The Future of Canadian Basketball

[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.

[Lil Pedro]

Its nice to see that Canada is developing some good talent in Basketball. However, I feel the main reason why there doing so poorly on the international stage is the consistent presence of Leo Rautins. We can't even beat New Zealand in a FIBA match. He should have been fired from the program years ago

[octothorp]

Its nice to see that Canada is developing some good talent in Basketball. However, I feel the main reason why there doing so poorly on the international stage is the consistent presence of Leo Rautins. We can't even beat New Zealand in a FIBA match. He should have been fired from the program years ago

Yeah, I'd love to see a coaching change too. Honestly I'm not sure if there's somebody else waiting in the wings who could take over.

[valo403]

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.



How is this possible?

[killer_carlson]

I don't think Rautins is the problem. I think they bend over for guys like Dalembert who comes in, thinks he's the cat's meow, and screws up chemistry and game plans.

I think consistency is what the program needs and for now its Rautins.

[Gozer]

I disliked Rautins when he was a Raptor colour guy, never impressed me with his analysis. Either vague bordering on useless or vanilla cliche.

[wpgflamesfan]

Didn't see this posted anywhere:

http://tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=354073

[octothorp]

How is this possible?

I don't know the details, he was widely thought to be one of the top-ranked prospects in the 2012 class, and then he reclassified to 2011 a couple months ago.

[valo403]

I don't know the details, he was widely thought to be one of the top-ranked prospects in the 2012 class, and then he reclassified to 2011 a couple months ago.

Odd, lots of players finish high school a semester early and enroll in college for the winter semester, but to jump a whole year is incredibly strange. He'd still have to actually be eligible to enroll in the university so maybe he took a lot of summer classes.

[ricoFlame]

nm

[Wise Gamble]

There's also a bunch of Canadians from Gonzaga that will likely represent Team Canada in the near future.

[octothorp]

Odd, lots of players finish high school a semester early and enroll in college for the winter semester, but to jump a whole year is incredibly strange. He'd still have to actually be eligible to enroll in the university so maybe he took a lot of summer classes.

Ah, I think I figured it out. He was originally expected to do a post-graduate year of high-school (I didn't know that was an option) that would have made him part of the 2012 class, but then opted out of it. Click on the 'on-the-trail' tab here.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/news/_/id/100523/khem-birch

[troutman]

There is a blurb in the Calgary Herald today that Vancouver is looking for a return of an NBA franchise.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/184759--nba-could-come-back-to-vancouver

There are reports the Aquilini family -- which owns the Canucks (http://www.news1130.com/search?AssetType=Article&q=canucks) -- is interested in buying the New Orleans Hornets (http://www.nba.com/hornets/) and bringing the team to Rogers Arena.

[Lil Pedro]

There is a blurb in the Calgary Herald today that Vancouver is looking for a return of an NBA franchise.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/184759--nba-could-come-back-to-vancouver

There are reports the Aquilini family -- which owns the Canucks (http://www.news1130.com/search?AssetType=Article&q=canucks) -- is interested in buying the New Orleans Hornets (http://www.nba.com/hornets/) and bringing the team to Rogers Arena.

Bring back Big Country!

[octothorp]

Nash is appointed GM of Canada's senior men's team. Basically, his job will be to get all these young guys to buy into the program and compete at the senior level. There's some criticism of this based on the fact that he often didn't answer the call himself, but I think that he needs to be able to sell them on the idea that as a team, this group has a chance to do something special.

http://tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=395377

As well, the original post in this thread is now woefully out of date. Lots of new guys emerging and looking like legit NBA talents: Pangos, Nicholson, Bennett (entering NCAA next year), while Kabongo struggled at Texas, and Birch quit on his program. Best news is that Wiggins continues to be seen as a potential superstar. Even with the occasional disappointment, this is still shaping up to be a fantastic generation of players.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Nash is appointed GM of Canada's senior men's team. Basically, his job will be to get all these young guys to buy into the program and compete at the senior level. There's some criticism of this based on the fact that he often didn't answer the call himself, but I think that he needs to be able to sell them on the idea that as a team, this group has a chance to do something special.

http://tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=395377

As well, the original post in this thread is now woefully out of date. Lots of new guys emerging and looking like legit NBA talents: Pangos, Nicholson, Bennett (entering NCAA next year), while Kabongo struggled at Texas, and Birch quit on his program. Best news is that Wiggins continues to be seen as a potential superstar. Even with the occasional disappointment, this is still shaping up to be a fantastic generation of players.

Kabongo struggled but definitely has a ton of potential. He made a wise decision coming back as he needs to mature mentally and physically. The reason a lot of one and doners go to UT is not only because Barnes prepares them for the pros, but also their strength coach Todd Wright is the best in the country and can bulk them up. Kabongo showed that he can take over a game a couple times last year, but he on some possessions he might as well have just walked up to the other team and handed them the ball. Texas had 4 freshman starters last year with one player over 6'7". Kabongo didn't have a lot of help in games if J'Covan Brown decided not to show up. This next year should be different. 4 returning starters and a legit big man as a frosh. If Kabongo doesn't show up this year then I would worry.

[octothorp]

Kabongo struggled but definitely has a ton of potential. He made a wise decision coming back as he needs to mature mentally and physically. The reason a lot of one and doners go to UT is not only because Barnes prepares them for the pros, but also their strength coach Todd Wright is the best in the country and can bulk them up. Kabongo showed that he can take over a game a couple times last year, but he on some possessions he might as well have just walked up to the other team and handed them the ball. Texas had 4 freshman starters last year with one player over 6'7". Kabongo didn't have a lot of help in games if J'Covan Brown decided not to show up. This next year should be different. 4 returning starters and a legit big man as a frosh. If Kabongo doesn't show up this year then I would worry.

Yeah, that's good context, and staying in college was definitely the right decision. Definitely too early to start writing off Kabongo. I admittedly didn't get to watch a lot of him this year, but it seemed like his biggest problem was a lack of consistency, which is pretty-much the most common problem in high-profile freshmen. Looking forward to seeing what he can do with another year of experience under his belt.

[octothorp]

More good news for Canada's future prospects: Canada's team for the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, which is a U17 league that matches up teams from various regions and cities. The Canadian team is 14-0 this year, going into the final tournament next weekend. Which means, arguably, Canada is producing talent on-par right now with any single region of the US. And it's another opportunity to get Canadian guys playing together at a young age at a high level. Wiggins and Ennis leading the team is no surprise, they've both been on NCAA and NBA radars for a while, but Xavier Rathan-Mayes has really emerged as another potential star in the program. Lots of guys on this team will get much more NCAA scout exposure as a result of this team.

[octothorp]

Huge development today: Canadian/US dual-citizen Trey Liles has announced that he's going to play for Canada in the Americas U18 tournament. He's somebody who could, realistically, be in the mix for the US team, but will be a focal-point on team-Canada.
Combined with Wiggins, that gives Canada two potential top-10 recruits in the 2014 class (Liles is currently ranked 7th overall by ESPN). Those two could be an absolute force together...
Might be reading a little too-much into it, but I wonder if this is already a sign of the impact that Nash can have in terms of making the program something that young guys want to be a part of.

[ricoFlame]

Might be reading a little too-much into it, but I wonder if this is already a sign of the impact that Nash can have in terms of making the program something that young guys want to be a part of.

I don't think thats a huge stretch. Good stuff.

[Get-Iggy-With-It]

Don't forget the 3 Canadians from Gonzaga.

Kevin Pangos - Starting point guard heading into his sophmore year for the Zags. Leaded the team in scoring, assists, and steals.

Kelly Olynyk - Going into his junior year. Red shirted last year to add strength and muscle. Really good inside player, 7 feet tall and can shoot the ball from the perimeter. From South Kamloops.

Rob Sacre - Got invited to the NBA draft combine and will likely be an early-mid 2nd round pick in the NBA draft. Massive guy at 7 feet 260 pounds. Not very polished on offense but is a terrific post defender, something every NBA team needs an abundance of.

[octothorp]

Seems like a good time to do an update on this. In regards to the young Canadians who've made the jump, Thompson continues to look solid for Cleveland, but hasn't taken a big step forward this year. Still projects to be a solid double-double sort of guy in the NBA. Kris Joseph and Cory Joseph are both back-and-forth from NBA to d-league. In Cory's case, it's typical of the Spurs that they bring along their young prospects quite slowly. Sacre also got assigned to the Lakers d-league, again not really a surprise.

Kabongo continues to sit out for Texas, as the NCAA investigates some aligations of improper benefits. There's no timetable for his return, and the Longhorns are really struggling without him.
Khem Birch quit on Pittsburgh last year, and will finally be eligible to play for UNLV after Christmas. I don't think anyone really has a sense of where he's going to be at, but needless to say, his long-term prospects have suffered a setback.

Now, the good news: Canada currently has two of the top-three ranked freshmen in the NCAA.

Birch's teammate, UNLV PF Anthony Bennett came into this year as the top-ranked PF in this class, and he has not disappointed. He's averaging 20 pts and 8 rbs with a .548%, in 28 minutes a night. The most impressive thing for him is his consistency... his worst scoring game so far was 16 pts, his worst rebounding game was 6 rbs. That's impressive consistency for a freshman.

The bigger surprise is Nik Stauskas, who's proving to be an exceptional sharpshooter, averaging .605 from 3. It'll be great if he can keep shooting well for the full season.

Some other Canadian freshmen to watch include Negus Webster-Chan, who isn't putting up gaudy numbers, but is playing big minutes for the well-ranked Missouri Tigers. Teammate Stefan Jankovic hasn't had much of a chance to play yet.

7'5 Sim Bhullar is also making his NCAA debut this year, and is more or less matching expectations, scoring at a high efficiency (.632 FG%), but not having the athleticism to stay on the court for more than 20 minutes a night. I had heard that he had gotten his weight down to 330, but I see he's listed at 365 again. That'll be the questionmark about whether he can ever be an NBA player.

Dyshawn Pierre has been inconsistent for Dayton.

Oliver Hanlan has been playing pretty well for Boston College and averaging over 32 minutes.

As for returning Canadians:

Kyle Wiltjer continues to play an important role on Kentucky, though the Wildcats are underperforming expectations this year.

Pangos and Olynyk continue to play well for Gonzaga, both have shown growth but Olynyk has really taken a massive step forward, averaging 14 and 7.

