Team Canada Basketball Thread

[mojo13]

Just a small correction, I believe in the second round the teams from Group D actually cross over to face the three teams from Group B, so we'll likely be facing Brazil, Venezuela and Chile, not the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Still, your bigger point still stands, and none of those teams will be pushovers when the majority of these games will be during the NBA season, and therefore we'll likely end up with a similar roster to the disappointing one we're seeing this week.

I'm starting to get a little worried. Basically, Canada Basketball needs to be lobbying our NBA talent now to ensure good participation in the games this summer in Canada against the DR and VI, and the second round games in September. We absolutely need wins in each of those games to have a good chance to qualify.

If that's the case, then it's better I think. Couldn't really find good info on the crossover, so I just assumed it's A with B and C with D. Where did you find this info? It's not really clear on the FIBA website (what a surprise).

As always, Wikipedia is usually on top of things:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_FIBA_Basketball_World_Cup_qualification_(Americas)

So, assuming the information there is accurate - we would draw the Brazil group in the newly formed Group F. A few things, the top 3 in Group F once it exists go through to the World Cup and all results from the current groups carry forward. That being the case, Brazil is already 2-0, it's likely better for us if they just keep winning. Brazil sticking everyone else in their group with as many losses as possible is to our benefit. Secondly, we catch a bit of a break in that the Dominican are 2-0 in our Group - but we catch them next at home in Canada during the summer with our NBA players at least theoretically available. That game will be a great opportunity to not only hang a loss on DR - but also try to beat down their point differential as much as possible. Lastly, point differential is a key tie-breaker - I feel bad for the good people of the Bahamas, but we need to absolutely destroy them.

Long story short, and this involves lots of speculation and forward looking to things that may not actually happen, but if we can squeak out a win over the Virgin Islands at effectively a neutral site in Nassau this window - we should roll through our Group stage and get to Group F sitting at 5-1 with a very healthy point differential and be in great shape to go through. Top 3 from F plus the better of the 4th place finishers out of E &F go - and anyone finishing 4th in E is likely to see their point differential take a beating
from the USA. My crystal ball suggests if we can beat the Virgin Islands we're likely well on our way.

You are a wee bit off. The 4th place team in Round 1 is dropped and any wins and point difference we might gain from wins against them are dropped. In your scenario we'd go forward at 3-1 into Group F (1-1 vs DR, 2-0 vs USVI) with 2 games against Chile, VEN and BRA. I, however, am skeptical we will be sitting that well. We already lost this summer to USVI with what looks like a much better team. Anyone know how their roster compares to their summer AmeriCup roster. I know Walter Hodge who killed us and is their best player is playing. Oh how bad are we to be legitimately worried by USVI?!?!?!

Anyone help with this clip of practice figure out the "White" and the "Reds". Maybe we can speculate on a starting five?

Read on Twitter

White:
Pierre
Landry
Heslip
Shepard?
McNeiley or Best?

Red:
Ejim
Keane?
Joel Anthony
Thomas Scrubb
?

[slothrop8]

You are a wee bit off. The 4th place team in Round 1 is dropped and any wins and point difference we might gain from wins against them are dropped.

We'll see - this is not my hill to die on because I certainly don't know for sure, but I've poked around some and I don't see anywhere on either FIBA's official sites or any of the reporting on the tournament structure I've read that suggests the results vs. the last place team are dropped. Everything I've come across either says "the results are carried forward to the next round" or even explicitly "All results from the First round are carried over to the Second Round". All the Wikis for FIBA Americas, Europe, and Asia all explicitly say "All results". Wiki certainly isn't absolute truth as sources go, but that they are all consistent is interesting. I know FIBA have done the "drop the bottom team" results in other tourneys in the past, but I haven't been able to find language to that effect this time around.

[mojo13]

You are a wee bit off. The 4th place team in Round 1 is dropped and any wins and point difference we might gain from wins against them are dropped.

