TEAM CANADA AT THE U17 WC

[Jstock12]

I think Tuesday against Serbia, another good and well-coached team, it's going to be rough again and they will come as the favorites. They're not as athletic though, so if we can start making some shots maybe we can stay in it.

They're never as athletic as France, but Serbia is historically one of the most physical teams with many players who mature early, so it will be important to match their physicality.

[TheLP]

it's actually embarrassing. The lack of adjustments is just tough to watch

Same kids chucking the same shots over and over

[TheLP]

Tyne is actually 2/24 so far.
Milicevic is 5/21

Nitu is 8/14 and can't get off the bench

If you ever wondered why our players go D1 college but our coaches don't, this is a great example.

[Jstock12]

Looks like it's Spain vs Canada in round of 16. The Aday Mara vs Christian Nitu matchup should be interesting.

[Hair Canada]

Tyne is actually 2/24 so far.
Milicevic is 5/21

Nitu is 8/14 and can't get off the bench

If you ever wondered why our players go D1 college but our coaches don't, this is a great example.

I would also like to see Nitu get more playing time. But to be fair, he's pretty much non-existent on defense. Opponents just go through him and grab offensive boards over his head like he wasn't there. I could see how that drives a coach crazy.

[TheLP]

Tyne is actually 2/24 so far.
Milicevic is 5/21

Nitu is 8/14 and can't get off the bench

If you ever wondered why our players go D1 college but our coaches don't, this is a great example.

I would also like to see Nitu get more playing time. But to be fair, he's pretty much non-existent on defense. Opponents just go through him and grab offensive boards over his head like he wasn't there. I could see how that drives a coach crazy.

I don't disagree that he gets eaten alive in the paint but they're also putting him out like he's a C.

This isn't just a Canadian junior coach thing though, it's every level. I remember reading an article on TheAthletic where they said something so painfully obvious about RJ Barrett but acted like it was some amazing revelation. Here it is:
"Getting better isn’t just about honing a more consistent 3-pointer. Barrett recognizing his game should build from the paint out was a brilliant and conscious development last season"

Or basically Andrew Wiggins entire existence in Minnesota vs. his role in GS.

Using Nitu as a big and then complaining about Nitu not being big enough is like complaining that your cat isn't a dog. Put him on the wing. This team has ample size to make up for his lack of strength in the paint and let him be your primary option on offence. We have nobody else that can create worth a damn right now.

osei (.714%) & Nitu (.600) are literally the only 2 players shooting over 40%.

[Hair Canada]

Today vs. Spain in the QF (3:00PM ET).

Frankly, they are the heavy favorites, considering what we've shown so far. Their big men are much more talented and actually, so are the guards. I'd take any result that is not a complete blowout. The only way I can see this happening is a shooting explosion because we don't have much to offer in the paint. But shooting 10 of 73 (14%) so far from behind the arc in this competition, this doesn't seem to be a very likely scenario.

[UcanUwill]

Spain is destroying this team, looks like it will be battle for the 9th. place.

[Jstock12]

I was looking forward to the Mara - Nitu matchup, but looks like I missed the game.

[Hair Canada]

Team Canada finishes the U17 in 9th place after 3 wins in the 9-16 ranking games.

This is not far from where this team should be. There were 6 teams clearly stronger than Canada -- the US, Spain, France, Serbia, Australia, and Lithuania. And the three teams we lost to might be 3 of the 4 best teams in the competition. And they are very good teams.

Regardless, it’s not so much about the final result. Much more about the way we looked against the top teams and how far we were from even being competitive.

So why did we look like this in the games that actually mattered?

I think it's a mix of weak preparation, softness, lack of size/athleticism, lower talent level, and also some bad luck.

Let’s break it down:

Weak preparation. As always, other teams come to this tournament having practiced together for longer time periods and having played more scrimmage games. And I think it really showed. Serbia, France, and Spain all played much more cohesive team basketball than Canada (or the US for that matter), shared the ball, and got easy shots, while Canada worked much harder for its points and relied heavily on players trying to create their own shots by turns.

Softness. The team just looked really soft, susceptible to pressure (tons of live-ball turnovers), leaving driving lanes open, and showing little resistance in the paint (almost no shot-blocking and weak defensive rebounding).

Size/athleticism. This was one of the less athletic teams I remember in recent years. The absence of athletic wings like Oliogu and Dunkley-Distant, who I mentioned in my preview, really hurt us. It was also not a big team, at least in terms of guards and wings and we looked physically outmatched against the best opponents, having a really hard time finishing in the paint against length and, as a result, committing too many live-ball turnovers.