Dwight Powell with Stanford is another guy who's taken a huge step this year, averaging similar 14 and 7 stats (although against lesser competition).

Brady Heslip, who had that great NCAA tournament last year, continues to live and die by the 3, but has only really had it working one game this year.

As for guys not yet in the NCAA:
Wiggins continues to impress. He reclassified to the 2013 draft class, and is still the top-ranked player at that level. His prep-school teammate Xavier Rathan-Mayes is also doing well. Trey Liles continues to be the top-ranked PF in the 2014 class.

Those are all the guys I've got my eyes on... anybody else worth watching out there?


edit: can't believe I forgot to mention Andrew Nicholson, who's doing well in his rookie season with the Magic. He just had a couple games where he had 14 and 19 points. His rebounding numbers aren't what you'd hope for yet, but they'll come up.

another edit: moreso just as a reminder to myself, Keanau Post might be a player worth keeping an eye on. A 7'0 Center, currently he's in junior college, but is being heavily recruited by major NCAA programs for next year.

[Drake]

Full list of Canadians playing in the NCAA for the 2012/2013, who knows somebody might spot somebody they have read about somewhere or something. Some guys from Calgary playing too:

http://www.basketball.ca/files/Canadian_Men_in_NCAA_2012_13_1.pdf

[shermanator]

Interesting that there's no note of NBL Canada, an All-Canadian basketball league that started last year with 8 teams. The goal of the league is to enhanace development of players in Canada. I don't know how viable the league is in the long term, but it could help...

http://nblcanada.pointstreaksites.com/view/nblcanada

[octothorp]

Article from ESPN on Anthony Bennett, and whether he might be the top player in college ball right now. I love this line (when asked about if he checks the stats of other top players):

"I don't even think about stuff like that," he said. "The only reason I ever look at box scores is to see how my guys from Canada are doing."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8760254/unlv-anthony-bennett-leads-our-weekly-look-nation-college-basketball

[octothorp]

With Sacre making his first NBA start tonight, under somewhat dubious circumstances, here's a couple other notes:

Kris Joseph was waived by the Celtics. He's been playing pretty well in the d-league, and is probably more a reflection of the roster and salary flexibility the Celts want, rather than a judgement on Joseph. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get offered a 10-day contract by another team this year.

NCAA is pretty-much all good news. Bennett still playing like a top-10 draft pick; Stauskas continues to shoot well; Wiltjer finally looks good, mostly thanks to his 3-point shooting; Pangos and Olynyk have had some huge games; Birch has hade big games and useless games, not surprising for a guy still working his way back into the game after a year off; Bhullar's scoring at a fantastic percentage (that's what happens when you can dunk on your tip-toes) and best of all, his minutes are increasing.
Only bad news is that Kabongo will miss another month due to violations. Tough decision for him now, whether or not to declare for the draft this year.
Also, I had a note about junior college center Keanau Post, who's just committed to Missouri for next year. That'll likely give Missouri three Canadians next year, along with Webster-Chan and Jankovic.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes has committed to Florida State for next year, and there have been rumours that FSU is also in the lead for his buddy and prep-school teammate, Andrew Wiggins. Tyler Ennis signed with Syracuse.
Lyles decommitted from Indiana (2014 class), and remains uncommitted.

So, here's a little look ahead to the 2016 Olympics... my very preliminary 2016 Olympic team depth-chart, with 2016 ages of the players in brackets.

C: Anthony (34), Sacre (27), Olynyk (25), Birch (23), Bhullar (22)
PF: Thompson (25), Bennett (23), Nicholson(27), Lyles (21), Wiltjer (23)
SF: Wiggins (22), K. Joseph (27)
SG: Stauskas (23), Rathan-Mayes (22), Rautins, (27)
PG: Pangos (23), Kabongo (24), C. Joseph (25), Ennis (22)

The obvious strengths of the roster are youth, top end talent (Wiggins), and depth at PF. Big weakness is inexperience, both at the international game and overall. Their strength at power-forward could help overcome a lack of depth at SF and a lack of top skill at C. In those five guys, they've got pretty-much every style of PF you could want.

This chart assumes a couple things: most importantly, that the team actually qualifies for Rio, and secondly, that the majority of the guys commit to the national program. In addition to this, there could also be some guys not yet really on the radar, or some guys from Europe who have played for the national program before who are brought in for experience. A couple proposed changes to the Olympic tournament are expanding the field from 12 to 16 teams, changing the 3-point line to NBA distance, and possibly even adding a 3-on-3 tournament. None of these changes have been confirmed or rejected by the IOC, though FIBA did reject a proposal to make the Olympic tournament a 23-and-under event (which would have made Canada an instant medal-contender).

The important upcoming tournaments are:
Summer of 2013: U19 World Championship, Prague. I believe Wiggins, Rathan-Mayes, and Lyles will all still be eligible. Hopefully all three show up, which would make Canada a strong medal contender.
Late Summer of 2013: FIBA Americas, Venezuela.
Summer of 2014: FIBA World Championship, Spain. Good chance to see who's committing to the national program.
Early Summer of 2015: Pan Am Games, Toronto. Irrelevant tournament in the grand scheme of things, but it would be great if they had a good turn-out infront of a home crowd, and used it as a warm-up for the Americas Championship.
Summer of 2015: FIBA Americas Championship. The first real chance to qualify for a spot in Rio.
Early Summer of 2016: Olympic qualifying tournament. Last chance to get in, if they miss at the Americas. For 2012, they missed even making the qualifying tournament.
Late Summer of 2016: Olympics, Rio de Janiero. Given the national team's historic struggles and the inexperience of this young group, I'm not expecting a medal, but I expect them to be competitive against nearly everyone except the US. Really, I think it'll be 2020 where we start to have a realistic shot at a medal, but this 2016 will still be a massive stepping stone for the national program.

[octothorp]

NE1yRLb3DgE
Good short documentary on the Canadians at Huntington Prep, particularly Wiggins and Rathan-Mayes. Really shows why many of the top Canadian players are going through the US prep system rather than staying in Canadian high school. Obviously the exposure they get is great, but also that they are playing in such hostile environments, taking everyone's best shot is great preparation for the sort of competitiveness they need.

[tvp2003]

SI article on Wiggins -- named "Michael Jordan of Canada": http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130207/andrew-wiggins/?sct=hp_t13_a7&eref=sihp

[Plett25]

The Zags just beat San Fransisco... Kelly Olynyk looked pretty impressive. He runs the court, can put the ball on the floor and rebounds.

[d_phaneuf]

SI article on Wiggins -- named "Michael Jordan of Canada": http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130207/andrew-wiggins/?sct=hp_t13_a7&eref=sihp

after the article where Thamel said there were 'warning signs' about him and suggested his recruitment might be a bit dirty and he's lazy....

24/28 for 57 points

really excited to watch him in college next year

[octothorp]

The Zags just beat San Fransisco... Kelly Olynyk looked pretty impressive. He runs the court, can put the ball on the floor and rebounds.

Yeah, he's really climbed up the draft rankings, I've seen him as ranked as high as 15-20 range, after not being on anybody's rankings to start the season. Given that stretch bigs are an increasingly sought-after commodity in the NBA, I think a lot of teams will take a serious look at him. It's easy to imagine a team using him as a floor-spacer who can still post-up and rebound when necessary. I don't think he's got a super-high upside, but he could be effective within the right role.

Depending on whether Kabongo finishes the season strong and declares for the draft this year, that could give Canada three first-rounders.

I'm also starting to get excited about Bhullar's upside. He's finally blocking and rebounding like you'd expect a 7'5 footer to do, he's staying on the court for 30 minutes a night (conditioning was always the big concern with him), and his team is winning (admittedly, in the very weak WAC). He had a game a couple weeks ago where he racked up something like 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks, becoming the first NCAA freshman in a few years to put up those numbers. A couple years of polish and he'll be a really nice prospect.

[Displaced Flames fan]

You can watch Andrew Wiggins' big brother right now if you have ESPNU. My Shockers are on the road at Illinois State and down early. Wiggins should see 10-15 minutes.


Quick 3 and a beautiful assist by Wiggins to bring the Shocks to within 6 late in the first half.

[Drake]

A good column done on Andrew Wiggins by Bruce Arthur.

“Is there anything you wish people knew about you, Andrew?” asked a reporter.

“That I’m only 17,” he replied, with a grin that made him look younger.

Do you think it’s easy for people to forget that?

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. For all the commodification of Andrew Wiggins, he is still charmingly unpolished off the court, all matter-of-fact. When asked if the attention is too much, he says, “Not really. It’s part of being an elite player, you get attention.” When asked what being an elite player means to him, he says, “Producing every game, entertaining the fans, and just being a hero, or role model to kids, to be able to hold your own ground against others.” When asked if he is ready for everything that comes with becoming an elite player, he says, “yeah.” When asked if he wants to be an elite player, he nods. “Mm-hm,” he murmurs. He says Kevin Durant is his favourite player now because “KD’s 6-10, he’s unstoppable. And KD’s humble, just like me.” When asked what home-cooked meal he missed most while playing away from home in West Virginia, he says, “Rice and peas.” “Andrew understands all of that, but he just wants to be like Kevin Durant and LeBron [James],” says Mitchell, who says his son has received in-person advice from James, Durant, and Michael Jordan. “He wants just to play. And he’s a good boy. He understands all the pitfalls, and [Andrew, himself, and Andrew's mother Marita Payne-Wiggins, the former track star] talk about everything parents should talk about. And he listens. But he has the same friends he had that he had in junior high school. I have no worries with Andrew.


Wiggins shrugs. “Yeah, but I was raised well, so I know how to handle a lot of stuff.” Left unsaid is the reality: this is his life.

As Wiggins wanders down a hallway, Canada Basketball’s Rowan Barrett watches him go. “If there was one guy you wanted in that position,” Barrett says, “it would be him.” The kid signs as he walks, poses for another picture, signs again, and the whole time he is handing out scraps of hope that people can take home, where they can wait and see if he comes true. http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/02/17/pressure-to-be-star-saviour-rests-on-teenager-andrew-wiggins-shoulders/

[Fire]

SI article on Wiggins -- named "Michael Jordan of Canada": http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130207/andrew-wiggins/?sct=hp_t13_a7&eref=sihp

I wonder if his parents were fans of the book Ender's Game.

