Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

[Hair Canada]

mojo, I've been watching Gonzaga with "your guy" Clarke. Not his strongest game offensively, partly because he got in early foul trouble, and then the Bulldogs don't really play on him consistently, so his points are mostly from offensive rebounds and broken plays. But boy, what a defender. Very agile and light on his feet, can switch on everything and stay with anyone, especially since he plays with a lot of energy and competes well. Not the strongest frame, but can put a body on bigs. Defends them smartly and doesn't get bullied in the paint. Also great in boxing out and a good rebounder. And, of course, a fantastic shot blocker (5 yesterday in less than 30 minutes). Although he's only 6'8, he has impeccable timing, fantastic leaping, and long hands.

On offense, he'd be great with a good pick and roll PG. Good timing and finishing touch around the basket and a GP like Barea would bring out the Dwight Powell in him. Dwight is an interesting comparison by the way because although he's taller, Clarke is clearly a superior defender and shot blocker. If he can add a decent mid-range/three-point shot to his game, he could be fantastic, but even without that, should be a contributor for an NBA team.

[aminiaturebuddha]

You could really put together a dominating 12 player NCAA All-Star team of Canadian players this year.

Bigs - Brandon Clarke, Simi Shittu, Mifondu Kabengele, Kyle Alexander
Wings - RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, Iggy Brazdeikis, Marial Shayok
Points - Lindell Wigginton (although he hasn't played yet), Andrew Nembhard, AJ Lawson

And that's with a few big names currently under-performing (Brissett, Akot, Kigab), and doesn't include an early surprise (Stef Smith) who's playing very well.

That team would be easily the best team in the NCAA, and I'm not too sure that they wouldn't give any other "All-Star" team you could put together a run for their money. Golden age indeed.

[frumble]

Jaylen Poyser also off to a very good start. He is averaging 20.0 PPG through St. Bonaventure's first four games. He played all 40 minutes yesterday, and is averaging 37.25 MPG.

[Hair Canada]

You could really put together a dominating 12 player NCAA All-Star team of Canadian players this year.

Bigs - Brandon Clarke, Simi ****, Mifondu Kabengele, Kyle Alexander
Wings - RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, Iggy Brazdeikis, Marial Shayok
Points - Lindell Wigginton (although he hasn't played yet), Andrew Nembhard, AJ Lawson

And that's with a few big names currently under-performing (Brissett, Akot, Kigab), and doesn't include an early surprise (Stef Smith) who's playing very well.

That team would be easily the best team in the NCAA, and I'm not too sure that they wouldn't give any other "All-Star" team you could put together a run for their money. Golden age indeed.

Yes, a real dream team (another PG who hasn't played yet is Llewellyn). And another nice thing is that many of them are leading some of the best colleges out there:

Barrett with Duke (#1)
Clarke with Gonzaga (#3)
Kyle Alexander with Tennessee (#5)
Iggy with Michigan (#8)
Kabengele with Florida State (#13)
NAW with Virginia Tech (#14)
Dort with Arizona State, who is still unbeaten and just beat #15 Mississippi State
Simi with Vanderbilt, who also hasn't lost yet

[casoldi]

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/11/20/nba-mock-draft-2019-zion-williamson-rj-barrett-nassir-little-keldon-johnson

New mock draft

(2)Barrett
(18)Dort
(24)NAW
(28)Simi
(30)Iggy

5 players and thats only the first round!

[Patman]

You could really put together a dominating 12 player NCAA All-Star team of Canadian players this year.

Bigs - Brandon Clarke, Simi ****, Mifondu Kabengele, Kyle Alexander
Wings - RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, Iggy Brazdeikis, Marial Shayok
Points - Lindell Wigginton (although he hasn't played yet), Andrew Nembhard, AJ Lawson

And that's with a few big names currently under-performing (Brissett, Akot, Kigab), and doesn't include an early surprise (Stef Smith) who's playing very well.

That team would be easily the best team in the NCAA, and I'm not too sure that they wouldn't give any other "All-Star" team you could put together a run for their money. Golden age indeed.

Don't forget Poyser. The only bright spot on a sad St. Bonnie's team.

