U17 World Championship: TEAM CANADA

[Hair Canada]

So things didn't end up well in the semis, but the game was actually much closer than what the final 50-point difference might suggest. In fact, we still had the lead with about 3 minutes left in the first half and 3 minutes to the end of the third it was still around 10. A really bad ending to both the second and the third quarter made sure it got out of hand.

Patterson was excellent in the first half (all 15 of his points) before he got tired and the US targeted him. Didn't play most of the second half once it was clear that we can't get back in it. Probably a good call. We'll need him today in the third-place game.

No one else really notable, though Hemmings and Barthelemy made some good plays when the game was still alive.

For the US, Green is a really amazing talent. The tournament MVP even though he's a year younger. Really has it all at the shooting guard position -- size, athleticism, quickness, good handle, a competitive spirit, and a nice stroke from distance. No reason this doesn't translate into NBA stardom. Scottie Barnes has also impressed me every time I've seen him. Not a very polished player, but very strong, aggressive, and shows great motor and competitiveness. That's how he was in the Geico finals, playing for the team that eventually lost to Montverde with RJ and Nembhard. And this is how he plays now (+47 in this game).

I can't see the US not taking it. They're just too good and deep. For us, today is a very important game against Puerto Rico for the Bronze. Hope we can make the mental switch and bring it home. Hope to write some more about this game later on.

[Hair Canada]

As for the game today against Puerto Rico, it should be an interesting one. Puerto Rico is a group of overachievers, and I mean it as a complete compliment. Their tallest rotation player is 6'5! Canada can reasonably play with 5 players that are taller at a time. But PR doesn't let this stop them from being a gritty fighting unit. They play an open small-ball game, are pesty on defence and very gutsy on offence. A team that's really fun to watch and root for. Their leaders, Rolon, Perez, Rodriguez and San Antonio are all quick, good athletes, and play with a lot of heart. None of them is NBA-material I think, but together they can make life unpleasant for more talented and bigger teams, as they have shown against France in a fairly tight semifinals game.

In particular, I really liked two -- Rodriguez and San Antonio. Rodriguez is only 6'1, but a really smart player, a very good passer who just makes the right plays. Can't really shoot (at least not from what he's shown in this tournament), but a fun player to watch. San Antonio is a fantastic athlete, producing highlights and really energizing the team. Both put constant pressure on the ball on defense and run like crazy for the break, so Canada will need to be careful there. In general, a slower pace going to our advantage in the paint might serve us well.

All in all, we remain the clear favourites for the game. Last year, in the U16 FIBA Americas, we were able to win the game against PR in the semis fairly comfortably despite a much inferior roster. But that was our best game of that tournament. Hopefully, we can do that again and equal our best historical achievement in this competition.

[Hair Canada]

A disappointing finish to end the tournament. Canada falls to Puerto Rico and finishes without the medal.

Patterson was very good on offence (31 points) and McNeilly (17) and Krikke (14) also contributed nicely. Everyone else didn't really show up (both MAM and Houstan are injured I believe and didn't play).

But the story was really PR, who came with fantastic energy. As I said earlier, they're a really fun squad to watch, running whenever they can and playing aggressive defence with plenty of steals, using their lack of size to their advantage. They didn't shoot well, but were still able to control the tempo of the game and looked like they just wanted it more. Canada, on the other hand, looked really deflated. A pretty selfish game on offence, and even more notably, lazy defence, as the PR was able to score at will on fast breaks with no one bothering to get back. Too bad it had to end like this, but you have to be happy for this great PR group.

In the finals game, as expected, the US annihilated France, with all 12 players once again contributing well to the effort. The French trio is really talented, but today they seemed like frightened kids against the US strength, athleticism, and aggressiveness. Obviously, they need more experience playing against this type of competition.

[Alpha Mentality]

To be honest its a pretty humiliating loss. I hope they learn from this. They went into the tournament with the wrong attitude and made beating USA there gold medal game instead of actually playing to win. And with that come out with no medals. Its a step back for Canada Basketball if they don't learn anything from this.

[Hair Canada]

I agree that it's disappointing. We had the more talented team in this last game and should have taken it. But I don't think it's a humiliating loss. PR has been good all tournament and played a pretty even game against the strong French team in the semis. They are small but play really gutsy aggressive basketball. Our defense, especially the guards, wasn't great throughout the tournament and this was just the exclamation point. Also need to remember that we were missing two players -- MAM, who was arguably our second best player in this tournament, and Houstan, who also had a strong showing during the first couple of games.