[DiracSpike]

In addition to Wiggins who is hopefully Canadian Basketball Jesus I think we have good talent at all other spots for a potential 2016 team. Sacre and Olynyk will be the two main dudes at center and hopefully they'll both have a couple of years in the Association by that point. Pangos is a stud for Gonzaga running the point, mature beyond years and with tutelage from Nash he should be serviceable. At this point the weakest link is Stauskas at SG, who's still relatively solid, balls hard for Michigan and can drain threes. I can't envision us not qualifying for Rio, especially now that Rautins is out on his ass and Nash is in control of the program.

[octothorp]

Very true about SG being the weak spot at this point. Though it's very possible that someone not currently in the running emerges, like Hanlan (Boston College), Webster-Chan (Missouri), Rivard (Harvard), or that someone else playing internationally (like Devoe Joseph, currently in Ukraine) slots into the lineup.

Or, if Wiggins turns out to be a versatile and talented as he projects, they could play a big lineup that slides him over to SG, and one of the versatile PFs at SF. A lineup like Pangos/Wiggins/Bennett/Thompson/Olynk would be sort of crazy but could also be a matchup hell for a lot of international teams, with its combination of size, athleticism, and outside shooting. Maybe not the US, but for some teams, anyway.

[Drake]

Andrew Wiggins was named the "Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award" (Given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player of their school year) the other day. Past winners include the likes of, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Jason Kidd.

[Stay Golden]

I just hope that players like...Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Myck Kabongo, and Andrew Wiggins end up actually playing for Canada when the Olympic qualifying rolls around.
Canada has just been full of dissapointment with some of their best NBA players in the recent past turning their back on representing Canada to qualify.
I hope these guys can change that. Could be an outstanding group that represent Canada in the Olympics.

I think Wiggins is going to be a 1 and done in the NCAA going straight to the NBA like D.Rose did. Best guess is he goes to Kentucky?

[Stay Golden]

When you look at the who' who list of past Naismith Award winners its hard to not believe that Wiggins could be something special in the NBA down the road.

I'm not sure but I think he is the first Canadian.

[moon]

Those are two different awards.

I think he is supposedly going to Florida St. or Kansas most likely.

[Stay Golden]

Didn't his Dad play at Florida State or something? I had no idea there were 2 different awards lol. I have only ever heard of the Naismith. Naismith Prep is different hey reserved for Prep school players only.

[moon]

Didn't his Dad play at Florida State or something?

I think both his parents went there. He has some connection there.

I think his brother plays at some small school in Kansas so he may go there to be close to his brother. (But not to the small school his brother plays at.)

[Stay Golden]

I think both his parents went there. He has some connection there.

I think his brother plays at some small school in Kansas so he may go there to be close to his brother. (But not to the small school his brother plays at.)

Looks like Wichita State his brother plays for and His Mom was a 2x Silver Olympian in the 4x 400 meter.

His Dad was a former NBA player that spent most of his career in the CBA and such.

As you stated both parents went to Florida State. Weird he actually played for 3 Colleges

Wiggins comes from good genetics.

[Displaced Flames fan]

I think both his parents went there. He has some connection there.

I think his brother plays at some small school in Kansas so he may go there to be close to his brother. (But not to the small school his brother plays at.)


Some small school? :)

[octothorp]

ACC freshman of the year Olivier Hanlan dropped 41 on Georgia Tech today for a ACC freshman record. Great for him to pick up some recognition now, as Boston College would need a miracle run in the ACC tournament to get into the NCAA tournament.

This is one of three freshmen of the year awards for Canadians, with Bennett and Bhullar picking up MWC and WAC honours, respectively. (And you have to figure Stauskas was in the running for Big Ten). Bennett's teammate and fellow Canadian Khem Birch picked up MWC defensive player of the year honours. Great to see for him, after transferring out of Pittsburgh and missing the first month of the season. Dwight Powell won PAC-12 most improved player, and Melvin Ejim of Iowa State won the Big 12's scholar-athlete award. And of course, Olynyk wins WCC player of the year, and is a finalist for the Wooden award.

[octothorp]

I'm really happy to see Sim Bhullar make the NCAA tournament. Especially because he's the only reason New Mexico State had a shot at winning their conference. In their championship game, he went for 16 pts, 15 rbs, 5 blks, 2 ass. And that comes a night after going 14 and 10 with 3 blocks. (Fellow Canadian Daniel Mullings also plays on the Aggies and had a major role in their strong second-half of the season.)
As I've mentioned before in this thread, the biggest question with Bhullar was whether he'd be able to get his 355 lb body up and down the court for any significant amount of time, but he's routinely a 30+ minutes a night player now. Putting up back-to-back-to-back 30 minute nights in the WAC tournament, with double-doubles in the last two games is beyond where I think even his most optimistic supporters thought he would be at.
The biggest question hole in his game now is free-throw shooting, which was below 50% this season.
A summer of improved conditioning and free-throw shooting would get him a little closer to being an NBA player. I'm rooting hard for him to make it some day, because it would be such a great story, both as a Canadian as well as the first Indian-heritage player with a shot at making it.

Here are some of the notable Canadians in the tournament this year:

Pangos and Olynyk, Gonzaga
Bennett and Birch, UNLV
Bhullar, Mullings, Watson, Dickson, NMSU
Stauskas, Michigan
Cadougan, Marquette
Ejim, Iowa State
Rivard, Harvard
Johnson, Bucknell
Cochrane, Davidson
Manigat, Creighton
Wiggins and Lufile, Witchita State
Glaze, St. Louis
Jones, Syracuse
Walker, Minnesota

Notable Canadians to miss the tournament: Heslip, Baylor; Hanlan, Boston College; Wiltjer, Kentucky; Kabongo, Texas; Powell, Stanford.

[Drake]

Are you kidding me? This is from last night from the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest.

M4K3OduxC9Q

Andrew Wiggins ended up finishing 4th in the contest.

[octothorp]

If anyone wants to get a look at wiggins (as well as the rest of this excellent HS class), the McDonald's all-American game is on TSN2 at 8 tonight. Good on them for picking it up.

[DiracSpike]

Can't wait, finally get to see this guy play.

[octothorp]

A few updates:

NBA News:
Kris Joseph was on 10-day tryout with the Nets, and while he hasn't seen a lot of playing time, apparently everyone in the organization absolutely loves how hard he's worked since coming up, and today he was awarded a contract for the remainder of the season (four games plus playoffs). I definitely think he's NBA-calibre talent (although as a bench/rotation player).

If you haven't been following the Spurs, Cory Joseph has really stepped up during Parker's injuries. Definitely part of their plans for the future.

Thompson and Nicholson are both doing well, Thompson had a monster 29/17 game last week, while Nicholson hasn't been getting consistent minutes, but was averaging 11/5 over March when he was getting good minutes. Decent numbers for a rookie.

NCAA News:

Kabongo announced today that he's going to enter the draft. Hard to tell if that's the right decision or not. The stats he posted late-season after serving his suspension were great, and combined with his original hype, may be enough to make him a late first round pick. Might come down to his workouts, but my feeling right now is that he'll go late first. DraftExpress has him 41st overall, but I'd be shocked if he dropped that much.

Justin Edwards had a great sophomore season with the University of Maine (17 ppg), and has announced his intent to transfer, so we'll see where he ends up, but he'll definitely be in a more high-profile situation. I believe he'll need to sit out for one year after transferring.

Pretty mixed NCAA tournament for the Canadians, with Cadougan and Stauskas the only two to play a role in any significant runs. Olynyk seemed to get generally positive reviews despite Gonzaga's early exit and still looks like he's got a shot at a late lottery spot, or at least early 20s. Bennett was a disappointment in UCLA's early loss, though I thought Birch played extremely well that game. Birch is being projected as a late first round pick in 2014 in some mocks, which is nice to see after he completely disappeared off the radar after his transfer from Pitt. Rivard for Harvard and Ejim for Iowa State were a couple other guys who I thought played well in the tournament.
Heslip, who helped Baylor's elite 8 run last year, had a couple big games (and a couple invisible games) in helping Baylor to a NIT tournament title. Still almost exclusively a 3-point shooter though.

Keanau Post was named a Junior-College All-American. As I mentioned earlier, he'll play for Missouri next year (joining fellow Canadians Negus Webster-Chan and Stephan Jankovic). I believe he's made his academic qualifications that will allow him to play next year rather than sit out one year.

So it's shaping up right now to be two or three Canadians in the first round: Bennett, Olynyk, and Kabongo. Could be more if either Powell or Birch declare, but I think both will stay in college for next season.

High-school news:

High-school SF Marial Shayok made the ESPN top 60 for the class of 2014 (joining top PF prospect Trey Lyles). Also starting to get attention is Justin Jackson, who's class of 2016 (and not to be confused with the 2014 Texas prospect of the same name) and is an elite passer with SF size at 6'7".

6'4 PG Jamal Murray got an invite to the Jordan Brand Classic this weekend in Brooklyn, joining Wiggins and Ennis. He's class of 2016, and if he grows a bit more, he'll probably end up as an SG or combo guard. Chris Egi is another high school prospect to keep an eye on: PF who's listed by scouts.com as the 48th-best player in the 2015 class, though that far out the rankings really start to lose value. Still, add him to Montaque Gill-Caesar as players to watch in the 2015 class.

Tyler Ennis had some good news, in that Carter-Williams declared for the draft, opening up a lot of playing time for Ennis at Syracuse next year.

The Nike Elite Youth Basketball series begins next weekend, and runs through April and May. Most of these young Canadians will play together on the CIA Bounce team, which has been one of the top teams in each of the recent years.

[Drake]

Wiggins high school coach tweeted this Sunday.

Andrew Wiggins will sign Tuesday at around 12:15. He will not hold a press conference type ceremony. Just classmates, family and friendshttps://twitter.com/rfulford/status/333741467141017600

[Displaced Flames fan]

Still holding on to the slight hope that he shocks the world and signs with Wichita State to play with his brother.

[Drake]

BREAKING: Andrew Wiggins, No. 1 player in the class of 2013, announces his commitment to Kansas. Kansas has the No. 2 class in the country.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/334341215673798658

[Senator Clay Davis]

Kansas always made the most sense if not FSU. Low key (or at least lower key than Carolina or UK), but still lots of big game chances. Plus he doesn't get the Calipari stain on him, which has to help.

[octothorp]

Just glad it wasn't Kentucky. Nothing against Kentucky, I just think he needs a situation where he's going to clearly be the guy, where he'll get a lot of tough games, and will get defenses keying on him so he can show his ability to use his teammates as well as an understanding of when to take over a game.