Talent. I'll admit that I overestimated the amount of talent on this team. In particular, Canada lacked those two or three players (or at least one) who can make a difference and create for themselves and for others. Previous junior teams over the last few years had guys like Shai, Nickeil, Barrett, Nembhard(s), Mathurin, Houstan, Sharpe, Patterson, Lawson, and Allette. In short, guys with NBA talent, even if not all of them made it. When you're not as prepared as others and play worse team basketball, you better have at least one of these. Well, we didn’t have a player of this caliber this time around and no one really stepped up. Only one player got to double figures in scoring (Sharma with 10.3, which is good for #39 in the tournament).

Luck. This goes beyond getting the toughest draw in the group stage and then the toughest possible rival in the round of 16. We also didn’t play well in these games, and while some of it has to do with the reasons I mentioned above, some was simply a string of bad shooting days by a team and individual players who can certainly shoot.

Canada started the tournament shooting 15 of 95 (15%) from 3 in its first 4 games. In the last 3 games, we shot 37 of 88 (42%). some of this was clearly about the strength of the competition. France, Serbia, and Spain made life harder for us. Still, there were quite a few open looks out there in those games and we just failed to convert.

The erratic shooting was probably most obvious with our three best shooting guards -- Sharma, Theodosiou, and Tyne. These three started the tournament shooting a horrendous 4 of 42 from 3 (9%). Then, in the last three games, they shot 26 of 57 (46%). And again, only some of it can be attributed to the strength of the opponents’ defense.

To be clear, I’m not saying we would have won the games against France/Spain/Serbia if we shot better. Given how much better they were, that would still be unlikely. But at least we could have stayed competitive.


Anyway, maybe I’ll write later about some of the individual performances and how guys project.

[DrCoach]

This team could have used 6’9 SF Spencer Ahrens

[Hair Canada]

Final thoughts about some of the players, how they performed, and how they might look like in the long-term.

Christian Nitu. Perhaps the player with the highest ceiling on this team. Given where the game of basketball is going, Nitu's combination of size (6'10), mobility, skill, and shooting touch remains intriguing. But he’s also incredibly raw. On offense, he’s still erratic. Can really shoot it and make tough pull-up jumpers. In fact, it actually seems that he prefers these tough pull-ups to set shots. But the shot preparation and form are often inconsistent and can lead to bad misses, especially from range (reminds me a bit of Leonard Miller in this; for both, part of the problem might be core strength). Nitu also often gets too trigger-happy. Once he gets into his motion, he rarely looks to pass anymore. Also doesn’t get into the paint nearly often enough and settles for tough jumpers. Part of it is the lack of strength, but the handle is also somewhat shaky so he’ll often cough the ball when trying to do too much.

But the biggest concern for me right now is the defense and I think that’s the main reason he didn’t see many minutes in this tournament (only 12 a game). There’s really no other way to put it – he’s been terrible on that end of the floor. And I would be less concerned if it was just a matter of strength and getting run over near the rim (which he absolutely does). The problem is that guys also blow by him on the perimeter with very little resistance. And it’s often not even for lack of effort (or so it seems). At this point, he just doesn’t have good defensive fundamentals, feel, and the ability to slide his feet or put up a body. He’ll have to improve significantly on that end to be able to stay on the court at higher levels. But he’s young (16.5) and hopefully can make a jump, physically and mentally, in the two years he’s got left in high school.

Hudson Ward. Ward didn’t put up any eye-opening stats (6ppg; 35% from the field). His lack of experience playing at higher levels certainly showed. But for me, he’s one of the guys with the highest ceilings on this team and I do see some real potential there, even if you have to squint a bit. I really like his length and burst at the SF and he can also shoot. Will need to really work on his handle to unlock his driving potential and get to the paint more often. Also needs to improve his touch around the rim and his passing (almost no assists). If he can do that, he’s a high major D1 talent for me.

Ishan Sharma. Despite the weak shooting to start the tournament, he recovered quite nicely and I remain a believer in him as a shooter. He’s not strong or explosive enough to finish consistently in the paint right now and not a good enough playmaker to be a lead guard. But the shooting is real. He has decent size for a shooting guard, great shooting form and mechanics, and a quick high release, so I think it’s completely transferable to the next level. Which is why I see him as one of the surest bets on this team to have a successful college career.

