The summer is a busy time in the FIBA calendar, especially in a World Cup year. The FIBA U16 Americas Championship, which runs from June 5 -11, 2023 is the first event this summer for Canada’s men’s national teams.
Canada draws into Group B along with Uruguay, Dominican Republic and Brazil. All teams qualify for the quarter finals, with the 4 semi finalists clinching berths to the FIBA U17 World Cup in 2024.
Canada Basketball had announced an initial 52 athlete assessment camp which ran earlier in April of 2023. From this pool of players, 12 will make the final roster and travel to Yucatán. For many, including myself, this is the first chance to watch some high level youth prospects play in high leverage games. Previous notable Canadian prospects who played at the U16 Americas include:
- 2021: Efeosa Oliogu (Class of 2025)
- 2019: Caleb Houstan (Orlando Magic), Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trailblazers), Leonard Miller (G League Ignite)
- 2015: RJ Barrett (New York Knicks), Andrew Nembhard (Indiana Pacers)
For those interested, here’s the replay of the draw.