[moon]

Hated all the options but I guess KU is the least offensive compared to the others.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Rock Chalk!

[Plett25]

WOW... Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and Kelly Olynyk went 13th.

[valo403]

Any idea on whether either of those guys will play for the national team at some point, or have they seemed to waiver on whether they want to?

[Fire]

Any idea on whether either of those guys will play for the national team at some point, or have they seemed to waiver on whether they want to?

Basketball could be so much more popular in Canada if they could get a good national team going. Wiggins could be a #1 overall pick next season. Hopefully these young stars play for the national team instead of being prima donnas.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Canada now has enough basketball talent to compete for medals at the Olympics, unlike the years when Steve Nash would never play, which is when they could compete for 7th place. I think we will see these guys suit up for Canada in the future.

[valo403]

Canada now has enough basketball talent to compete for medals at the Olympics, unlike the years when Steve Nash would never play, which is when they could compete for 7th place. I think we will see these guys suit up for Canada in the future.

Not sure if that's a typo or what, but the best finish Canada has had at an Olympics since 1988 was 7th, on a team that Nash carried. Nash played plenty for Canada, and only retired when the prospect of carrying the national team became too much with his injuries.

[Senator Clay Davis]

That year they finished 7th was their best look at a medal. Won their group, just couldn't get past France in the QFs. I think that was a team that could have won a medal. After that the talent level just wasn't good enough to compete for much and obviously Nash has had injury issues for a while so I can see why he chose to pass if the talent level wasn't there, and if Nash wasn't going other top guys wouldn't either. Now I think there is so much talent the top guys will go because the secondary talents now would be the top talents then. Canada is just deeper more than anything.

[octothorp]

Any idea on whether either of those guys will play for the national team at some point, or have they seemed to waiver on whether they want to?

I think there's no question that Bennett will play for the national team, assuming health allows. I've seen him mention a few times about how much he's rooting for the other Canadian guys in the NCAA, and I get the feeling there's a lot of national pride with him. Will he play with the national team this summer? That's hard to say; like Wiggins, that first summer before starting an NCAA or NBA career is an important one.

Literally every guy who I've mentioned in this thread has played for Canada at the national level already on the cadet or junior teams. No guarantee that one or two guys might decide they don't want to play for the national program. But the best part about this current generation is that you could take any one player away (including Wiggins) and it's still a solid team by international standards. Unlike the Nash Olympics, it won't be up to one player to carry the team.

[octothorp]

I just wanted to do a mid-summer round-up, because there's been a lot going on that sort of flies under the radar. The senior men's team training camp roster should be coming out in the next week or two, but at other levels there's a number of noteworthy things, some of which is already discussed in this thread.

At the NBA level, Bennett had a great summer, being drafted first overall. Olynyk had a great summer, 13th overall plus a great summer-league. Cory Joseph got some playoff and finals experience, and then a great summer-league. Kris Joseph got traded back to Boston, where he'll probably get a chance to play this time with a rebuilding (or tanking) team. Sacre got some playoff experience and a new contract. At the other end of the spectrum, Kabongo had about the worst summer imaginable, going undrafted and then disappointing even the low expectations for him in summer league. Andy Rautins didn't make much of an impact with Chicago's summer league team, which is disappointing given his record-setting season in the d-league last year.

Going into next year, there will be at least 10 Canadians in the NBA (Bennett, Olynyk, Joseph, Joseph, Sacre, Thompson, Nicholson, Anthony, Dalembert, Nash -- these last two unlikely to play for the national team again), which is up from just 2 a few years ago.

The men's team competed recently in the international university games, and went through their warm-up tournament and the first four games undefeated, before losing to host Russia in the semi-finals. This team had a mix of CIS and NCAA returning players, such as Heslip, Pangos, Powell, and Scrubb. I see this as largely a try-out for the senior national team, and Heslip and Powell in particular had great tournaments although Heslip struggled in Canada's last two games that they lost. You need at least one great shooter in an international tournament, and Canada will need to pick at least one of Heslip, Rautins, and Stauskas. Melvin Ejim probably played well-enough to be in the mix at the SF spot, primarily because it is such a weak spot for the national team right now.
At the high-school level, Montaque Gill-Ceasar and Chris Egi got MVP nods at the Nike Global Challenge, though the Canadian team finished just 2-2. The cadet team finished third in the FIBA Americas tournament losing just one game, in overtime to host Argentina, with Gill-Ceasar, Egi, plus Justin Jackson and Jamal Murray all performing well.
The Junior National Team finished sixth at the worlds, even without Wiggins; Ennis and Lyles were the notable players there.



We'll have a better idea in the next week or two, but right now, I'd expect the FIBA Americas team this year to be something like:
Olynyk, Sacre, Anthony
Thompson, Nicholson, Powell
K. Joseph, Ejim
Heslip, Rautins
C. Joseph, Pangos, Kabongo

Stauskas, Wiltjer, Hanlan, and Scrubb are other guys I could see being in the mix. I don't think Bennett will play this year given his current injury, but as I said previously, everything he says shows his pride in the national program, and if he was healthy I would fully expect him to play. A couple international guys, like Doornekamp, Brown, English or Shepherd may also be in the mix for their international experience, although I think committing fully to the younger generation is the right strategy.

It's worth noting that while Wiggins did turn down the junior team this summer, there's still a chance of him accepting an invite to the senior team, especially since Canada's so shallow at SF, and he'd actually be counted on to play and produce. I'd call that a longshot, but still a possibility.

[valo403]

Is Wiggins already tied to Canada through previous international play? If not, is there any suspicion that he may spurn Canada to play for the US down the road (once eligible for citizenship)? With a guy who's getting a bit of next LeBron type hype I wonder if the marketing aspect of playing for the US starts factoring in.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Considering Wiggins has already said he wants to play for the Raptors, I think he's a pretty proud Canadian. He did also play for Canada in the under-18 Championships last summer where they won bronze.

[Drake]

Steve Nash and Jay Triano talk about the growth of Canada Basketball and shaping the future with young talent.

http://video.tsn.ca/?dl=main/latest/1/0/974191/clip/0

[octothorp]

Here's the national team training camp invite list. I've bolded guys I think are locks. There's a few guys I thought would be on the team that aren't even invites, though; perhaps injuries or team commitments or such. From Triano's comments in the video Drake posted, it sounds like there'll be a few of the international guys in the mix.

http://northpolehoops.com/2013/07/29/canadian-senior-mens-national-team-invite-list-released/

Jermaine Anderson Guard 6-2 Toronto, Ont.
Joel Anthony Centre 6-9 Montreal, Que.
Olu Ashaolu Forward 6-7 Toronto, Ont.
Junior Cadougan Guard 6-1 Toronto, Ont.
Aaron Doornekamp Forward 6-6 Odessa, Ont.
Carl English Guard 6-5 St. John’s, N.L.
Brady Heslip Guard 6-2 Burlington, Ont.
Cory Joseph Guard 6-3 Pickering, Ont.
Devoe Joseph Guard 6-4 Pickering, Ont.
Kris Joseph Forward 6-7 Montreal, Que.
Myck Kabongo Guard 6-1 Toronto, Ont.
Levon Kendall Forward 6-10 Vancouver, B.C.
Kyle Landry Forward 6-9 Calgary, Alta.
Andrew Nicholson Forward 6-9 Mississauga, Ont.
Andrew Rautins Guard 6-4 Syracuse, N.Y.
Philip Scrubb Guard 6-3 Richmond, B.C.
Jevohn Shepherd Forward 6-5 Scarborough, Ont.
Tristan Thompson Forward 6-9 Brampton, Ont.


Olynyk and Bennett are at the camp but not participating due to injury. Both may be on the eventual team, though, since its still a month to FIBA Americas.

[octothorp]

Scrubb and Kabongo are the first two cuts from the national team. But I really like this decision: they're both being sent to Vancouver to train with Steve Nash for the rest of the summer.

http://northpolehoops.com/2013/08/16/myck-kabongo-phil-scrubb-cut-from-team-canada-will-train-with-steve-nash-in-bc/

It sounds like guys who stood out in the two games against Jamaica were Anthony, Thompson, Nicholson, Heslip, Rautins, Kendall, and Shepherd. Cadougan also led the team in assists in one game, which might be a factor as to why he survived longer than other young PGs. It sort of makes sense to pair good defending and passing PGs like Joseph and Cadougan with hot-shooting, zero-defense SGs like Heslip and Rautins.

[pria(kin)16]

Canada easily won its opening game over Jamaica in the FIBA Americas Tournament. Top 4 teams from the tournament qualify for next year`s World Championships.

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=430819

Pretty sad we`re currently ranked 26 by FIBA, one back of basketball powerhouse Lebanon. Hopefully a strong showing at this tournament and the injection of young NBA players will have us climbing the rankings quickly.

[Matty81]

Canada trailing to Puerto Rico late... Close game but the difference has been reffing so far, calling 4 unsportsmanlike fouls and a bench technical against canada and handing them 10 points. Couple were legit but most weren't. Refs shouldn't play this big a role in basketball.

[Matty81]

I take that back, the difference now has been Canada getting owned in the 4th. Announcer said at one point puerto rico was on an 18-2 run. Too bad, looked like it was going to be close.

[octothorp]

Huge game against Brazil today with a 29 point victory, and the most noticeable difference being them not letting up in the second half, and not losing their composure (other than one technical to Rautins). Obviously this is a weaker Brazilian team without four NBA players, but then most teams including Canada are in a similar spot. Any way you look at it, destroying a team ranked in the FIBA top 10 is impressive.

Finishing top four now looks very possible, especially since they own any conceivable tie-breaker with Brazil. Take care of business against Uruguay, Mexico, at least one win against Dominican or Venezuela, and they should get through easily.

I'm also impressed with the job Triano has done in managing this lineup without a true SF on this team. It helps that some of the bigs have decent perimeter shots.

[Matty81]

Ya was a big win for them today, didn't expect them to hammer Brazil like that. Execute against Uruguay and they should just need to go 2-2 in the final group to get a spot and as you said, one of those four games looks like it will be against Mexico which they'll be heavily favored to win.