Baraka Okojie. An up-and-down tournament for Baraka. Had a couple of good showings and led the team in assists (4.5) and in steals (2.1). Can get to the paint with good speed and some slick handle. Doesn't always know what to do once he gets there and the finishing needs work, but he's already very good at drawing fouls. At times, he was one of the only players on this team who managed to actually create something against the better teams. Shooting is the swing skill for him and right now he’s really not a good enough shooter (1 of 12 from 3) and is mostly limited to finishing around the rim. I can still see him continue to grow, improve his decision-making, and becoming a very solid college PG with some upside.

Jaion Pitt. | Perhaps the nicest surprise on the team. Pitt was a starter and actually played the most minutes on the team. He’s a year younger than the competition but really doesn’t look like it. Very strong and plays bigger than his size with a good motor. Not a flashy player, but plays hard and competes. Led the team in rebounds (5.6 per game) and was one of the better and more consistent defenders. I do worry about his shooting touch. Takes almost all of his shots near the rim and you can see he doesn’t feel too comfortable on the perimeter despite being only 6’4. If he can develop that part of his game, he’s an interesting prospect to follow, though I don’t see a very high ceiling given his height, limited wiggle, and questionable shooting touch.

Mikkel Tyne. Perhaps the player who was most affected by the quality of the competition. Looked lost against the size, length, and strength of the French and Serbian teams. Didn’t stop trying but just couldn’t finish his drives and often got blocked. Looked much better against other teams, but when combined with what he showed in the U18 tournament last month against better competition, his difficulties against size worry me when projecting forward. When his perimeter shot is not falling, he becomes a liability against higher levels of competition, especially given his tendency to cough the ball when playing lengthy defenders.

Jacob Theodosiou. Not a great tournament for Jacob. In particular, he’s a much better shooter than what he showed here. But he also had a really hard time finishing in the paint against length. He can get there, but his limited explosion and length really hurt him and he has to develop better counter moves. I still like his overall feel for the game and fearlessness, but the physical limitations will be a real challenge to overcome at the next level.

Jovan Milicevic. My biggest disappointment on the Canadian team. Coming into the tournament, I thought he might be THE guy. He was far from it. And it’s not just that the shots didn’t fall (22% from 3; 33% from the field; 58% from the line). He’s already shown that he’s a better shooter than that in other settings and I'm sure the stats will regress to the average. But what I was most disappointed about was how slow and heavy-footed he looked. I knew he wasn’t an elite athlete, but it’s more than that. He really can’t guard the perimeter, and as such he’s limited to being a rather small (6’8 without great length) and athletically-limited stretch four. He’s strong and has some craft around the rim and from the mid-range, so it certainly might work at the college level, maybe even as an HM D1 player. But I had higher hopes.

Stephen Osei. Showed improvement from last year and was relatively efficient in the paint. He’s rather limited in his paint moves and never passes out, but at least against weaker competition he played well and put some pressure on the rim with good offensive rebounding (2.7 per game). On the other end of the floor, there’s still quite a way to go, as he’s not much of a rim protector and a rather weak defensive rebounder. But overall, he was our best big by a margin and he has the tools to turn into a nice college player.

[lobosloboslobos]

Final thoughts about some of the players, how they performed, and how they might look like in the long-term.

Christian Nitu. Perhaps the player with the highest ceiling on this team. Given where the game of basketball is going, Nitu's combination of size (6'10), mobility, skill, and shooting touch remains intriguing. But he’s also incredibly raw. On offense, he’s still erratic. Can really shoot it and make tough pull-up jumpers. In fact, it actually seems that he prefers these tough pull-ups to set shots. But the shot preparation and form are often inconsistent and can lead to bad misses, especially from range (reminds me a bit of Leonard Miller in this; for both, part of the problem might be core strength). Nitu also often gets too trigger-happy. Once he gets into his motion, he rarely looks to pass anymore. Also doesn’t get into the paint nearly often enough and settles for tough jumpers. Part of it is the lack of strength, but the handle is also somewhat shaky so he’ll often cough the ball when trying to do too much.

But the biggest concern for me right now is the defense and I think that’s the main reason he didn’t see many minutes in this tournament (only 12 a game). There’s really no other way to put it – he’s been terrible on that end of the floor. And I would be less concerned if it was just a matter of strength and getting run over near the rim (which he absolutely does). The problem is that guys also blow by him on the perimeter with very little resistance. And it’s often not even for lack of effort (or so it seems). At this point, he just doesn’t have good defensive fundamentals, feel, and the ability to slide his feet or put up a body. He’ll have to improve significantly on that end to be able to stay on the court at higher levels. But he’s young (16.5) and hopefully can make a jump, physically and mentally, in the two years he’s got left in high school.

