Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

SharoneWright · Post #701 » by **SharoneWright** » Mon Jan 7, 2019 11:30 pm

Sheesh.... Just perused the AP Top 10 Rankings. What a golden time to be a fan of Canadian hoops!

(We all know this, but....) I've never seen so many top Canadian players at top schools! Suppose I wanted to tune in to watch the #1, the #2, the #3, the #5, or the #9 ranked schools in College ball play,,,,, I can watch a Canuck in the starting lineup in all cases:

1. Barrett
2. Iggy
3. Alexander
5. Clarke
9. NAW

Obviously we have a few other gems on lower-ranked teams. But our best dudes no longer suffer from a low profile... We all like to follow and promote our home grown kids, but now the best schools and the brightest lights also know their names.

Gday_eh · Post #702 » by **Gday_eh** » Wed Jan 9, 2019 1:25 am

Denver Vs Miami.

Great to see three Canadians (well maybe 2 1/2......) on the court at the same time...

Kelly with 13 points at the half to lead the heat..

Denver snatch one with 2 seconds left Jokic is a gun...

All three Canadians in double figures with Kelly laying a goose egg in the second half...

SharoneWright · Post #703 » by **SharoneWright** » Wed Jan 9, 2019 3:43 am

14 pts, 17 rebs for Alexander tonight in a win against Mizzou.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401082983 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401082983

mojo13 · Post #704 » by **mojo13** » Wed Jan 9, 2019 3:46 pm

Kyle Alexander really has improved a great deal over the years. Great to see.

And Mr Wiggins sure had himself a game last night -- 40 points, attacking his way to 18 FTAs, 10 rebounds, four assists, a steal, big plays late.

This is why Andrew Wiggins got the contract, why he'll keep getting the chances and why many of us will always be pained to see him skip on the national team. It's all in there somewhere if he can find the drive.

TrueNorth31 · Post #705 » by **TrueNorth31** » Wed Jan 9, 2019 5:02 pm

Tough break for Dillon Brooks - Blake Murphy thinks his status may be in doubt for World's ( although you'd think with a 7 month recovery period he'd still have a chance.)

Read on Twitter

mojo13 · Post #706 » by **mojo13** » Wed Jan 9, 2019 7:37 pm

TrueNorth31 wrote:Tough break for Dillon Brooks - Blake Murphy thinks his status may be in doubt for World's ( although you'd think with a 7 month recovery period he'd still have a chance.)

Read on Twitter

That sucks. Hopefully he heals up quickly and can play - our SF situation is still fairly shallow.

This is a good reminder that we will likely never have close to full NBA player participation (I expect 50-75%). And that the guys playing in Europe (the Scrubbs, Ejim, Pangos, Wiltjer, Heslip etc) will be important pieces of any WC/Olympic team we roster.

If Brooks is out then our top SF options seem to be Wiggins, Stuaskas, RJ (who are all big SGs) Or Tommy Scrubb? Or we just run with three guard line ups. It is really odd how we just don't have any elite true SFs. This probably doesn't matter much in FIBA as there are not many we'd go up against but a big 6'8/6'9 true wing player would sure give us a nice advantage. I suppose Wiggins, Stuaskas and/or RJ easily fill that roll. Ejim could still squeeze into that roll I suppose with the right guys around him.

mojo13 · Post #707 » by **mojo13** » Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:16 am

XRM signs a G League contract with the Texas Legends.
Looks like the two-way contract rumors was just a cover story to mask him getting cut by AEK.

mojo13 · Post #708 » by **mojo13** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 5:10 am

Brandon Clarke (with Zion) is currently having one of the two highest BPM seasons this decade. Is on pace to finish with the 2nd highest PER ever recorded (behind Zion).
12% block rate and nearly 70% TS on 23% usage. 1.24 points per possession (slightly higher tha Zion). One of only five college basketball players that have an offensive rating of 129 or higher and a defensive rating of 88 or lower.

Just absolutely ridiculous.

He’s going to be a lottery pick. How can you not make a case for him as top 10?

mojo13 · Post #709 » by **mojo13** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 6:25 am

Justin Jackson done for the year.

https://orlandomagicdaily.com/2019/01/09/lakeland-magic-waive-orlando-magic-second-round-pick-justin-jackson/

Hair Canada · Post #710 » by **Hair Canada** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 5:28 pm

mojo13 wrote:Brandon Clarke (with Zion) is currently having one of the two highest BPM seasons this decade. Is on pace to finish with the 2nd highest PER ever recorded (behind Zion).
12% block rate and nearly 70% TS on 23% usage. 1.24 points per possession (slightly higher tha Zion). One of only five college basketball players that have an offensive rating of 129 or higher and a defensive rating of 88 or lower.

Just absolutely ridiculous.

He’s going to be a lottery pick. How can you not make a case for him as top 10?