Crazy to see the Dominican beat Argentina the other day by almost 20 and now Brazil get smoked by Canada. Wonder if the balance is shifting in Americas zone. PR is probably taking their last kick at it with this core... Canada really has a chance to not only qualify from FIBA Americas consistently over the next few cycles but maybe to win some silverwear even if they perform.

[octothorp]

And now Dominican has lost back to back to Venezuela and Mexico, the latter being a 24 point wire-to-wire rout. I don't think anyone expected Mexico - who qualified only because Panama was disqualified - to be 3-0. And Dominican now must win their final game (albeit against winless Paraguay) to move into the next round.

Not sure what the best scenario for Canada is. Argentina and Dominican losing games is generally a good thing, but you don't want Mexico to go 4-0 and be ahead of Canada going into the second round.

edit: also, the Brazilian coach has been suspended for one game for his tirade against the officials during the loss to Canada.

[octothorp]

Power is out to the entire freaking country of Venezuela. Canada's game is probably going to be delayed.

edit: rescheduled to 10:00pm Caracas time, which I believe is 8:30 Calgary time.

[octothorp]

A dominant 26 point win of Uruguay puts them in solid shape going into the second round. And then starting tomorrow, it's four games in four days for the remaining teams.

One thing I like in this tournament is the way Triano is using 3-big lineups, like Thompson, Nicholson, and Doornekamp. It's a matchup nightmare in this tournament, and with Olynyk, Bennett, Lyles, and Powell as part of the future of this program, They've got no shortage of inside/outside bigs.
I've said it before but this tournament has me more convinced that a lineup like Joseph, Wiggins, Bennett, Nicholson, Olynyk would be brilliant in international play. Five guys who can shoot the 3, five who can rebound, four who can post up. Few international teams would be able to match up with that sort of size and skill. And Canada has the depth to run two units of that style of play.

[octothorp]

22 point win over Mexico, but this was actually really close going into the fourth. Nicholson got into foul trouble, Thompson didn't really have it going, so perimeter play needed to be huge. Heslip stopped one Mexico run with nine straight points in the third, and then Rautins did the same in the fourth. Those two guys combined for 40 points.

Home team Venezuela up next.

[Matty81]

Struggled against the home team Venezuela, shooting dried up all of a sudden and Nicholson imploded. Huge game against the Dominican coming up, since they've lost the tiebreakers with Puerto Rico and now Venezuela and Mexico is the only team in that close group of 6 that they have the tiebreaker on - they have to have this one today.

If they lose it they will need to beat Argentina and get some help in other games to qualify.

[octothorp]

Yeah, you don't want the tournament to come down to one game against a hungry Argentina team that may still be fighting to qualify too.

[Matty81]

Down 7 with a minute left.. Looks like all or nothing with Argentina and they'll need some help. Not looking good for their chances of qualifying.

This game was theirs for the taking, I think Rautins missing so many wide open threes was pretty crucial but their perimeter defence was awful too, so many open looks for the Dominican shooters.

[Matty81]

Watching international basketball is so frustrating, Scola is throwing elbows left right and center and getting away with it and Argentina's little point guard is throwing his head back and arms in the air at every contact.

Greasy greasy team.

[Matty81]

Too bad, Canada just needed to win one of their last 3 to get in. Bad shooting killed them.

Well hopefully Olympic qualifying goes better, see ya in a couple years Canada basketball.

[octothorp]

Brutal ending to the tournament for them... three straight losses of very winnable games. Really sucks that they won't be playing at the worlds next year... makes it a wasted season at a time when these guys need to be getting experience at the international game. However, it does show a lot about what the program has and what they need. I'll post an updated program depth chart soon.

[octothorp]

Okay, beginning of 2013-14 season update:

Obviously, there's loads being said about Wiggins, so I'm not going to put a lot into talking about him in this update, except to say that I'm on-board with the hype. I'm not convinced he's the top player in this draft-class or that he'll be an absolute superstar, but the best basketball talent Canada has ever produced? Absolutely. The attention he brings to the program could be as important as what he does on the court.

As for other Canadians in the NCAA this year:
I may have mentioned this before, but Xavier Rathan-Mayes was deemed ineligible this year, so his NCAA career will start next year.
Ennis at Syracuse - generally thought that he won't be a one-and-done player, but a great year this year could change his mind.
Duvuvier - reclassified to this year and is with Oregon State.
Kyle Wiltjer - transferred from Kentucky and is following in Olynyk's path, redshirting at Gonzaga this year.
Hanlan - really jumped up a lot of mocks this summer. Nobody had him listed at any point last year, but now both draft express and nbadraft.net have him going 20th and 34th respectively. Boston College is pretty bad, and I think he'd get even more attention playing at a more watched program.
Justin Edwards - transferred from Maine to Kansas State, and will sit out this year.
The Bhullar brothers - together again as Tanveer joins Sim at New Mexico State. General consensus in the NCAA tournament was that Sim wasn't that great a prospect, but I think that ignores just how far he had come with his conditioning and other elements. But he'll need to continue to grow at a similar rate over the rest of his college career to ever make it to the next level.
Stauskas at Michigan - is also starting to crop up on mocks for 2015, with draftexpress ranking him 45th.
Birch at UNLV - probably declares for the draft this year, likely an early 2nd, possibly a late 1st.
Powell at Stanford - is typically ranked in a similar range as Birch. But Powell's a senior, so this is a huge year for him.
Pangos at Gonzaga - I think he'll get a solid look whenever he comes out of college... if not in the draft, then in summer league tryouts.
Heslip at Baylor - the player that surprised me most at the Americas. Again, not convinced he'll be an NBA player, but an excellent international player.
Ejim at Iowa State currently out until December with an injury. Recently I read an ESPN article that had him as a darkhorse to get to the NBA after a couple years in Europe.
Rivard at Harvard - not typically seen as an NBA prospect, but could have a good international career.
MullingsA junior at New Mexico State, probably projects in that 'good international' range too.
Dyshawn Pierre, who's Dayton Flyers just knocked off Gonzaga and are now 5-0, with Pierre one of their leading players.

Young guys in the NBA this year:
Olynyk at Boston, probably in the best situation he could have landed in.
Bennett at Cleveland, probably in the worst situation he could have landed in. Really struggling right now.
Nicholson at Orlando, improved by leaps and bounds last year and is posting 10 and 6 in 20 minutes per game this year.
Thompson at Cleveland, will probably post a double-double this season.
Sacre at LA, starting this year right on his career average of 1.3 ppg. Doubling his rebound pace from 1rpg to 2.
Joseph at San Antonio, he's been brought along slowly but looks like he'll be given more of a regular role this year.

Sub-NBA pros:
Wow, is it possible to have a worse basketball year that Kabongo did? Lost half the year to suspension, failed to make the NCAA tournament, went undrafted, failed to make an impact with two different summer league teams, was cut from team Canada, and finally ended up in the d-league. At least he's with the San Antonio affiliate Austin Toros, which is probably the best place to be in the d-league.
Kris Joseph is playing in China this year. I really don't know whether China is a good place for player development. Everyone says he's got an unmatched work ethic, but obviously his game isn't there yet. I believe he'll be back on an NBA roster in a year or two, though.
Andy Rautins had a stellar d-league year last year, and then fizzled at summer league. Was good for Team Canada though. He said he wouldn't be returning to the d-league, it was either NBA or Europe. So, Frankfurt Skyliners it is!

High School:
Other than Trey Lyles it's hard to imagine any of these guys being a factor in the national program by 2016, and Lyles is unlikely to be a factor simply because he plays Canada's deepest position (PF). But Lyles and Justin Jackson are the two guys who have real star potential, ESPN ranks each of them #7 in their respective classes. Jackson is a couple years further off, but is really getting a lot of attention for his ridiculous point-forward skills. The other guys I'm keeping an eye on at this point are Chris Egi (Harvard), Marial Shayok (Marquette), Montaque Gill-Ceasar (ranked #19 by ESPN), Jamal Murray, Munis Tutu, and Dillon Brooks.


So, my updated 2016 depth chart:
C: Olynyk, Birch, Anthony, Sacre
PF: Thompson, Nicholson, Bennett, Lyles
SF: Wiggins, K. Joseph
SG: Rautins, Heslip, Stauskas
PG: C. Joseph, Hanlan, Ennis, Pangos

Big changes are that Olynyk leaps over everyone else at C, Sacre drops behind Birch. Heslip (previously unlisted) gets onto the list at SG, based on his Americas performance. I'm taking Rathan-Mayes off for the time because I think the lost year sets him back. Hanlan definitely belongs in the mix, though I'm not sure whether it's PG or SG. All the other SGs are shooters, so a shot-creator like Hanlan might give them a better mix. Kabongo, obviously, is off the list for now.

The failure to qualify for the worlds next year is a significant disappointment but reflected the inexperience of the guys in the program right now (particularly their reliance on Nicholson, who struggled with foul trouble all tournament long). Canada chose to submit a wildcard application for the 2014 worlds, which actually surprises me. Brazil and China will both certainly get a wildcard, which means Canada is likely competing for one of two remaining spots with Nigeria, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Venezuela, Israel, Italy, and a few others. I don't think they'll get it, unless Wiggins sends a strong signal that he'll play (which I doubt, not his style to look ahead beyond his current team). We'll find out whether they get a wildcard spot in February.

edit: updated to include Pierre

[drew24]

Okay, beginning of 2013-14 season update:

Ejim at Iowa State currently out until December with an injury. Recently I read an ESPN article that had him as a darkhorse to get to the NBA after a couple years in Europe.

Great work as always.

Ejim is back already and kicked Michigan's ass with a game high 22 points. Stauskas had the second most in the game with 20. I missed the game but a good box-score for Canada regardless.

[octothorp]

Awesome! I hadn't heard that (funny because I actually looked at that boxscore to see how Stauskas did, and never even thought to look for Ejim).

[octothorp]

Ouch. Every shot attempt by Bennett through his first 12 NBA games. He'll get there, but he's struggling so much right now.

6lt3Xw_8oMI

[octothorp]

Just bumping this to say that 7'2" Calgarian Jordan Bachynski with Arizona State is starting to get into mocks as a late second-rounder. I didn't think he'd get the attention because seniors who are off the radar their first three years generally don't get noticed. Okay scoring and good rebounding numbers, but it's his 4.8 blocks-per-game (1st in div 1) that's getting him a look.

And while he's not getting mentioned in mocks yet and probably won't, Winnipeg-born senior Chad Postumus is second in the NCAA in rebounding, and first in offensive rebounds.