We'll see - this is not my hill to die on because I certainly don't know for sure, but I've poked around some and I don't see anywhere on either FIBA's official sites or any of the reporting on the tournament structure I've read that suggests the results vs. the last place team are dropped. Everything I've come across either says "the results are carried forward to the next round" or even explicitly "All results from the First round are carried over to the Second Round". All the Wikis for FIBA Americas, Europe, and Asia all explicitly say "All results". Wiki certainly isn't absolute truth as sources go, but that they are all consistent is interesting. I know FIBA have done the "drop the bottom team" results in other tourneys in the past, but I haven't been able to find language to that effect this time around.

Ok. Good to know. It has been a while since I read everything and believe your current research. Hopefully this helps our cause.

[Mirotic12]

We already lost this summer to USVI with what looks like a much better team. Anyone know how their roster compares to their summer AmeriCup roster. I know Walter Hodge who killed us and is their best player is playing. Oh how bad are we to be legitimately worried by USVI?!?!?

Is Frank Elegar playing for Virgin Islands? He could really help them. The team they had at AmeriCup desperately needed a center.

[TheFutureMM]

Mojo I read this and instantly thought of you lol.

https://www.si.com/tech-media/2018/02/21/steve-nash-turner-sports-soccer-broadcast-announcing

[TheFutureMM]

Couple of write-ups on some Canadian prospects by ESPN from the recent Basketball without Borders camp...

A.J. Lawson | 6-7 | PG/SG

Lawson emerged as one of the top guards at the camp both in terms of productivity and NBA potential. Developing with GTA Prep in Ontario, he is continuing to build his draft resume as an explosive combo guard who can play both ends, put pressure on defenses in transition and finish above the rim with force. Lawson has excellent height and length for a combo guard, as he measured 6-6 barefoot with a 6-10 wingspan. The 17-year-old's frame is extremely slight (160 pounds), however, and because of his wiry frame he's likely going to be best at the point guard spot long term. From a physical standpoint, he fits in the Will Barton, Caris LeVert, Patrick McCaw molds. Known more for his defense, Lawson showed an ability to play downhill and create as an on-ball guard that makes him intriguing long term.

He has quite a bit of work to do as a natural decision-maker and shooter, as his shot is a bit slow and unnatural at this stage, but he's adept in drive-and-dish/kick situations and can live in the paint thanks to his quickness. Lawson also has proved capable of rising up in mid-range spots, and his jumper is far from a lost cause. Defensively, he's disruptive on and off the ball with his quickness, length and effort, and his willingness to play both ends makes up for some of what he lacks in the strength department. Lawson plays with a level of spunk and confidence that pairs well with his physical abilities and budding skill. He'll have to continue honing his skill set, but Lawson looks like a future first-round talent with upside. He has an interesting decision in front of him, as he has the opportunity to reclassify to the 2018 high school class should he choose and enter the NCAA a year early. It remains to be seen if he'll elect to do so, though, as his body needs plenty of work before it's even college-ready.

Tyrese Samuel | 6-8 | PF (HairCanada did you ever write about this guy? I don't remember him on your radar...)

Samuel stood out immediately with his ripped frame and plus wingspan, and he continued the strong first impression with the versatility he demonstrated in the drills and games. His skill level is fairly high for a player his age, as he can handle the ball, especially pushing off the defensive glass, and even change speeds with polished footwork in the half court. Samuel has some touch on his mid-range jumper, and will knock down an occasional pull-up off a closeout, but still has a ways to go as a shooter in terms of extending his range and ironing out the side spin on his release. When he wanted to make his presence felt defensively, he was an absolute monster, banging inside the paint and going out of his area for rebounds and blocks.