[mojo13]

mojo, I've been watching Gonzaga with "your guy" Clarke. Not his strongest game offensively, partly because he got in early foul trouble, and then the Bulldogs don't really play on him consistently, so his points are mostly from offensive rebounds and broken plays. But boy, what a defender. Very agile and light on his feet, can switch on everything and stay with anyone, especially since he plays with a lot of energy and competes well. Not the strongest frame, but can put a body on bigs. Defends them smartly and doesn't get bullied in the paint. Also great in boxing out and a good rebounder. And, of course, a fantastic shot blocker (5 yesterday in less than 30 minutes). Although he's only 6'8, he has impeccable timing, fantastic leaping, and long hands.

On offense, he'd be great with a good pick and roll PG. Good timing and finishing touch around the basket and a GP like Barea would bring out the Dwight Powell in him. Dwight is an interesting comparison by the way because although he's taller, Clarke is clearly a superior defender and shot blocker. If he can add a decent mid-range/three-point shot to his game, he could be fantastic, but even without that, should be a contributor for an NBA team.

The Illinois game seemed like Clarke’s worst of the year but he was still a big factor on defense. He was better tonight against Arizona having another strong defensive game (4 blocks) but also a good offensive game - 8/9 for 18 points. He even hit a three pointer.

My only complaints are he seems to be chasing the blocks which are dragging him into stupid fouls. He’s been in foul trouble almost every game this season and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It will be a blast to see him guard Zion tomorrow but I worry about quicknfoul trouble again.

The other issue is more a Zags thing right now - but since Gonzaga so badly needs him inside the paint, there won’t be allot of opportunity to show if he developed an outside shot in this past redshirt year. Hopefully he can hit the odd 3 like tonight and do a better job with his threes. Regardless he is showing so much versatility, mobility and athletism on defense he sure seems like a legit NBA prospect.

[Hair Canada]

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/11/20/nba-mock-draft-2019-zion-williamson-rj-barrett-nassir-little-keldon-johnson

New mock draft

(2)Barrett
(18)Dort
(24)NAW
(28)Simi
(30)Iggy

5 players and thats only the first round!

Very interesting. Especially Iggy, for whom it's the first time anyone suggests a one and done. Notably, Wigginton and Brissett are not here -- Lindell because he's injured and Oshae because he didn't start the season well (and neither did Syracuse). Obviously, much can still change (and will).

A few impressions from the Gonzaga vs. Arizona game tonight:

Clarke with another very strong performance. Active, defends well (4 blocks today; 3.6 for the season), and also had 18 points, shooting 8/9 from the field. He's shooting a fantastic 75% from the field this season, better than Zion Williamson... Today he even made nice looking three with his first shot of the season beyond the line. He did commit a couple of silly fouls that limited his playing time a bit. But otherwise kudos to mojo, who believed in him all along. Today even Schmitz from ESPN (formerly Draft Express) has taken notice and noted that he really helped himself and fits the modern game defensively very well. If he continues like this, he'll enter first-round conversations.

On the other side, that of Arizona, Emmanuel Akot looks like a shadow of the player he once was, in high school. He's still an okay defender, but a total non-factor offensively. Seems like he completely lost his rhythm and confidence. Not sure he'll be able to get them back in Arizona, and perhaps a move to a lower-profile college is in order. But in any case, he no longer looks like an NBA prospect from a skill and mentality standpoint (his physical profile remains impressive). Too bad. I thought he had it in him.

[mojo13]

Despite Team USA needing to completely overhaul their roster once again for the FIBA WC Qualifiers they can still field a team w/ almost a 1,000 combined NBA games experience. A great advantage despite FIBAs terrible new process

http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/americas-qualifiers/news/hearn-returns-to-lead-usa-on-the-road-against-argentina-and-uruguay


Venezuela has their team together and practicing for some time already. We will be lucky to get a couple days together. Good stuff.



I also noticed the DR is missing a few of its better players like Delgado, Sosa and Baez. They look like big underdogs at Brasil. But Perhaps they might slip up against Chile? That would help.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[mojo13]

This Gonzaga v Duke game has been fantastic.
Brandon Clarke is no longer under the radar after this, dang shame he is in foul trouble yet again, as he is a game changer when on the floor.

