians. Although Canada enters the tournament on a high from their summer performances and Tuto Marchand gold medal they recognize the need to stay focused since many teams didn’t utilize their “A Team” in the warm up to the Americas event running August 31 to September 12, 2015..
FIBA Americas Canada First Round Schedule
The tournament has three rounds of play, round one features games versus Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela and Puerto Rico (2 of those teams they beat this past week)
Tuesday September 1, 2015 – Canada versus Argentina 3:30 pm
Wednesday September 2, 2015 – Cuba versus Canada 3:30 pm
Thursday September 3, 2015 – Canada versus Venezuela 7:00 pm
Friday September 4, 2015 – Puerto Rico versus Canada 7:00 pm
All games are Eastern Standard time and have a pre-game show beginning a half hour prior. TSN is running all games from the tournament with the first game (Cuba versus Venezuela) tipping off today at 1:00 pm. .
The obvious goal will be to place as high as possible in the first round as placement determines the second round opponents with games September 6th -9th. To wit, the team finishing atop the first round will play teams finishing 5-8 in the second round making an entry to the medal rounds easier. The top 4 teams will move on to the final round with 1 playing 4 and 2 playing 3 on Sepember 11th to determine the gold medal round to be played September 12th.
Young Canadians Gaining Experience
While the goal is to win the Americas Tournament there is much more these young Canadians can draw from these events. Namely experience, not just on the world stage, but also in terms of building leadership skills. Last summer Stephen Curry and James Harden led the United States to a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships and translated that experience into a one-two finish in the MVP race. Harden specifically sites the experience he gained from leading the US team a prime reason for his ascent into a better leader this past season.
Andrew Wiggins and Cory Joseph will likely be tasked with taking on this responsibility for the Canadian squad (with Thompson likely added to the mix in Rio should they gain a berth) and this will benefit the Timberwolves and Raptors specifically in the coming season.
Others like Anthony Bennett, Nik Stauskas and Andrew Nicholson can use the event to build confidence for the upcoming season. Bennett who also participated in the Pan Am Games appears to fit the international game well, arguably better than the NBA game. No doubt these events will help him with his professional career which up til now has been underwhelming as he initially dealt with a myriad of injuries and subsequently tried to translate his skills to an NBA court.
And, for players like Melvin Ejim this experience may bolster his confidence as he attempts to turn his summer qualifying contract into a a full time position with the Orlando Magic.
Toronto Raptors and NBA Players at Tournament
For Toronto Raptors fans they can look forward to becoming more familiar with the games of Cory Joseph and Luis Scola who captains his Argentinian squad. Other NBA players who’ll play in Mexico City by team are:
Argentina:Luis Scola (Toronto Raptors)
Brazil: None,
Of note: if Brazil were not the Olympic host city they would likely have several players participating such as Anderson Varejao (Cavaliers), Tiago Splitter (Hawks), Leandro Barbosa (Warriors), Bruno Caboclo (Raptors), Nene Hilario (Wizards),and Cristiano Felicio (Bulls).
Canada: Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota Timberwolves), Cory Joseph (Toronto Raptors), Anthony Bennett (Minnesota Timberwolves), Nik Stauskas (Philadelphia 76ers) and Andrew Nicholson (Orlando Magic) Melvin Ejim (Orlando Magic), Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics), Robert Sacre (LA Lakers),
Cuba: None
Dominican Republic: Francisco Garcia who last played for the Houston Rockets
Panama: None
Mexico: Jorge Gutierrez (Milwaukee Bucks)
Puerto Rico: J.J. Barea (Dallas Mavericks) and Maurice Harkless (Portland Trail Blazers)
Uruguay: None
Venezuela: None
NOTE: There may be additional NBA stars playing for their countries like former Raptor and Venezuelan Guard Greivis Vasquez but the FIBA Americas site does not list him on their roster.
Taking into consideration the Canadians bring a young squad to Mexico the 9 NBA players and their success this summer bodes well for the squad giving them reason to be confident. Regardless of the talent on the team they’ll need to maintain focus and humility as they face squads who have the benefit of playing together internationally for years.
A top two finish at this tournament would make up for a snub to last year’s World Championships when a Finnish Team bribed their way into a wild card seed ahead of the Canadians and a few other deserving countries. Looking down the pipeline there is reason to be optimistic Canada is just now entering what could translate into the golden era of Canadian basketball.
The first step toward that goal is to take care of business in Mexico City and earn a berth on the Olympic stage.