[octothorp]

Big announcement out of FIBA today: Russia and China withdrew their wildcard bids for the World Championships (joining Italy and Germany, who also withdrew earlier). China was pretty-much an automatic wildcard berth, and I would have ranked Russia ahead of Canada as well in terms of likelihood. Now Brazil is the only sure thing, and Canada is in the mix with Greece, Turkey, Nigeria, Venezuela and Israel (there are other countries including Poland, Finland, Qatar, and Bosnia Herzegovina eligible, but I think all of those are longshots). A couple days ago I would have given Canada about 1-in-6 odds of making it, but now I'd put it more at fifty-fifty.

Results will be announced February 2nd.

EDIT: Reports are now that this may not actually be the case. No official word that either China or Russia have withdrawn. The original report was from El Mundo Deportivo, which is a Spanish sports newspaper, and given that Spain is hosting the tournament, it's not unthinkable that they'd find out something that hasn't been officially announced yet.

[Matty81]

Weird way to give out spots at the tournament, but hey if Canada gets in somehow, great. I really enjoyed watching them last summer, with the added depth and international experience would be fun to see how they do.

[octothorp]

No FIBA for Canada, as Finland shockingly rides Angry Birds creator Rovio's financial backing into the tournament.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/business-meets-basketball-finland-receives-disputed-wild-card-for-fiba-championship/article16650121/

I'd complain about this, but Canada put themselves in the mercy of an arbitrary system by failing to win at the Americas.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Here's another guy you should keep your eyes on.

Edmonton's Manny Arop is playing at Indiana State. Watched him against Wichita State last night. Really good player. Great athlete.

[octothorp]

So I think it's safe to say that any disappointment about Wiggins' lack of dominance is being countered by Ennis' brilliant season. That buzzer-beater last night looked ridiculous, except that it fits completely with Ennis' clutch stats this season: 8-of-9 from the field and 14-of-14 from the line in the last 5 minutes and OT of 1 possession games, plus 4 assists, 0 turnovers.

Anyway, I thought I'd do a draft roundup of Canadian prospects currently in mocks, in draftexpress and nbadraft. There are 8 guys who have been on mocks for this year's draft at one time or another, although two of them (Hanlan, Birch) are expected to stay another year at this point. I know these aren't the most respected mocks out there (especially NBADraft) but at this point most mocks are only doing first rounds.

Name - DraftExpress rank - NBADraft rank
Wiggins - 2 - 3
Ennis - 9 - 13
Stauskas - 19 - 33
Powell - 40 - X
Ejim - X - 45
Bachynski - X - 56
Hanlan - 57 (2015) - 23 (2015)
Birch - 37 (2015) - 36 (2015)

[Displaced Flames fan]

There isn't a more valuable player in college basketball this year than Tyler Ennis.

Syracuse will be one of my final 2 teams because of Tyler Ennis. The kid is incredible.

[OzSome]

Just bumping this to say that 7'2" Calgarian Jordan Bachynski with Arizona State is starting to get into mocks as a late second-rounder. I didn't think he'd get the attention because seniors who are off the radar their first three years generally don't get noticed. Okay scoring and good rebounding numbers, but it's his 4.8 blocks-per-game (1st in div 1) that's getting him a look.

And while he's not getting mentioned in mocks yet and probably won't, Winnipeg-born senior Chad Postumus is second in the NCAA in rebounding, and first in offensive rebounds.

Thanks Octo.. i was trying to figure out that Calgarian's name.

[octothorp]

My list of NCAA tournament teams with Canadians playing significant roles:

Wichita State - Wiggins, Lufile
Iowa State - Ejim, Long
Michigan - Stauskas
Kansas - Wiggins
Syracuse - Ennis
Creighton - Manigat
Baylor - Heslip, Chery
Gonzaga - Pangos
Oregon - Calliste, Armadi
Stanford - Powell
Arizona State - Bachynski
Harvard - Rivard
New Mexico State - Bhullar, Mullings, Dixon

On the bubble:
Dayton - Pierre
Missouri - Post

Prominent Canadians to miss the tournament
Boston College - Hanlan
UNLV - Birch
Indiana State - Arop
Colgate - Burnatowski
Morehead State - Posthumus


Imagine what an all-Canadian team would look like:
Ennis / Hanlan / Pangos
Stauskas / Mullings / Heslip
Wiggins / Ejim / Pierre
Powell / Birch / Posthumus
Bachynski / Bhullar

Such a team would consist of three wooden award finalists, three conference players of the year, two conference defensive players of the year. And you want rim protection? Three of the top five players in the league in blocks, and two would be top fifteen rebounders.

And this doesn't include prominent Canadian redshirts, transfers, and supendees:
Hawaii - Webster-Chan, Jankovic
Gonzaga - Wiltjer, Triano
Kansas State - Edwards
Florida State - Rathan-Mayes

[octothorp]

Time for a summer roundup.

The men's national team won't play in the worlds as mentioned above, but they did complete an exhibition tour through Europe where they played 11 games, many against teams that will be in the Worlds this year. They went 5-6, including wins over 7th-ranked Turkey and 15th-ranked Angola. They also had close losses to Serbia, Croatia, Italy, and even their game against Spain was competitive (hanging within 10 points against a lineup that had both Gasols, Ibaka, Calderon, Rubio, and Navarro playing 20 minutes each has to be considered a big positive).

Joseph, Nicholson, English, Sacre, and Heslip were some of the big contributors through the tournament; great to see for Sacre, after there had been some concern that he wasn't going to be part of the team after pulling out of FIBAs last year. Heslip lead the team in scoring for a few games, and regardless of NBA prospects, looks to be a big part of the national team.

I probably don't need to tell anyone Wiggins' status, but seems pretty likely he and Bennett will end up in Minnesota in a few days. With Ennis in Phoenix, Stauskas in Sacramento, there are at least 3 new Canadians in the NBA this year, with two lingering questions:

Powell still hasn't been signed by the Cavs yet, and with Marion signing I don't think they'll sign him now. I think they'll renounce his draft rights in the coming weeks.

Sim Bhullar, against all predictions, has a non-guaranteed contract with Sacramento, and looks to have a reasonable chance of staying on contract and going to the d-league. As much as I thought it was an awful decision for him to declare for the draft, now I wonder if he had a promise of at least a d-league contract from Ranadive. I think it's shown now that Sacramento is going to give him every possible opportunity to succeed, so what more could you want for a guy in Bhullar's position? (But if I was a Sacramento fan, I'd be highly skeptical of this move.) My favorite thing to come out of Bhullar's time with Sacramento was the picture of him dwarfing 6'11", 270lb Cousins: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsHfEPrCEAAeVkW.jpg

Khem Birch also had a good summer league with the Wizards, but seemed like he was a contingency plan for them not resigning Seraphim. So with Seraphim resigning, hard to say where Birch falls. He's good enough to at least get a training camp invite, but it may be worthwhile for him to turn his attention to Europe now.

Along with Powell, the changes in Cleveland create uncertainty for Thompson: he'll be pushed back to bench player behind Love, and while he might get some playoff experience now, his roll will change. And Nicholson continues to be submarined in the Orlando depth chart, now probably moving behind Aaron Gordon. He needs to get out of there, onto a team where he's getting steady backup minutes.

Now, to the guys who won't be playing in the NBA next year:

Bachynski had a decent summer league, and there was some thought he might stick as a third center with Charlotte, but ended up signing with a Turkish team for 1 year.

Melvin Ejim got very little summer league time and will play in Italy next year.

Heslip doesn't have a contract yet but it makes a lot of sense for him to play in Europe, especially after showcasing his skills there with the national team.


Most notable Canadian freshmen next year:
Lyles (Kentucky), Egi (Harvard), Shayok (Marquette). Of these three, Lyles is the only one who has a real shot at being a one-and-done candidate, but I think that Egi is going to be another excellent PF after playing 3 or 4 years at Harvard.

Other Canadians who could be in the draft next year: Hanlan, Rathan-Mayes, Wiltjer, Pierre, Pangos. I'm really interested to see where Wiltjer is at after red-shirting for a year. It's hard for guys who fall so much in their rankings to recover any ground, but I think he made the right decision.

This coming year will also be the last year of Phil Scrubb's career at Carleton. Can he get onto the NBA scouting radars by next summer? He played a big roll on the exhibition tour this summer, and I can see him in the national team's long-term plans, regardless of where he ends up.


So, my updated 2016 depth chart:
C: Sacre, Olynyk, Bachynski
PF: Thompson, Nicholson, Bennett, Powell
SF: Wiggins, Ejim, Shepherd
SG: Stauskas, Heslip
PG: C. Joseph, Ennis, Scrubb

As I've said in the past, I think the strength of the program will be their stretch big-men. Nicholson's game has shown the potential to be extremely effective at the international level, and Olynyk, Bennett (and Lyles and Wiltjer in the future) could all be similarly effective. Few teams in the world could put out a starting lineup that can spread the floor as well as a lineup of Olynk, Nicholson, Wiggins, Stauskas, and Joseph, and then follow it up with guys like Scrubb, Heslip, and Bennett off the bench.


Looking further down the pipe, all of Montique Gill-Ceasar (2015), Justin Jackson (2016), and Jamal Murray (2016) continue to be seen as top recruits. My prediction is that Jackson is going to be a big part of the national team by 2020; I think his skillset as a point-forward is perfect alongside all those shooters.

[octothorp]

Hasn't been as much to talk about for Canadian prospects this college season, but last night Xavier Rathan Mayes had an absolutely jaw-dropping stretch of 30 points in the last 4:38 of his game.

baE1p-C4Eok

[MillerTime GFG]

That is absolute insanity...the clip doesn't go long enough, but it looks like they still ended up losing lol.

[CofR]

Silver at the Pan Am's, first ever men's basketball medal for Canada. Lot to feel optimistic about with the men's program.

And I should also mention the women's team winning gold earlier in the week. Kia Nurse is going to be a star.