I'm with you on everything. And would add that watching him play D is real fun. A mix of high motor, high IQ, and physical abilities. He also has great touch around the basket and some ability to put the ball on the floor.

BUT, I'd still be surprised if he ends up a lottery pick. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because GMs tend to be conservative (or maybe the opposite of) and go for the players that seem to have a higher offensive ceiling. But maybe it doesn't really matter. I think he's going to find his place in the NBA and be a very contributing player. And hopefully also with the Canadian national team one day.

mojo13 · Post #711 » by **mojo13** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 5:50 pm

Hair Canada wrote:
mojo13 wrote:Brandon Clarke (with Zion) is currently having one of the two highest BPM seasons this decade. Is on pace to finish with the 2nd highest PER ever recorded (behind Zion).
12% block rate and nearly 70% TS on 23% usage. 1.24 points per possession (slightly higher tha Zion). One of only five college basketball players that have an offensive rating of 129 or higher and a defensive rating of 88 or lower.

Just absolutely ridiculous.

He’s going to be a lottery pick. How can you not make a case for him as top 10?

I'm with you on everything. And would add that watching him play D is real fun. A mix of high motor, high IQ, and physical abilities. He also has great touch around the basket and some ability to put the ball on the floor.

BUT, I'd still be surprised if he ends up a lottery pick. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because GMs tend to be conservative (or maybe the opposite of) and go for the players that seem to have a higher offensive ceiling. But maybe it doesn't really matter. I think he's going to find his place in the NBA and be a very contributing player. And hopefully also with the Canadian national team one day.

I am with you but have a few “Ya buts”:
- this draft is pretty weak after the first few guys, not much consensus among pundits and there seems an easy path for guys to move their way up into the lottery or even the top 10.
- if he has potential for consistent outside shooting and as you mention he has good touch, that seems a fairly high ceiling. He looks like an elite defender and can find his own with a variety of moves inside. He is also a solid passer. Add a three point shot to that and he seems like a top 10 prospect in this draft.
- he was such a late bloomer and his growth path has been very accelerated the last couple years. He doesn’t look anything like a typical 23 year old where the rate of growth is already beginning to flatten. He sure looks like he has tremendous upside to his game. I don’t think he will be treated like a typical fourth year player.

Lots of “ifs” there and lower probability it all works out, but he looks like the highest upside potential of all the Canadian prospects there with Barrett.

aminiaturebuddha · Post #712 » by **aminiaturebuddha** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 9:35 pm

Fantastic game this afternoon between Duke and Florida St. with both Barrett and Kabengele coming up huge for their respective teams. I was only able to catch the second half, but it was a real back-and-forth affair. Zion got poked in the eye late in the first and didn't come back, so Barrett just took over for Duke, finishing with 32 points.

On the other side, Kabengele had one of his best games against the number 1 team, 24 pts, 10 rbds, and 3 blocks.

The end of the game was kind of crazy. With Duke down 2, Barrett had a great drive to the hoop and drew a foul, but missed his second FT. Luckily for Duke, the ball went out off of Kabengele. Duke then used Barrett as a decoy on the inbounds play to get Reddish a shot, which he hit to win the game.

Overall, great showing by two Canadians in probably the best game of the day in the NCAA.

mojo13 · Post #713 » by **mojo13** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:33 pm

Brady Heslip leaving Fraport Skyliners for Turkish club Istanbul BSSK. Not sure the genesis of this as I thought he was playing well for Fraport. Turkish BSL is better quality than the German BBL but Fraport is one of the better clubs & playing in the EuroCup. BBSK is the bottom of the BSL. BSK is in last place in the BSL and in danger of relegation. You often see bottom feeder clubs bring in some added talent this time of year to help dig them out of the cellar and avoid relegation. Not sure though and if anyone knows for sure so let us know.

In other news Emmanuel Akot is transferring out of Arizona. That was a messy experience. I cant tell if he was horribly misused or just was a miserable flop of a prospect. But it is not like he wasn't given an opportunity. Surely reclassifying was a mistake, but he sure didn't development much under Sean Miller. Hopefully he can salvage his career in a different environment.

Hair Canada · Post #714 » by **Hair Canada** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:57 pm

mojo13 wrote:Brady Heslip leaving Fraport Skyliners for Turkish club Istanbul BSSK. Not sure the genesis of this as I thought he was playing well for Fraport. Turkish BSL is better quality than the German BBL but Fraport is one of the better clubs & playing in the EuroCup. BBSK is the bottom of the BSL. BSK is in last place in the BSL and in danger of relegation. You often see bottom feeder clubs bring in some added talent this time of year to help dig them out of the cellar and avoid relegation. Not sure though and if anyone knows for sure so let us know.

In other news Emmanuel Akot is transferring out of Arizona. That was a messy experience. I cant tell if he was horribly misused or just was a miserable flop of a prospect. But it is not like he wasn't given an opportunity. Surely reclassifying was a mistake, but he sure didn't development much under Sean Miller. Hopefully he can salvage his career in a different environment.