Looking at the bigger picture, I wrote before and I still think that this generation (those born in 2001 and 2002) is not bad, but certainly not our strongest. It's significantly weaker than the previous one (those born in 1999-2000), and although it's still early to say with certainty, I also think the 2003-2004 generation is going to have more elite players (we'll need to wait till next year's U16 Fiba Americas to start seeing whether that's really the case).

I'll try to write later a more thorough summary of the competition from the perspective of team Canada, but for now, I can say that although I share the disappointment, I don't see this as a colossal failure. The failure of our U17 team two years ago to make it to the semis was certainly a bigger deal.

[Hair Canada]

A summary for team Canada’s tournament:

The ending of this world championship was certainly disappointing. But with this kind of tournaments the goal is not just short-term achievements, but also (and maybe even mostly) the development of talents for the future. So how have the young talents from the class of 2020 performed and what are their future prospects?

PERFORMED WELL

Addison Patterson (17.3 points, 1.4 assists, 2 steals, 50% from the field, highest team efficiency). Our clear MVP in this tournament. I wrote quite a bit about him as the tournament progressed so no need to repeat. Enough to say that he’s a fantastic talent – great feel for the game, very good handle, completely ambidextrous, confident, and has some swagger. The question marks about his outside shooting, mid-range game and defensive effort are still there, but even with that he’s clearly the best player in this class and the one with the highest chance to make it to the NBA. I expect him to reclassify at some point in the near future and go to college next year. He’ll be ready.

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (11 points, 7.7 rebounds, 19 minutes a game, shooting 55% from the field). Also wrote quite a bit about MAM earlier. Our second-best player looked really well in most games. Unfortunatelly, he got hurt in the semis against the US and couldn’t play on the last day, which might have cost us the bronze. As I noted, his physical profile is the most NBA-projectable of all the players on this Canada team, including Patterson. Very long, huge strides, wide shoulders, a frame that's probably going to fill out nicely, and an excellent leaper (NBA level athlete). A classic wing for today’s game. But he’s no longer just a prospect. Plays with great energy and motor, already a fantastic rebounder, and his finishing touch keeps improving, as well as his accuracy from the line. The outside shooting is not there yet, but I think it’s a matter of time, repetitions, and confidence, because it looks just fine. For me, he wasn’t just our second-best player in this tournament, he’s also our second-best prospect in this class, surpassing McNeilly and Hemmings (and of course anyone else NPH still puts in front of him). Hope to see him on the roster next year for the U19 world championship.

Benjamin Krikke (10 points and 4.5 rebounds (2.5 offensive) in 20 minutes a game). I said before the tournament and still believe that he has one of the lowest ceilings on this team. But for the second year in a raw he’s proven that he is on the team for a good reason, not just as a token for Western Canada. Mobile, smart, efficient, and plays with very good aggressiveness. An overachiever, who was responsible for perhaps the most important play of the tournament, with an offensive put back against Australia that sealed the game. Can be good in the NCAA if he finds the right team and has a potential for a nice pro career.

Luka Sakota (7.5 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 turnovers and 57% from 3, in 18.5 minutes a game). Like Krikke, Sakota’s ceiling is not very high, but once again he performed quite well and was arguably our best PG in this tournament. Very good shooting, a decent assist to turnover ratio, nice aggressiveness going to the basket and not afraid to take shots. Will also have a nice college career I think, but will then probably have to go overseas as a pro.

Caleb Houstan (5.5 points and 4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1 steal in just 11 minutes a game; highest +/- in the team). As I wrote, he started the tournament really well and was one of our best players in the first two games, despite playing very limited minutes. Had a weaker third game, showing his age a bit, but then in the fourth, just as he was starting to find his groove again, he got hurt and finished the tournament. Too bad. Would have liked to see some more of him. Will be one of the leaders of the cadet team next year in the U16 FIBA Americas and right now he looks like the best Canadian player born in 2003 and one of the more talented players in this class in North America.


UNDERFERFORMED

Cashius McNeilley (11 points, 2 assists in 22 minutes per game. 50% from 3). For me, he was the biggest disappointment, although you wouldn’t necessarily get that from looking at his stats. Scoring almost 2.5 threes while shooting 50% seems great. But that’s about all he did in this tournament. Rarely initiated on offense, neither for himself nor for others. Most of his threes were set-ups from others. And he was also quite weak on defense. Didn’t get back to stop fast breaks (most obvious against Puerto Rico) didn’t move his feet well, and showed pretty poor defensive awareness often losing his guy in backdoor cuts. There was a time when I thought he might be the top-dog in this class, but while the talent is still there, I think he’s no longer even number 2.