[octothorp]

The camp roster for the FIBA Americas has been announced:

Bennett, Anthony F 6’8″ Brampton, ON Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)
Bhullar, Sim C 7’5″ Mississauga, ON Sacramento Kings (NBA)
Doornekamp, Aaron F 6’7″ Odessa, ON Braunschweig (Germany)
Ejim, Melvin F 6’6″ Toronto, ON Orlando Magic (NBA)
English, Carl SG 6’5″ Paradise, NFLD Athens AEK (Greece)
Hanlan, Olivier G 6’4″ Aylmer, QC BC Zalgiris (Lithuania)
Heslip, Brady G 6’2″ Burlington, ON Pallacanestro Cantù (Italy)
Joseph, Cory PG 6’3″ Pickering, ON Toronto Raptors (NBA)
Murray, Jamal G 6’3″ Kitchener, ON University of Kentucky (NCAA)
Nicholson, Andrew F 6’9″ Mississauga, ON Orlando Magic (NBA)
Olynyk, Kelly C 7’0″ Kamloops, BC Boston Celtics (NBA)
Powell, Dwight F 6’9″ Toronto, ON Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Sacre, Robert C 7’0″ Vancouver, BC Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Scrubb, Phil G 6’3″ Richmond, BC AEK Athens (Greece)
Stauskas, Nik SG 6’6″ Mississauga, ON Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
Wiggins, Andrew F 6’8″ Vaughan, ON Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)

Without question, this will be the deepest, most talented team that Canada has ever put forward, even if they're somewhat lacking in experience. Thompson is the only significant omission (due to his ongoing contract situation with Cleveland), and that's at Canada's deepest position.

I think the guys who are a lock for the team are:
Olynyk
Powell
Bennett
Nicholson

Wiggins

Joseph
Murray

Stauskas, Sacre and Ejim are near locks, in my opinion. And Heslip should be on the team given his ability to take over games... I think you need that in a format like the FIBA Americas. Plus we aren't really deep at the guard position. Bhullar is a tough call... we saw in the Pan Am games how his presence can completely alter the complexion of a game, but I think that advantage decreases exponentially as competition level increases. I think Sacre is a more likely inclusion than Bhullar, and a roster with both is possible, too. I think Murray's inclusion in the list means that Kentucky is allowing him to participate long enough for it to be worthwhile, although there's a chance Murray must leave the team before the medal round.

Doornekamp and English are the vets, but Doornekamp looks likely to miss given all the other frontcourt options. Hanlan and Scrubb are the two other longshots, though if Murray can't stay for the whole tournament, another guard becomes more important.

I love the perimeter-spacing options on this team. You could in theory go about 8 players deep before you find a guy who is not a good 3-point shooter. Lineups like Olynyk/Nicholson/Wiggins/Stauskas/Joseph and Powell/Bennett/Ejim/Heslip/Murray are going to be matchup nightmares. Throw in Sacre and Bhullar (a matchup nightmare himself) and expectations should be very high.

This team should be able to finish top 2 and qualify directly for the Olympics. Failure to finish top 5 and qualify for next summer's qualifying tournament would be a disaster for the program. That said, this isn't going to be an easy tournament by any means.

Brazil is already guaranteed a spot in the Olympics, and their team that won gold at the Pan Ams is almost identical to the one they'll be fielding here (my understanding is that if they finish top 2, then the third place team would get an Olympic berth). Mexico has home court advantage and a couple solid players in Ayon and Gutierrez. Argentina will also be very strong, missing Ginobili but with Scola and Nocioni, as well as international ball standout Campazzo.

Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic (who finished 4th at the Pan Am games) are both wildcards, capable of upsetting more talented teams. Venezuela also has the potential, but with Vasquez - probably their best player - out this summer, they'll be in tough to even make next summer's qualifier.

The unofficial warmup tournament - the Tuto Marchand Cup - starts on the 18th, and then the FIBA Americas starts August 18 in Puerto Rico, and then the FIBA Americas tournament starts August 31 in Mexico City.

edit: I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that the women's team punched their ticket to Rio in dominating fashion, running roughshod over the opposition at the FIBA Americas. It'll be tough for them to medal as the US, Australia, and several EU teams are likely to be the medal favorites, but they should certainly take a lot of confidence from this.

[octothorp]

Canada sweeps the Tuto Marchand Cup, beating Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic, and hardly ever trailing in the whole tournament. But all of the teams including Canada were obviously holding a lot back for the Americas tournament. Scrubb did a lot to make a case, which is key because Murray's not going to be playing. Olynyk is struggling with an injury, so they're going to need to keep his minutes light. Powell and Ejim were a couple of the standout roleplayers, and will probably play a key role in the Americas teams.

[CofR]

Anthems just finished before Canada's first game. On TSN 4&5.

Road to Rio starts now.

[octothorp]

Yup, I'm excited!!

[Sylvanfan]

Tough loss to the Argentines to start, but beat Cuba today. It's a talented squad, hopefully they'll get better as this tournament progresses

[octothorp]

Win over Venezuela was really key, and Canada won it pretty handily. Some pretty cheap and dirty plays by Venezuela though, especially on taking down Powell hard while he was in the air. Win against PR today and they're in great shape going into the medal round. Their 3-point shooting was awful the first two games (at least from everyone who was not Brady Heslip), but really came around yesterday, hopefully they can keep that going, because when they force defenders to cover them out to the perimeter, it really opens up a lot of cutting to the basket plays.

[The Big Chill]

Big win over PR. 3-1 now.

[octothorp]

I thought they played extremely well today, they weathered PR's push in the first half, and then just destroyed them in the 3rd. The depth is so noticeably better than any other team they've played... they can put out an entire second unit (Scrubb, Heslip, Ejim, Nicholson, Sacre) far superior to any other second unit in this tournament, or mix those guys in with the starters.

I'm particularly impressed with how Olynyk looks this tournament. The high-tempo game really gives him a chance to showcase his ability to run the floor in transition, and pass well. He got abused a bit by Scola in that opening game, but otherwise his defense and rebounding has been solid.

[OzSome]

I thought they played extremely well today, they weathered PR's push in the first half, and then just destroyed them in the 3rd. The depth is so noticeably better than any other team they've played... they can put out an entire second unit (Scrubb, Heslip, Ejim, Nicholson, Sacre) far superior to any other second unit in this tournament, or mix those guys in with the starters.

I'm particularly impressed with how Olynyk looks this tournament. The high-tempo game really gives him a chance to showcase his ability to run the floor in transition, and pass well. He got abused a bit by Scola in that opening game, but otherwise his defense and rebounding has been solid.

Me too. For a 7-footer the guy can move and can dribble the ball. He is very mobile for a tall guy. I am very happy with the team but I think Doornekamp and Ejim can be replace by Tristan Thompson and another NBA player like Ennis if they qualify for the Olympics. Triano have the luxury of having to put the 2nd unit and not lose a beat so far.

[octothorp]

I'd still keep Ejim until they have a better bench wing defender... they don't need a guy who can create offence off the bench at the SF spot, they need a guy who can come in and take the toughest PF/SF/SG assignment, get some rebounds, and defer to the better scorers, which Ejim can do.

Backup PG is going to be the most interesting battle for next summer... Scrubb has looked really good as a backup here, Murray looked great at the Pan Ams, and Ennis is potentially better than either of those guys when healthy. Good problem to have.

My favorite thing about about this team right now... every guy there has at least three Olympic cycles in him (2016, 2020, 2024). Some may still be playing at a high level in 2028. Mix in Justin Jackson, Rowan Barrett, and some guys who might still be in elementary school, and there's a pretty big window to do something special.

[kmart]

I think Jamal Murray would have been on this team if he didn't have to go to school at Kentucky. The team needs someone like Jamal Murray to create offence, Cory Joseph and Phil Scrubb can't create offence like Jamal Murray can and I think it hurts the offence sometimes.

There is also a big game tonight at 7:30 MT (don't take my word for it) against the host Mexicans, who have yet to lose a game. I think Canada should be able to pull out a win with a deeper and talented roster, but if you have a chance I'd try to watch it. Should be a fun game with lots of loud Mexican fans.

[octothorp]

Yeah, I like Canada's chances tonight. Mexico has basically gone with an 8 man rotation, and it's catching up with them.

[pria(kin)16]

As someone who has followed the program for a long time, I still can't believe we start an all NBA lineup and still have legitimate NBA players coming off the bench. We've come a long way and the future is very bright. I like what I've seen so far this tournament minus Scola running wild (which as a Raps fan I still like seeing) and really believe we will qualify for Rio even if it's not through this tournament. Now if only we can get Thon Maker citizenship....

[kmart]

As someone who has followed the program for a long time, I still can't believe we start an all NBA lineup and still have legitimate NBA players coming off the bench. We've come a long way and the future is very bright. I like what I've seen so far this tournament minus Scola running wild (which as a Raps fan I still like seeing) and really believe we will qualify for Rio even if it's not through this tournament. Now if only we can get Thon Maker citizenship....

I remember the days of Sam Delembert pissing off Leo Rautins because he wanted more touches, while Steve Nash didn't play because they fired Triano:bag:. Now we are probably favourites to finish top 2 and qualify for Rio, all this without arguably our best post player in Tristan Thompson, who is only holding out for contract reasons. Unbelievable.

The addition of Steve Nash and Rowan Barrett have made players want to play for the Canadian national team again. Its been a treat to watch them from the Pan Am games to this point in time.

[CofR]

Playing really well against Mexico. That crowd looks intimidating

[goodyear]

Hockey aside, this is the one national men's team to get excited for! Hope these guys pull it off and qualify for Rio 2016.

[octothorp]

Canada's playing at another level today... 65 points at halftime against the Dominican (and keep in mind these are 10 minute quarters). 11 of 15 from 3.

They can still finish first in the round robin if Mexico beats Argentina in the late game today.

[troutman]

Canada's playing at another level today... 65 points at halftime against the Dominican (and keep in mind these are 10 minute quarters). 11 of 15 from 3.

They can still finish first in the round robin if Mexico beats Argentina in the late game today.

For that to happen I think I read MEX has to win by over 30 points?

[The Big Chill]

For that to happen I think I read MEX has to win by over 30 points?

I thought it was less then ~30, because Mexico would win the tie breaker if they win by more then that. I could very well be wrong though.

[The Big Chill]

Looks like we finished first and will take on Venezuela for an Olympic birth.

[craigwd]

Kudos to TSN for showing all of these games for both the men's and women's FIBA Americas tourneys. I love watching good international ball and I'm looking forward to Rio.

[octothorp]

Yeah, this is fantastic, best possible scenario for Canada. I'm sure they won't take Venezuela lightly, given that they know that this game is far more important than the finals would be. Venezuela plays a very defensive, slow, physical game, and honestly their penchant for taking cheap shots worry me, but if Canada rebounds well and gets out and runs the break, they should be able to dominate this matchup like they did in group play.