Yes, both Akot and Kigab have now transferred. Both the most disappointing Canadian prospects from last year's class and kind of in a similar situation of bad fit to the team but also not performing when they got the chances.

Does anyone know what happens with players who transfer at the middle of the year? Are they usually allowed to start the following year, or do they actually have to wait a whole year before they can play (hence, only start the campaign in the middle)?

frumble · Post #715 » by **frumble** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:10 pm

Hair Canada wrote:Yes, both Akot and Kigab have now transferred. Both the most disappointing Canadian prospects from last year's class and kind of in a similar situation of bad fit to the team but also not performing when they got the chances.

Does anyone know what happens with players who transfer at the middle of the year? Are they usually allowed to start the following year, or do they actually have to wait a whole year before they can play (hence, only start the campaign in the middle)?

I think as long as they leave their current school before the end of the semester, they are good to start 12 months later at their new school. Usually people only bother transferring mid-season if they beat the deadline, so I suspect Akot and Kigab will be eligible to play at their new schools in January 2020.

Edit: just read that while Akot is leaving the basketball team now, he is going to stay at Arizona academically until the end of the school year. So he won't be eligible to play for his new school until Fall of 2020.

Mattd97 · Post #716 » by **Mattd97** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:15 pm

I just saw on a 905 ad that myck kabongo plays there now??? I know its quasi Canadian relevance at this point, but still really a good Canadian kid. Didnt realize that at all. Hopefully it's working out for him, he really got shafted by the system (even if you argue he also shafted himself)

TrueNorth31 · Post #717 » by **TrueNorth31** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:55 am

Here's a clip of Glen Grunwald on a morning radio talk show in Saint John's promoting the next FIBA window ( scroll to 1:37 mark )

http://vocm.com/shows/daily-on-vocm/open-line-with-paddy-daly/

He mentions that the team will have both Scrubb's , Notice, Wiltjer and perhaps Anthony. So basically the same team as in November.

WellYouKnow · Post #718 » by **WellYouKnow** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:21 am

TrueNorth31 wrote:Here's a clip of Glen Grunwald on a morning radio talk show in Saint John's promoting the next FIBA window ( scroll to 1:37 mark )

http://vocm.com/shows/daily-on-vocm/open-line-with-paddy-daly/

He mentions that the team will have both Scrubb's , Notice, Wiltjer and perhaps Anthony. So basically the same team as in November.

At the interviews after the Brazil game, Conor Morgan mentioned that he was looking forward to playing in the St John's games so I'd assume we can pencil him in too

Hair Canada · Post #719 » by **Hair Canada** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:57 pm

frumble wrote:
Hair Canada wrote:Yes, both Akot and Kigab have now transferred. Both the most disappointing Canadian prospects from last year's class and kind of in a similar situation of bad fit to the team but also not performing when they got the chances.

Does anyone know what happens with players who transfer at the middle of the year? Are they usually allowed to start the following year, or do they actually have to wait a whole year before they can play (hence, only start the campaign in the middle)?

I think as long as they leave their current school before the end of the semester, they are good to start 12 months later at their new school. Usually people only bother transferring mid-season if they beat the deadline, so I suspect Akot and Kigab will be eligible to play at their new schools in January 2020.

Edit: just read that while Akot is leaving the basketball team now, he is going to stay at Arizona academically until the end of the school year. So he won't be eligible to play for his new school until Fall of 2020.

That's quite a strange decision then, no? What would be the cost of staying with the team until the end of the season in this case? It's not like he's not getting any minutes. He's even been starting as of late and getting at least 20 minutes a game. I really don't get it.

frumble · Post #720 » by **frumble** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:37 pm

Hair Canada wrote:
That's quite a strange decision then, no? What would be the cost of staying with the team until the end of the season in this case? It's not like he's not getting any minutes. He's even been starting as of late and getting at least 20 minutes a game. I really don't get it.

Yes, it is quite odd. Costs him a semester of playing time (at AZ or his new school) for no reason (that is readily discernible).

This article discusses the timing.

https://zonazealots.com/2019/01/15/emmanuel-akot-is-the-latest-arizona-wildcat-to-transfer/

Akot told the coaches of his intentions to transfer after the team returned home from the Bay Area trip on Sunday
Typically you see players make the decision to transfer before the season, at winter break, or at the end of a season. The timing of Akot’s decision to transfer is odd and not ideal for the Wildcats.

Emman will finish school through the Spring semester before leaving school. This allows him to stay in good academic standing, which Miller did point out contrary to message board rumors.

The million dollar question to this situation is, why now? Why mid-way through the season? And especially why now if he’s going to stay on campus and finish the semester? These are legitimate questions, and only Emman has the answers, if he ever chooses to speak.