[octothorp]

It's hard to stay positive if you're a fan of Canadian basketball. Since the Sydney Olympics, it has been one disappointment after another, from high profile players opting out, players quitting the team, and just plain underperformance. Canadians in the NBA consist of older guys uninterested in playing for the team (Nash, Magloire), guys who quit on the team (Dalembert), or guys who just are unable to have much of an impact (Andy Rautins, Joel Anthony). It's so bad that right now Canada has slipped out of the top 20 in world men's basketball. We went winless at the last world-championships. It's hard to imagine that this isn't rock bottom.

At the same time, looking ahead, there's reason to think that all might change in the next few years, as the Canadian prospect pipe has looked better than at any other time in the program's history. The U17s won a bronze, the U19s finished 7th; the only other countries to finish in the top 8 in both tournaments were the US and Australia, meaning that this group matches up very well against their international peers. For the first time, it can actually be called a pipe. Here are the key guys: (ages may not be exact, as it's hard to find a birth date listed for many of them)

Kris Joseph: (22 years old, SF) Currently slotted to go as high as top-20 in this year's upcoming draft. He's the leading scorer at Syracuse, which is currently ranked 20th nationally.

Tristan Thompson: (19 years old, PF) He was an All-american in his final year of high-school, signed with Texas, considered one of the 10 best prospects of his class. Has been a key component of Texas's season, where they are currently ranked #2 nationally. Expected to be a top 15 draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Hard worker, fantastic athlete, and very solid in the low post.

Cory Joseph: (19yo PG) Very similar path to Thompson so far, also plays at Texas, also all-american, and even went to the same prep-school. May spend another year in college, but will likely be a first-rounder whether he goes this year or next. Solid distance shooter, and excellent at getting into the lane.

Myck Kabongo: (18yo PG) Will be going to Texas next year, and is also an all-american. Went to the same prep school as Thompson and C. Joseph, and is an all-american. He's considered one of the top two PGs of his draft class, and is a classic play-making guard who plays excellent defense, and has good size for his position.

Khem Birch: (17yo C) Currently considered the best C of his age class. Also an all-american. Still needs to grow a little to have legitimate Center size. Is forgoing his senior HS year to play at Pittsburgh next year.

Those five guys are probably (hopefully) the core that our future national basketball teams will be made of. Perhaps the biggest question mark is whether basketball Canada is able to keep these guys in the fold. It helps that they have been playing together for years and many of them (particularly Thompson, C. Joseph, and Kabongo) are good friends. From what I've seen, their attitudes about the Canadian program are really positive.

Obviously these are young guys and a lot can happen to take them off-course, but it's definitely an advantage to get on a high-profile path early in their careers so that they'll get the best development opportunities. The reason I'm posting this now is that with the NCAA tournament coming up, there will be an excellent opportunity for Canadians to start to see some of these guys in action. I've been watching as many Texas and Syracuse games as I can, which isn't very many, but I look forward to seeing more of these guys.


There are a few other guys who could find their way to the NBA, and long-term, there are a few intriguing things for Canadian basketball:

Sim Bhuller and Tanveer Bhuller (17yo, C; 15yo, C): these two guys are notable for one main reason - their sheer size. They're already larger than the Lopez twins. Specifically, they are 7'4, 280 lbs and 7'2, 260 lbs respectively, and reportedly still growing. Born to immigrant parents, they're relatively new to the game, but actually show a pretty sweet touch, given their size and background. Whenever you see a young prospect that large, you immediately start worrying about whether their knees will hold up, but it's certainly worth watching. Both are at a prep school in the US this year, and have interest from top college programs. Proper development will make or break them.

Andrew Wiggins: (age 15, SF): Son of former NBA player (who ruined his own career with substance abuse) Mitch Wiggens, he's absolutely electrifying to watch, and completely dominates his own age group, and has been coming to the national team camp to play against older guys for a couple years. He was a key member of the team that captured bronze at the U17 tournament. Some people are already talking about him having the talent to go first-overall in his draft class, but it's really, really to early to say that. Other than a little bit of national program exposure, he's competing against relatively weak opposition in Ontario. When he makes the jump to US high-school ball next year, we'll have a much better read on him.