Post#32 » by Hair Canada » Mon Jun 10, 2024 7:56 am
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
Canada finish with the bronze medal and a spot in next year’s U19 WC in Switzerland.
I still think that Canada was the second-best team in this tournament, but in regular fashion, we started the tournament uncoordinated , lacking any test trials, and not yet set on the right rotations. This resulted in a very poor first gameand an uset against the DR that set us up for a semi-final game against the US.
As expected, this team did have its challenges with creation and shooting (31% from 3 for the tournament and 66% from the line). Riley missing was really felt on that front.
No biggie. These tournaments are more important for seeing player development, assessing future prospects, bringing guys under the Team Canada umbrella, and securing the spot in next year’s WC.
A few quick thoughts on each prospect:
HIGH MAJOR + PROSPECTS
These are the guys on this roster who I think have some NBA potential, though none of them is a sure thing by any means.
Tristan Beckford led the team in both points and rebounds and showed his elite functional athleticism, with tremendous explosion. The nice thing about Beckford is that you can still see how raw he is and how much room for growgh his game still has. Tightening the handle, staying focused on defense (he’s already a decent one-on-one defender, but often lacks a degree of awareness and misses too many reads). The other thing is the shooting, which will be a make-or-break skill for him as an NBA prospect. He was willing to take them (3 attempts per game), which is good, but shot at just 21% (and 64% from the line). I do think he has decent touch and the shooting form certainly needs to be tweaked (little elevation and a weird release). But I think there’s room for hope on that front.
Efeosa Oliogu A somewhat disappointing tournament for Oliogu, who I thought without Riley would take over games and be a better facilitator. Struggled quite mightily in most games with turnovers and finishing in the paint, even against defenders who should not be able to bother him. Maybe a nagging injury or something of the sort was slowing him down? He did shoot 45% from 3, but on low volume and I don’t think his shot can be truster at this point (though it does look better than it did at an earlier age). Also doesn’t have much of a mid-range game to speak of. Clearly, there’s a lot to work on, tightening the handle, taking better care of the ball and valuing each possession. But he’s still a tremendous athlete with very good vision and passing chops, so I’m not quite ready to give up on him as an NBA prospect.
Marial Akuentok Akuentok came to the tournament injured, only played 6 minutes per game, and eventually succumbed to his injury and sat out in the last two games. But even in these few minutes he showed why I think he’s the most promising prospect in the paint we’ve had in years (since Edey). The combination of mobility, strength, rim running, and rim protection are what the modern NBA is looking for and he also flashed some post moves (seen more of these throughout the season). If he can add a somewhat reliable mid-range shot (also seen flashes of this during the high school season), improve his conditioning, and learn how to stay out of foul trouble, he’s clearly a high major prospect with NBA upside.
HIGH MAJOR PROSPECTS
Jalen Rougier-Roane Was Canada’s best shooter in this competition. The 3-point shooting looks really smooth and effortless, with a quick high release, and he can make them with regularity when he’s open. Still much room to improve in other areas of the game. The creation and finishing off the dribble are limited at this stage (only 26% from 2) and he also doesn’t create much for teammates (1 assist per game in almost 20 minutes of play). I’d still like to see him with the team next year and can see some high major potential there.
Jaion Pitt was one of the most consistent guys on the team. The maturity of his game stands out, as does the excellent footwork and soft touch around the rim. He was also very solid defensively and he’s a good rebounder. Pitt made a couple of 3-pointers and was more willing to take them than I’ve seen before, but it remains a weak point in his game (he made 30% of them but the misses were usually quite wide).
Spencer Ahrens A bit of a disappointing tournament for Ahrens, even though he finished as the team’s second-best scorer and third-best rebounder. The shot was not falling for him in most games (he did finish with 36% from 3 on almost 4 attempts, but much of it is thanks to the last game. This really held him back offensively. He’s still a smart player with good footwork, so he was able to do some nice things. But his best minutes were when he was playing center and able to space the game. The problem with that is that he’s not a strong enough rebounder or shot blocker to hold the position defensively so he's clearly a 4 at the next level.
Matt Dann The nice surprise for me in this tournament. Showed more than I've seen from him during the regular high school season. Still not a real offensive threat (though he did have that one game against Puerto Rico where he was perfect from the field on the way to 18 points), but the defense and rebounding were very solid. In only 15 minutes per game, he led the team with 1.5 blocked shots per game (no other player had more than 0.5) and the team looked much better with him on the court than with Rioux. Guess I owe him an apology for doubting he should even be on the roster (though I did say that if it’s a backup in case Akuentok is injured than it’s understandable). He has very good size and length and with improvements to his body (needs to put more weight and muscle) and offensive skill, I can see him as a high-major prospect. Since he’s a late bloomer (started playing basketball at a relatively old age), I think these are possible developments.
