Canada announced its senior men’s national team roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Sunday.
The 12-man roster is as follows:
| NAME | # | POSITION | HEIGHT | HOMETOWN | TEAM/SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Alexander | 5 | G | 6’4 | Hamilton, ON | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy |
| Joel Anthony | 15 | F | 6’9 | Montreal, QC | Detroit Pistons |
| Anthony Bennett | 10 | F | 6’8 | Toronto, ON | Toronto Raptors* |
| Khem Birch | 9 | F | 6’9 | Montreal, QC | Olympiakos |
| Melvin Ejim | 7 | F | 6’6 | Toronto, ON | Reyer Venezia |
| Tyler Ennis | 11 | G | 6’2 | Brampton, ON | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Brady Heslip | 12 | G | 6’2 | Burlington, ON | Pallacanestro Cantu* |
| Cory Joseph | 6 | G | 6’3 | Pickering, ON | Toronto Raptors |
| Levon Kendall | 14 | F | 6’10 | Vancouver, BC | Movistar Estudiantes* |
| Philip Scrubb | 4 | G | 6’3 | Richmond, BC | Fraport Skyliners |
| Thomas Scrubb | 8 | G | 6’6 | Richmond, BC | Giessen 46ers |
| Tristan Thompson | 13 | C | 6’9 | Brampton, ON | Cleveland Cavaliers |
The roster was chosen from a preliminary list of 22 players, most of who were with the team as they went 4-1 in a tune-up tournament in Italy this week. The one cut that stands out is Sim Bhullar, who’s a tough play in the international game and had already transitioned to the CrownLeague, while R.J. Barrett and Simi Shittu had since transitioned to the U-17 tournament.
That’s an encouraging result, but Canada still has a tall task ahead of them. After failing to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil via the FIBA Americas last summer (ugh), Canada, ranked 26th in the world by FIBA, now needs to win their Olympic Qualifying Tournament outright. That means topping a France (5) team that is a bit shorthanded but still an anticipated powerhouse, Turkey (8), the host Philippines (28), New Zealand (21), and Senegal (31). Winning the QOT outright is possible, but the Canadians will need to play nearly perfect basketball to do so.
It’s unfortunate, then, that they were unable to secure commitments from some of their brightest young names. Notable by their absence are Andrew Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, and Trey Lyles (choice), Dwight Powell and Andrew Nicholson (free agents), Kelly Olynyk and Dillon Brooks (injured), Jamal Murray and Kyle Wiltjer (just drafted and signed, respectively), and Robert Sacre (hocking cheap suits that fell off the back of a truck). For some, the absence is understandable, but those who opted out, in particular, look a little worse now that Tristan Thompson (NBA Finals run), Anthony Bennett (fighting for his NBA life), and Khem Birch (declined a Summer League invite) are locked in.
In any case, Canada can only worry about the players they have on hand. That group is a nice mix of youth, experience, and talent. The rotation will probably look something like this:
PG: Cory Joseph, Tyler Ennis, Phil Scrubb
SG: Brady Heslip, Shai Alexander (!!)
SF: Melvin Ejim, Thomas Scrubb
PF: Anthony Bennett, Khem Birch
C: Tristan Thompson, Levon Kendall, Joel Anthony
It’s a weird mix, rotation-wise. The team has almost no wings outside of Heslip, as even Ejim is probably best off at the four (he took huge strides this year). Bennett could conceivably play some three as Canada goes big, and I’d expect a ton of two-point guard looks with Joseph and Ennis, the latter of who looked really good in the tune-up games.
Jay Triano’s squad tips off the QOT on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. against Turkey. They’ll then play Senegal at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and as long as they finish in the top two in that three-team group, they’ll move on to a knock-out semifinal stage against someone from the other group on Saturday. The final would then take place Sunday.
The TSN stations will be airing the tournament as follows:
Tuesday, July 5
– Turkey vs. Canada at 6:30 a.m. ET on TSN2
– France vs. Philippines at 9 a.m. ET on TSN2
Wednesday, July 6
– Canada vs. Senegal at 6:30 a.m. ET on TSN4
– Philippines vs. New Zealand at 9 a.m. ET on TSN4
Thursday, July 7
– Senegal vs. Turkey at 6:30 a.m. ET on TSN4
– New Zealand vs. France at 9 a.m. ET on TSN4
Saturday, July 9
– Semi-final #1 at 6:30 a.m. ET on TSN4
– Semi-final #2 at 9 a.m. ET on TSN4
Sunday, July 10
– Final at 9 a.m. ET on TSN4
Should Canada successfully punch their ticket to the Olympics, it will be the first time the senior men’s team has done so since 2000 (the women’s side has already qualified). They would likely have another camp some time in late July before heading to Rio for Aug. 5-21.