I now get the Zion over Barrett hype.
Everything Zion does draws attention, while Barrett is just quietly effective.

[peZt]

This Gonzaga v Duke game has been fantastic.
Brandon Clarke is no longer under the radar after this, dang shame he is in foul trouble yet again, as he is a game changer when on the floor.

I now get the Zion over Barrett hype.
Everything Zion does draws attention, while Barrett is just quietly effective.

That's not it. It's because RJ is a poor defender, can't shoot, is selfish af, is incredibly inefficient, doesn't have good burst and is a straight line driver without any shake and bake to his game. HS hype can't help him much longer as these things slowly start to get exposed

[mojo13]

This Gonzaga v Duke game has been fantastic.
Brandon Clarke is no longer under the radar after this, dang shame he is in foul trouble yet again, as he is a game changer when on the floor.

I now get the Zion over Barrett hype.
Everything Zion does draws attention, while Barrett is just quietly effective.

That's not it. It's because RJ is a poor defender, can't shoot, is selfish af, is incredibly inefficient, doesn't have good burst and is a straight line driver without any shake and bake to his game. HS hype can't help him much longer as these things slowly start to get exposed

I was going to come at you on that comment as I read it in the middle of Barrett leading that great come back. And then he proceeds to go full on selfish iso mode on the last few possessions - trying 1 on 5 drives to the paint only to get repeatedly crushed by Clarke and Hachimura. Really bad plays by Barrett. Embarrassing stuff that hopefully he learns from. He'll really need to improve his shooting consistency, decision-making and finesse around the rim if he is going to be a number 1 pick. Still early. Still lots to learn.

[bozothepope]

Has Brandon Clarke ever played for Canada in the past? How long did he live in Canada before moving to the US? I think he was born in Vancouver, but I find it odd that he doesn't get love from CanBball on Twitter or North Pole Hoops, etc. Does he consider himself Canadian? No mention of him on TSN during the Duke/Gonzaga highlights either.

[NotMyKawhi]

Dort is a beast

He should be top 10 imo

[Hair Canada]

Meanwhile, Lu Dort with the best game of his young college career. 33 points shooting 10/15 from the field and 11/14 from the line. Also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. I watched the game, and he was simply fantastic. Made the right decisions (not always the case), passed well (could have had more assists, but teammates missed the target), and stayed in attack mode. He also competes consistently on defense. Not sure about a top 10 (he'll need to be consistent throughout the season for that), but certainly establishing himself as a first-round pick, perhaps even lottery.

[Hair Canada]

This Gonzaga v Duke game has been fantastic.
Brandon Clarke is no longer under the radar after this, dang shame he is in foul trouble yet again, as he is a game changer when on the floor.

I now get the Zion over Barrett hype.
Everything Zion does draws attention, while Barrett is just quietly effective.

That's not it. It's because RJ is a poor defender, can't shoot, is selfish af, is incredibly inefficient, doesn't have good burst and is a straight line driver without any shake and bake to his game. HS hype can't help him much longer as these things slowly start to get exposed

I was going to come at you on that comment as I read it in the middle of Barrett leading that great come back. And then he proceeds to go full on selfish iso mode on the last few possessions - trying 1 on 5 drives to the paint only to get repeatedly crushed by Clarke and Hachimura. Really bad plays by Barrett. Embarrassing stuff that hopefully he learns from. He'll really need to improve his shooting consistency, decision-making and finesse around the rim if he is going to be a number 1 pick. Still early. Still lots to learn.

Don't know, I didn't think it was embarrassing. Obviously, he needs to learn when to let go and especially how to pass the ball out after he penetrates (I think once this is better developed, he'll be much more efficient). But I can't fault the mentality. Without this mentality, he's just another player, not the strongest or the most athletic, and without good outside shooting. So yes, yesterday it didn't go well. But I do like that he didn't shy away from the ball in the big moments (ahmmm... Redish) and at least the last shot that he got was a good one, just didn't go in. He'll learn and get better. Go back to Kobe's first seasons in the NBA and look at his decision making and shot selection in a team that included Shaque. Not that Barrett is Kobe, but I'm talking about the mentality.

