[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