SUMMARY OF THE TOURNAMENT
Okay, Team Canada finishes strong with a nice performance against the DR and a bronze.
Now it’s time to summarize. I may have overreacted to the first loss to Argentina. Yes, I still think this L was avoidable but Argentina turned out to be a really decent team, and Team Canada actually steadily improved in subsequent games (with the best game in my mind against the US) and was able to finish the competition with a couple of fairly strong performances.
With this age group, though, more important than the achievements is noting future potential and developmental projects (I do believe it is important though to get to the U17 WC, if only for another opportunity at acquiring international experience for the young lads). And here I think there are actually a couple of interesting long-term prospects and at least one with good NBA potential.
THE PLAYMAKERS
I’ll start with the playmakers before moving to the shooters (not much in terms of wings this year) and bigs.
Mikkel Tyne. Our best player in this tournament. An excellent PG with fantastic handle, great pull-up shooting (shot 42% from 3 in this tournament on high volume, many of them contested pull-ups), vision, passing, and great control of the pace. Also quite strong and really quick, able to change pace, blow into the rim, or stop on a dime for a jump shot. On the defensive end, he’s a pest – a really committed on-ball defender who’s tough to get around with his mix of foot speed, strong body, and bulldog mentality. I really wish he had a couple more inches (I don’t think a late growth spurt is likely), which would make him a clear NBA prospect. At his current height, it’s going to be an uphill battle. But he should develop into a nice high major PG and from there who knows.
Though he was very good throughout the tournament, a couple of the problems that I mentioned in the preview were also evident in this setting. Most notably, the TOs (more than 4 a game), most of which come from just trying to do too much but also I think from the physical limitations and occasional lack of focus. I’d like him to figure out the balance better between creating for himself and for others. He’s a good passer but too often he gets over-aggressive looking for his own shot. Will have to really work on that because, as I said before, his margin of error is quite thin due to the size limitations.
Whatever his ceiling is though, he’s a guy show is fun to watch and cheer for. The great handle, the elegant shooting, the speed, and the defensive commitment made him an asset to this team and I believe will make him an asset to other teams in the future.
Efeosa Oliogu. Before the tournament started, I thought he might be the breakout Canadian prospect this year and show that he has the highest ceiling. But he was even better than I expected and really does clearly have the highest ceiling on this team. Fantastic athlete, already with a strong physique that’s only going to get better and an impressive handle for his age (15) and height (6’6). But I was perhaps most impressed with and encouraged by the vision, passing skills, and willingness to share the ball. I’d really like to see him play as a full-time PG in high school over the next couple of years. I think he has the ability to lead a team if he’s given the keys and as a tall PG he’d really be a unique player. Also, I love his attack mentality and will to dominate opponents. Not shy and wants the ball in his hands. If he’s not yet done growing, he could be a scary prospect.
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Naturally, Oliogu is far from the finished product. Still makes some silly mistakes, fumbles the ball too much, and doesn’t always make the right decision. But most worrying for me right now is the shot. It just doesn’t look right with whatever it is he’s doing with his legs and the very low release. The encouraging thing is that I think it’s very correctable. He shot over 90% from the line here (small sample but still) and he doesn’t look like he lacks touch. Just need to completely redo the form and hopefully, this can happen before he gets to college. Definitely one of the players who will be most interesting to track in next year’s WC, with another year of physical and game development.
Baraka Okojie. Baraka Had a good showing as our second ball handler. A good athlete, quick, tough, and quite crafty. Showed a high activity level on both ends of the floor. Actually led the team in assists (5.5 per game) but didn’t shoot the ball well, especially from range. That’s going to be his swing skill. If he can get the % up, he’s going to be a very nice PG at the college level, as he has decent size, a good motor, handle, vision and passing skills, and impressive defensive potential.
Taj Au-Duke. I wondered about the necessity of even having him here before the competition. I do I get it now, as Au-Duke is a more natural ball-handler than Sharma or Osman (though I’d prefer the ball in Theodosiou’s or Oliogu’s hands over him). So he was brought as a third PG to give the others some rest time. Got a lot of minutes (too many) in the first few games but really didn’t show he deserved them. It’s one thing that he didn’t shoot well (27% from the field). But I really disliked his tendency to charge into walls instead of looking for the pass, especially when playing with good shooters. He has a decent handle but right now that doesn’t make him a real PG and given the very mediocre physical profile and upside I’d probably like to see someone else get a chance next year.