Josh Hemmings (6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds; 53% from 3 in 18 minutes a game; only player on the team with a negative +/-). Hemmings wasn’t really bad, and in fact shot the ball very well from distance. But, like McNeilly, I expected more of him. Didn’t have any game where he was really dominant. Has very good height (6’9) and physique, and decent handle for a SF, but lacks elite athleticism and length, and quite turnover prone. Still young (a true 2020) and hopefully he’ll use the next two years in high school to hone his skill. Can be a very good player, but I think borderline NBA talent.

Shemar Rathan-Mayes (6 points, 4 assists and 3 turnovers in 21 minutes a game. 30% shooting from the field). A pretty weak tournament for SRM, shooting the ball really poorly and turning it over too much. Was our primary ball-handler, but although he plays with confidence, he’s just not tall or athletic enough to compete at the highest level.

Charles Bediako (3 points, 3 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 14 minutes a game). After the strange decision to have him on the U18 roster, he showed in this tournament that at this point it’s hard for him to contribute even against younger competition. The very limited offensive game is already a given, but the low number of blocks shows that he’s not even able to provide the one thing he’s supposed to bring at this point. Bigs develop slowly and perhaps when his body matures he’ll be more efficient, but I just don’t see him as a high-level prospect.


DID OKAY

Keeshawn Barthelemy (5.5 points, 2 assists, 35% from the field in 17 minutes a game). Got a decent amount of minutes and didn’t show anything special, but was still better than Rathan-Mayes at the point and was able to make some nice plays down the stretch. A pretty good defender who can be a high-major college prospect, but not NBA talent.

Keon Ambrose Hylton (4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes a game. 60% from the field). Didn’t play too much and when he did looked okay, but still raw. I wasn’t blown out by the talent level. But he’s young, has good athleticism and length, and if he can continue his trajectory of improvement he’ll end up as a nice combo-forward.

Tre-Vaughn Minott (2.5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block in 11 minutes a game). Played the least amount of minutes in the team, but was better than Bediako in the minutes he got, especially defensively. A bit heavy, but showed some nice moves and a strong body, and can develop into a high-major prospect.



In sum, I noted earlier that I think the Canadian players born in 2001 and 2002 are not our most gifted generation. There are certainly more top prospect in 1999 and 2000, but although it’s too early to say with any certainty, I think also in 2002 and especially 2003.

This new generation will have its first international exposure next year in the U16 FIBA Americas. Again, it’s very early, but the talent level reminds me of that in the cadet team that gave a very good fight to the Americans 3 years ago. Houstan will surely be one of the leaders, Ryan Nembhard will take over the PG (his brother filled those shoes for that team), Jaden Webley will have a big presence in the paint (Simi) and Elijah Fisher will take the role of RJ Barrett as the youngster with elite potential. Other names to remember are Jaden Langley Thomas, DJ Jackson, Jaiden Cole, Jahsemar Olembe, and there are quite a few others that we’ll need to see how they develop.

[mojo13]

Awesome recap.
Best content on the WWW around this topic. NPH should be paying you to write for them. They can often be iffy at best.

[Hair Canada]

Awesome recap.
Best content on the WWW around this topic. NPH should be paying you to write for them. They can often be iffy at best.

Thanks, mojo. I am generally very sympathetic to what NPH do. They mean well and I get that they work with a business model, trying to make money out of this, so they need to be careful not to piss off players and coaches. I agree though that it sometimes make evaluations over-optimistic and certain players seem to get more love than their actual potential.

In the meanwhile, ESPN Insider just released their list of the 15 most promising prospects from this tournament. Nine Americans (Green at #1), the French trio, Omar Ballo from Mali, and two Canadians -- Patterson and Moncrieffe.


For those without access to the Insider, here's what they had to say about Patterson and MAM. Pretty similar I think to what I wrote above:

Addison Patterson | SG | Canada | 17.0
The clear-cut leader of Canada's fourth-place squad, Patterson had a strong tournament, finishing second with 32 points per 40. An incisive slasher and advanced shot creator blessed with tremendous scoring instincts, Patterson lives in the paint and is extremely creative with the way he generates offense, using polished footwork, ballhandling skills, body control and timing. He does a great job of attacking unbalanced defenses with extreme aggressiveness, and he has some underrated explosiveness that -- along with skill shots -- allow him to finish effectively around the basket. He plays the game somewhat selfishly and isn't the most efficient player, but he does have the ability to find the open man when he wants to with solid court vision and creativity.