[peZt]

That's not it. It's because RJ is a poor defender, can't shoot, is selfish af, is incredibly inefficient, doesn't have good burst and is a straight line driver without any shake and bake to his game. HS hype can't help him much longer as these things slowly start to get exposed

I was going to come at you on that comment as I read it in the middle of Barrett leading that great come back. And then he proceeds to go full on selfish iso mode on the last few possessions - trying 1 on 5 drives to the paint only to get repeatedly crushed by Clarke and Hachimura. Really bad plays by Barrett. Embarrassing stuff that hopefully he learns from. He'll really need to improve his shooting consistency, decision-making and finesse around the rim if he is going to be a number 1 pick. Still early. Still lots to learn.

Don't know, I didn't think it was embarrassing. Obviously, he needs to learn when to let go and especially how to pass the ball out after he penetrates (I think once this is better developed, he'll be much more efficient). But I can't fault the mentality. Without this mentality, he's just another player, not the strongest or the most athletic, and without good outside shooting. So yes, yesterday it didn't go well. But I do like that he didn't shy away from the ball in the big moments (ahmmm... Redish) and at least the last shot that he got was a good one, just didn't go in. He'll learn and get better. Go back to Kobe's first seasons in the NBA and look at his decision making and shot selection in a team that included Shaque. Not that Barrett is Kobe, but I'm talking about the mentality.

If you have mamba mentality without any mamba skills, you're just gonna hurt your team.

[duppyy]

Wish we had a draft pick. Would've loved to get Dort (if he dropped to us) or Shittu.


Realgm will need to un-ban Simi's last name once he gets drafted.

[mojo13]

Has Brandon Clarke ever played for Canada in the past? How long did he live in Canada before moving to the US? I think he was born in Vancouver, but I find it odd that he doesn't get love from CanBball on Twitter or North Pole Hoops, etc. Does he consider himself Canadian? No mention of him on TSN during the Duke/Gonzaga highlights either.

No - Clarke is new to all of us. He does seem to consider himself Canadian dropping a few references on social media - like having Canadian flags and "from Vancouver/Phoenix" in his handle. He was born in Vancouver but moved to PHX before he was 5 yrs old (from what I know). He was raised in PHX and was not that good of a highschool player. An athletic but raw 6'3 or so player. He grew 5-6 inches in his senior (or junior year) and not til then was he noticed as an NCAA prospect, but still real raw. He was late to the recruiting game and that's why he ended up at SJSU. He continued to blossom into his new size and athleticism at SJSU and really took off.

To this point I don't think anyone knew he was Canadian (Canada Basketball, Canadian media or fans). I'm a big Gonzaga fan and once he announced his transfer I started looking closely at his time at SJSU and was amazed by his athleticism and really excited to see what a year in the Olynyk Klynyic could do for him. That's when I saw a little blurb in the transfer announcement that he was born in Vancouver. Some posters on the GUBoards noticed it as well. This was when I started yipping about him here and on Twitter. For all I know that's how this all started (or at least amplified it) . Still we have fairly tiny voices and it may have taken a while for other Canadian media and Canada Basketball to notice - but we are starting to see it happen. Especially now that he sure seems a NBA prospect. Hopefully it is enough to drag him into the Canada Basketball world - especially when we can use some new front line depth.

I'm a little like everyone's annoying friend who won't stop talking about their new favorite indie band because they think they "discovered" them, but it might be a really good band here...so I'll keep blabbing away.

[GoRaptors]

Has Brandon Clarke ever played for Canada in the past? How long did he live in Canada before moving to the US? I think he was born in Vancouver, but I find it odd that he doesn't get love from CanBball on Twitter or North Pole Hoops, etc. Does he consider himself Canadian? No mention of him on TSN during the Duke/Gonzaga highlights either.

I doubt he has played for Canada in the past and I only know that he went to high school in the US. However, I read that he himself said he was a late-bloomer for basketball and only developed his his leaping ability later in high school. He also gained 5 inches in height in the last few years of high school. On his twitter feed he has Vancouver to Phoenix to Spokane and he also has a flag of Canada and Jamaica.