MID-LOW MAJOR / USPORTS PROSPECTS
Ramogi Nyagudi continues to show flashes of brilliance in a sea of questionable decisions and inexplicable misses. In terms of pure potential, there’s clearly a high-major player there, as a SF with size (6’8), shooting (shot the ball better in this tournament than what I’ve seen before), good athleticism, and some slashing and passing abilities. So maybe he does belong in the former group and I’m being too harsh. It’s just that at this point the combination of weak dribble, mediocre feel, inability to finish efficiently in the paint, and particularly poor defensive awareness (there were a couple of really glaring mistakes in the game against the US for example, which helped the American’s run away with it in the first half) all make me hesitant.
Tyrus Rathan-Mayes didn’t always get many opportunities, but when he did he wasn’t really able to capture them. It starts with the perimeter shooting, which should have been his calling card, but wasn’t falling (25% from 3 in the tournament), but he also couldn’t finish efficiently in the paint and even missed most of his free throws (29% TS for the tournament). Was also not able to make a mark in other aspects of the game, except maybe a bit of passing. Like Nyagudi, I do see some high major upside here if the shooting eventually works out, but right now it doesn’t look very good.
Justus Haseley was clearly Canada’s best PG in this tournament and had some nice moments in several games. He led the team in assists and steals and the team generally looked better with him on the court. That said, I think much of it is due to the lack of PG alternatives, and though I like some aspects of Haseley’s game, it’s a bit hard for me at this point to see him as an influential high major prospect, given his mediocre size, shooting, and half-court creation.
Olivier Rioux I guess it’s a bit strange to say that someone his size, who’s going to play for Florida next year is not a high major prospect. He’s only 18 and bigs are notorious for taking longer to develop. Still, I just can’t see him making the huge improvements needed to get to this level. Yes, he’s huge. But he has no idea how to use his size on both ends of the floor. Particularly, it’s disappointing on the defensive end, where 6’8 guys and even guards are not afraid to challenge him at the rim (usually successfully) and take rebounds over his head. His lack of mibility also means that players take advantage of his extreme slow-footedness to blow by him or make uncontested mid-rangers (not to speak of shooting completely open 3-pointers on the switch). Offensively, it’s not much better. He didn’t have many TOs registered to his name, but that’s mainly because whenever guys tried to find him in the paint, he mostly fumbled the ball before even catching it (has extremely bad hands) and the TO would register to his teammate. At some point they all realized it and stopped trying. Even when he does get the occasional touch in the paint (some from offensive rebounds that fall into his lap through his mere size), he has little idea what to do with it. Despite being almost 300 pounds, he lacks strength, has weak balance, and doesn’t finish with arms stretched or any elevation, leading to him being blocked more than once or just not reaching the rim. He also has fairly poor touch, and doesn’t try to dunk them (a mix of softness and lack of pop).
Okay, I see I’m running off here and maybe I shouldn’t be that harsh on Rioux, who’s a nice kid, working hard, and still only 18. But I do think it’s time to give other bigs a chance with the team next year, after Rioux has been part of 4 youth teams over the last 4 years (U16, U17, U19, and now U18). A rotation of Akunetok and Dunn, with Ahrens manning the 5 for some stretches, should be completely sufficient, and I’d even take guys like Char Yeiy or Dylan Homenick over him if one of the above bigs is unavailable.
Torian Lee showed a few flashes, especially defensively, but wasn’t able to create much on offense or shoot the ball efficiently (20% from the field and 11% from 3). I still like him as a player, but there should be better options at PG next year (see below).
A LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR’S U19 WC
Unlike two years ago, I think this team has a good base and would keep most of the guys in. At the very least, there’s a core of 8 players who I think earned their spot for next year and should be there: Haseley, Roane, Oliogu, Beckford, Akuentok, Ahrens, Pitt, and Dan. Nyagudi and Rathan-Mayes are more borderline for me, but could also be a part of the team if there are no better alternatives.
But hopefully, they can also make a few adjustments before next year’s tournament to have an even stronger team.
Riley is the big question mark, and the guy who could really be the big difference maker in terms of this team’s ceiling. He could turn them into a medal contender and should join the team if he doesn’t explode in college next year and becomes a one-and-done.
A healthy Akuentok with additional development could also go a long way and would be a massive upgrade to the rotation in the paint.
Beyond these two, I would probably also bring another PG, probably instead of Lee, who has a hard time scoring and creating at this level. I mentioned a few options in the first post, but I mainly have my eyes on a few guys from the class of 2026. Miles Sadler is I think the best player in that class and brings a nice combination of shooting and creation. TJ Wal could be another interesting option, with strong shooting, depending on how he looks like in the U17 this summer. And there’s also Kamai Samuels, who was our leading PG last summer at the U16 (a terrific athlete, but more limited in terms of shooting.
Finally, I’d be happy to see Tunde Durodola there (instead of Rioux) and maybe also a pure shooter like Andrew Urosevic (probably a better situational shooter than Rathan-Mayes, but likely a worse player overall, so it’s close).
“If every basketball player worked as hard as I did, I’d be out of a job.”
— Steve Nash