Defensively, his average length coupled with his general lack of interest makes him a less-than-effective option when he's not fully locked in. Patterson has been a streaky shooter throughout his career, but it's hard to ignore his overall shot-making prowess and career 75 percent free throw shooting. There are a few minor tweaks he can make with his mechanics -- to not splay his legs on some attempts or jump way forward on others -- that would make a difference.

Patterson's body language and interactions with teammates, opponents and referees often leaves something to be desired. With that said, you have to respect the mentality he brings every time he steps on the floor, as he's simply not afraid of anything. He will probably emerge as a somewhat controversial prospect once he arrives in college because of his extreme strengths and weaknesses. He's currently in the 2020 high school class but is right on the border of potentially being a 2019 recruit with his June birthday.


Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe | SF/PF | Canada | 17.2
Moncrieffe had a very productive tournament with 23 points and 16 rebounds per 40, showing intriguing long-term potential. Standing 6-6 with a 7-foot wingspan and big hands, he has ideal physical tools for a modern-day wing, and he's a smooth athlete who can play above the rim with ease. Moncrieffe is at his best attacking in the open floor and beating defenders on a straight line with his quick first step and rangy strides, getting to the line at an outstanding rate.

He's not a great ball handler, but he shows you flashes of being able to create offense in more complicated ways, changing hands and mixing in advanced moves. His size, length, athleticism and aggressive nature gives him multipositional versatility defensively as well. The big question Moncrieffe will have to address long term revolves around his jumper, as he was just 2-of-12 from 3 in the spring and summer and is shooting just 65 percent on free throws.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Great stuff HC.

I can't pretend to know much of anything about any of the kids below this age group, but Elijah Fisher is someone I've seen get a decent amount of press and obviously the mixtape love.

You think he is on the same trajectory as an RJ or Wiggins in terms of a prospect at this age or is it too early to say?

[mojo13]

Oooh....that seems like a good opportunity for Hair to relink to the detail overviews of all the younger classes. It will keep you busy.

[Hair Canada]

Great stuff HC.

I can't pretend to know much of anything about any of the kids below this age group, but Elijah Fisher is someone I've seen get a decent amount of press and obviously the mixtape love.

You think he is on the same trajectory as an RJ or Wiggins in terms of a prospect at this age or is it too early to say?

Good question. I did write about Fisher last year and I'm still pretty comfortable with what I wrote then (there are also links at the end to my review of other younger classes):

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1645754

So is he the new Barrett/Wiggins?

That's of course very hard to predict. But he's not just a hype. In fact, in some ways, he even looks like a more promising prospect, if that's even possible. Already 6'6 at 14, he's bigger and stronger than what Wiggins and Barrett were at his age. In fact, he's probably already almost Barrett's size (height and length) and will likely end up around 6'9 or 6'10. Wiggins might be slightly more of a freak athlete and both him and Fisher are perhaps a bit more long and explosive than barrett, but that's splitting hairs. Fisher will probably also be stronger than both Wiggins and Barrett. For me, if he continutes to follow a normal growth curve, he'll end up with measurements and a physical profile (and perhaps also a skillset) that are closest to those of Gianis Antetokounmpo. If that's the case, he'll probably end up playing either the 3 or the 4, where he should have a speed and skill advantage over most opponents.

But these are just the physicals. Wiggins is taller, longer and a bit more athletic than Barrett. But he doesn't have RJ's competitive spirit, vision, motor, and defensive aggressiveness. Sometimes it seems like Wiggins just doesn't like basketball that much. Where is Fisher in that regard? I think closer to Barrett. I see in him the will and hunger to be great, dominate, and continue improving. Like Barrett, he is very one-hand dominant at this point. For RJ it's the left, for Fisher the right. Fisher gets away with it because he is so big and strong when playing with other kids (even ones older than him by a year). RJ is more crafty and deceptive, which I think translates better to higher levels, once you meet players who can match your physicality. Both are not great shooters, but making strides to improve it with very hard work. And both have better vision and defensive instincts than Wiggins.

In short, yes, I think Fisher is about at the same place where the former two were when they were his age. Wiggins hasn't lived up to his potential and for RJ it's still too early to tell, although he's showing very promissing signs. We'll see how Fisher does. There are plenty of players who looked really promising at his age but never quite managed to pull it together.

[Red Shoelace]

Hey Hair Canada,

Did you watch Summer League tonight? Boucher finally got some minutes and had a monster game for the Raps.

[Hair Canada]

Hey Hair Canada,

Did you watch Summer League tonight? Boucher finally got some minutes and had a monster game for the Raps.

Yes, fantastic game for Chris. Very similar to the one he had with the national team against China in Vancouver last month in terms of his contribution and what he does on the court.

Hope the Raptors pick him up. He brings a lot of extras.