Hudson Ward. Ward didn’t put up any eye-opening stats (6ppg; 35% from the field). His lack of experience playing at higher levels certainly showed. But for me, he’s one of the guys with the highest ceilings on this team and I do see some real potential there, even if you have to squint a bit. I really like his length and burst at the SF and he can also shoot. Will need to really work on his handle to unlock his driving potential and get to the paint more often. Also needs to improve his touch around the rim and his passing (almost no assists). If he can do that, he’s a high major D1 talent for me.

Ishan Sharma. Despite the weak shooting to start the tournament, he recovered quite nicely and I remain a believer in him as a shooter. He’s not strong or explosive enough to finish consistently in the paint right now and not a good enough playmaker to be a lead guard. But the shooting is real. He has decent size for a shooting guard, great shooting form and mechanics, and a quick high release, so I think it’s completely transferable to the next level. Which is why I see him as one of the surest bets on this team to have a successful college career.

Baraka Okojie. An up-and-down tournament for Baraka. Had a couple of good showings and led the team in assists (4.5) and in steals (2.1). Can get to the paint with good speed and some slick handle. Doesn't always know what to do once he gets there and the finishing needs work, but he's already very good at drawing fouls. At times, he was one of the only players on this team who managed to actually create something against the better teams. Shooting is the swing skill for him and right now he’s really not a good enough shooter (1 of 12 from 3) and is mostly limited to finishing around the rim. I can still see him continue to grow, improve his decision-making, and becoming a very solid college PG with some upside.

Jaion Pitt. | Perhaps the nicest surprise on the team. Pitt was a starter and actually played the most minutes on the team. He’s a year younger than the competition but really doesn’t look like it. Very strong and plays bigger than his size with a good motor. Not a flashy player, but plays hard and competes. Led the team in rebounds (5.6 per game) and was one of the better and more consistent defenders. I do worry about his shooting touch. Takes almost all of his shots near the rim and you can see he doesn’t feel too comfortable on the perimeter despite being only 6’4. If he can develop that part of his game, he’s an interesting prospect to follow, though I don’t see a very high ceiling given his height, limited wiggle, and questionable shooting touch.

Mikkel Tyne. Perhaps the player who was most affected by the quality of the competition. Looked lost against the size, length, and strength of the French and Serbian teams. Didn’t stop trying but just couldn’t finish his drives and often got blocked. Looked much better against other teams, but when combined with what he showed in the U18 tournament last month against better competition, his difficulties against size worry me when projecting forward. When his perimeter shot is not falling, he becomes a liability against higher levels of competition, especially given his tendency to cough the ball when playing lengthy defenders.

Jacob Theodosiou. Not a great tournament for Jacob. In particular, he’s a much better shooter than what he showed here. But he also had a really hard time finishing in the paint against length. He can get there, but his limited explosion and length really hurt him and he has to develop better counter moves. I still like his overall feel for the game and fearlessness, but the physical limitations will be a real challenge to overcome at the next level.

Jovan Milicevic. My biggest disappointment on the Canadian team. Coming into the tournament, I thought he might be THE guy. He was far from it. And it’s not just that the shots didn’t fall (22% from 3; 33% from the field; 58% from the line). He’s already shown that he’s a better shooter than that in other settings and I'm sure the stats will regress to the average. But what I was most disappointed about was how slow and heavy-footed he looked. I knew he wasn’t an elite athlete, but it’s more than that. He really can’t guard the perimeter, and as such he’s limited to being a rather small (6’8 without great length) and athletically-limited stretch four. He’s strong and has some craft around the rim and from the mid-range, so it certainly might work at the college level, maybe even as an HM D1 player. But I had higher hopes.

Stephen Osei. Showed improvement from last year and was relatively efficient in the paint. He’s rather limited in his paint moves and never passes out, but at least against weaker competition he played well and put some pressure on the rim with good offensive rebounding (2.7 per game). On the other end of the floor, there’s still quite a way to go, as he’s not much of a rim protector and a rather weak defensive rebounder. But overall, he was our best big by a margin and he has the tools to turn into a nice college player.

Not sure about anyone else, but I for one really appreciate these writeups and your clear and unbiased analysis, even though, to be honest I have never heard of these guys and never get to see them play. But as a devoted sports nationalist I appreciate and enjoy the attention being paid to our rising talent and I like learning about our young guys. Thanks.