This team feels so completely different from the team in 2013, even though it's got a bunch of the same players. They really seems to embrace the international game, and in particular how it allows them to use their strength and atheticism advantage that they have over many of the teams. Just look at live-ball plays at the rim... in 2013 Canada was constantly allowing tip-ins, because they weren't adapting to the international rules; this time around, Canada's been dominating play at the rim against every team they play. Same with things like setting screens, physical play in the key... they have absolutely embraced what advantages they have.

[kmart]

I truly believe that we are looking at the next international powerhouse in Canada. There is just so much young talent at every position. We've been the class of the tournament so far and thats with players CIS like Doorenkamp and Scrubb playing lots minutes. Those minutes occupied by Doorenkamp and Scrubb currently, will likely be substituted for NBA players or soon to be NBA players like Ennis, Thompson, and Jamal Murray in a years time.

Obviously, nobody is going to compete with the Americans, but 2nd or 3rd place in future FIBA events or Olymipics don't seem out of the question.

[The Big Chill]

It's a battle so far. We need to tighten up on the defensive end.

[The Big Chill]

Venezuela has been on fire so far.

[The Big Chill]

Oh boy, awful finish to that half. We turned the ball over 5 trips in a row on the offensive end, and gave up a desperation 3 at the buzzer. Down one at half.

[CofR]

Offense just dried up at the end, have to be better next half!

[The Big Chill]

Up 2 heading into the 4th. Going to be a nail biter.

[CofR]

Olynk stepping up huge

[The Big Chill]

Guillent can't miss right now...this is wild.

[The Big Chill]

What a load of BS. A foul call on a rebound to lose it.

[CofR]

Ugh

[CofR]

We got screwed. Garbage foul

[browna]

Guillent can't miss right now...this is wild.

Terrible. Glad to see dodgy officiating when playing in or against Central America/Mexican teams isn't limited to soccer.

Canada still choked this one away big time after such a good tournament, and now has some last minute tourney before the Olympics as the only chance.

[CofR]

Canada never should have been in a situation where that could happen, but still... Sucks seeing CONCACAF quality officiating.

[CofR]

Someone should knock the Venezualas coaches teeth in for running around like that after he won on a bad call. I'm not even Canadian

From Bobby Ryan on Twitter

[GirlySports]

Thats nothing
- Canadian soccer fan


*beaten by browna

[octothorp]

Ah, that sucks. Losing in the semis to Argentina or Mexico, I'd probably be okay with. But losing to this team... it's a learning experience, and hopefully they get a full turnout at the qualifying tournament next summer.

[Resolute 14]

Choked. Plain and simple. The foul call lost a game that had no business being close in the first place.

[The Big Chill]

The turnovers killed us tonight. The lack of experience out there really hurt, and you could see guys forcing it on offense all night. It was a tough situation for the young guys after hardly being challenged all tournament outside of game 1.

Hopefully they regroup and come back strong in the tournament next summer.

[Zach]

21 point favourites and can't even win. Yikes.

[dino7c]

Play like that they would get hammered in the olympics anyway

[OzSome]

I missed the game but from what I heard, the Canadian team were overconfident. Way too many turnovers for a team that was playing very well early in the tournament. Venezuela have no business being in that game but with all the freebie Canadians gave them they capitalized. Sucks that they lost because of the bad officiating. They still have a chance next summer and I hope they get some more help from NBA players like Tristan Thompson an others. I would take a couple or three players off this team Ejim, Doorenkamp(sic).

[octothorp]

I actually think it was the opposite. They looked more nervous than overconfident, and every time they missed an open shot they'd be hanging their heads. The first time I was really worried about the outcome last night was when Stauskas shot and missed three open 3s on the same possession, and immediately after, you could tell from the body-language that all the misses were getting to him and the team. At the same time, the Canadians knew that their game plan needed to be to force the tempo, but if anything they were forcing it too much, looking for the first pass on the break, which the Venezuelans could key on.

[octothorp]

So, Canada has won their first two games of their qualifying tournament, with an impressive-looking win over Turkey and then a nervous-looking win over Senegal. They're onto the semi-finals, where they'll play either France or New Zealand. France is obviously the big fish in this tournament, whether they play them in the semifinals or finals. They've got Batum, Diaw, and Parker all playing.

Canada is missing several NBAers including Wiggins, Olynyk, Powell, Murray, Stauskas and Lyles. Joseph has been key for Canada so far, and having both Bennett and Thompson has been a big plus.

It's a much weaker roster than they had at the FIBA Americas last year, but it might still be enough to get the job done, and good experience for the guys who are there, regardless.

[TheAlpineOracle]

So, Canada has won their first two games of their qualifying tournament, with an impressive-looking win over Turkey and then a nervous-looking win over Senegal. They're onto the semi-finals, where they'll play either France or New Zealand. France is obviously the big fish in this tournament, whether they play them in the semifinals or finals. They've got Batum, Diaw, and Parker all playing.

Canada is missing several NBAers including Wiggins, Olynyk, Powell, Murray, Stauskas and Lyles. Joseph has been key for Canada so far, and having both Bennett and Thompson has been a big plus.

It's a much weaker roster than they had at the FIBA Americas last year, but it might still be enough to get the job done, and good experience for the guys who are there, regardless.

I must say, Wiggins not playing for Canada has me more than a little riled up. There's absolutely no reason for him not to be there. He's young and still developing.

[CofR]

I must say, Wiggins not playing for Canada has me more than a little riled up. There's absolutely no reason for him not to be there. He's young and still developing.

Ya, it looks awful on Wiggins when Thompson agrees to go after playing all the the way to game 7 of the finals

[MillerTime GFG]

Don't they have to win this tournament to qualify for the Olympics? With that France roster, it looks highly unlikely they'd beat them...

[TheAlpineOracle]

Don't they have to win this tournament to qualify for the Olympics? With that France roster, it looks highly unlikely they'd beat them...

Yes, they have to win outright to gain an Olympic birth.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Has anyone done the math to determine what time the game is on tomorrow?

[TheAlpineOracle]

Looks like 4:30 AM MST on TSN.

[pria(kin)16]

And we're through to the finals after an ugly win against the kiwis. 50% from the free throw line and missing 11 straight 3s won't get it done against France so here's hoping they pick it up and book a spot in Rio. Go Canada!

[Lil Pedro]

If Canada wins tomorrow, will they be able to add guys like Wiggins to their roster for Rio?

[Da_Chief]

I hope they don't even if they can. Let the guys who helped them get there play. Leave his bogus excuse ass at home. Like the timberwolves are ever going to win anything.

[Johnny199r]

Canada basketball fans, welcome to the world of Canadian soccer fans. When your difference makers choose not to commit to the program, there's not much you can do.

Signed,

No World Cup appearance since 1986.

[Da_Chief]

It's sad isn't it. Wiggins is not going to become a household name in Canada (or US really) while playing for the timberwolves. Try carrying the national team and see the love he'll get.

Look at Jays, Raptors, Raonic, Henderson, Bouchard, De Grasse, etc and the fandom they are getting currently. Maybe someone else will step up.

[Fire]

Did Wiggins give an excuse for not showing up? I could understand if he had no contract or was hurt, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

[Da_Chief]

He wanted to focus on his upcoming NBA season. Not sure if the timberwolves told him to do that. He's under contract for next season and likely the season after too, which is a team option.

[GirlySports]

bump

FIBA to introduce FIFA-style world cup and olympic qualifying.
NBA will not release their players for an international window like soccer does.

Canada is screwed.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19293500/usa-basketball-use-nba-development-league-players-qualify-2019-fiba-world-cup

[octothorp]

Been in the works for a while but yeah, it screws NBA-heavy Canada more than any other country.

That said, Canada's sub-NBA talent is also the best it's ever been, and assuming they can secure their release, there's no reason that a team composed of guys like Heslip, Ejim, the Bachynksis, the other Josephs, Pangos, Cadougan, Hanlan, Pierre, Birch, Webster-Chan, Jankovic, Notice, etc. shouldn't be good enough to finish top 7 in the Americas. Current NCAA players may be available for some of those tournaments as well, depending on how the windows work out (2 of the 6 windows will be in the summer). If they can finish top 7, then the NBA players can show up for the Worlds, and if they can finish in the top 2 of Americas teams there (so, behind the US but ahead of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, etc.), they get a spot in the Olympics. Definitely a tough road though.

[Senator Clay Davis]

So this happened....

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DEUbXjoXoAAy2Gg.jpg

I would also say RJ Barrett is going to be even more hyped than Wiggins was, and that the Raps are positioning themselves well to "Suck #### for Barrett" in 2019-2020.

[Da_Chief]

It would suck if they tank the 19-20 season and RJ goes 1st overall in 2019.

[CofR]

I’m a pretty big basketball fan, but not the best analyst of talent.. how excited should I be for RJ Barrett? Because right now it’s a 10/10

[octothorp]

I dunno, I mean I was really excited for Wiggins... when he was in high-school there was no trace of the weaknesses that have defined his NBA career, so I'm cautious about hyping anyone up too much again. That said, yeah, he's got a ceiling at least as high as Wiggins' was at that point in his development.

[Senator Clay Davis]

So yeah RJ Barrett in one night has already eclipsed Wiggins entire career. He's going to be special

1060047792603832320

[CofR]

So yeah RJ Barrett in one night has already eclipsed Wiggins entire career. He's going to be special

1060047792603832320

Duke was +2.5 yesterday, what a win

[octothorp]

So with a dominant win over Brazil last night, Canada has officially qualified for the World Cup. The World Cup team we send will be full of NBA players, but this qualification was only possible because of guys who play in Europe or other international leagues, but were willing to fly 50 hours during a brief break in league action to play for Canada on the other side of the world. As someone who has followed this program for a long time, I'm really proud of all of the guys who contributed to this.

Now we can start fantasizing about what a stacked roster they could field next summer:
Murray / Joseph/ Gilgeous-Alexander
Brooks / Stauskas / Heslip
Barrett / Wiggins / Ejim
Powell / Thompson / Lyles
Olynyk / Boucher / Birch

[octothorp]

Huge coup for Team Canada, announcing today that Nick Nurse will be head coach for the Worlds.

Notably, Canada's two tough opponents in the opening round feature Simmons, who Nurse's team just totally neutralized, and JV, who Nurse knows better than any other coach.