After looking like arguably the best prospect at the camp on the first day, Samuel rested on his laurels and faded into the background for the most part. His body language leaves a lot to be desired, and his motor is very up and down, which is likely one of the reasons he barely registers as a blip on the recruiting radar in the U.S. He doesn't always get back on defense, looks reluctant to sit down in a stance and doesn't play with the type of energy you might expect. His offensive efficiency leaves something to be desired as well, as he doesn't always know his limitations and has a tendency to freeze out teammates. Still, players with Samuel's physical tools and skill aren't easy to come by, so it would be foolish to write him off considering how young he is.

[Hair Canada]

Couple of write-ups on some Canadian prospects by ESPN from the recent Basketball without Borders camp...

A.J. Lawson | 6-7 | PG/SG

Lawson emerged as one of the top guards at the camp both in terms of productivity and NBA potential. Developing with GTA Prep in Ontario, he is continuing to build his draft resume as an explosive combo guard who can play both ends, put pressure on defenses in transition and finish above the rim with force. Lawson has excellent height and length for a combo guard, as he measured 6-6 barefoot with a 6-10 wingspan. The 17-year-old's frame is extremely slight (160 pounds), however, and because of his wiry frame he's likely going to be best at the point guard spot long term. From a physical standpoint, he fits in the Will Barton, Caris LeVert, Patrick McCaw molds. Known more for his defense, Lawson showed an ability to play downhill and create as an on-ball guard that makes him intriguing long term.

He has quite a bit of work to do as a natural decision-maker and shooter, as his shot is a bit slow and unnatural at this stage, but he's adept in drive-and-dish/kick situations and can live in the paint thanks to his quickness. Lawson also has proved capable of rising up in mid-range spots, and his jumper is far from a lost cause. Defensively, he's disruptive on and off the ball with his quickness, length and effort, and his willingness to play both ends makes up for some of what he lacks in the strength department. Lawson plays with a level of spunk and confidence that pairs well with his physical abilities and budding skill. He'll have to continue honing his skill set, but Lawson looks like a future first-round talent with upside. He has an interesting decision in front of him, as he has the opportunity to reclassify to the 2018 high school class should he choose and enter the NCAA a year early. It remains to be seen if he'll elect to do so, though, as his body needs plenty of work before it's even college-ready.

Tyrese Samuel | 6-8 | PF (HairCanada did you ever write about this guy? I don't remember him on your radar...)

Samuel stood out immediately with his ripped frame and plus wingspan, and he continued the strong first impression with the versatility he demonstrated in the drills and games. His skill level is fairly high for a player his age, as he can handle the ball, especially pushing off the defensive glass, and even change speeds with polished footwork in the half court. Samuel has some touch on his mid-range jumper, and will knock down an occasional pull-up off a closeout, but still has a ways to go as a shooter in terms of extending his range and ironing out the side spin on his release. When he wanted to make his presence felt defensively, he was an absolute monster, banging inside the paint and going out of his area for rebounds and blocks.

After looking like arguably the best prospect at the camp on the first day, Samuel rested on his laurels and faded into the background for the most part. His body language leaves a lot to be desired, and his motor is very up and down, which is likely one of the reasons he barely registers as a blip on the recruiting radar in the U.S. He doesn't always get back on defense, looks reluctant to sit down in a stance and doesn't play with the type of energy you might expect. His offensive efficiency leaves something to be desired as well, as he doesn't always know his limitations and has a tendency to freeze out teammates. Still, players with Samuel's physical tools and skill aren't easy to come by, so it would be foolish to write him off considering how young he is.

Good write up, very professional (as usual with the Draftexpress people). Thanks for sharing.

Ye, actually I did write about both Samuel and Lawson when covering the class of 2019:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644140

They are clearly the best Canadian prospects in the class after the reclassification of Barrett, Nembhard (and lately Banton). Didn't watch the BWB camp, but from the report, it seems like both the unique potential and problems with motivation and consistency that I identified before with Samuel are still there. Hope his motor and consistency improve as he further matures. Both he and Lawson should have another year in high school, which should help them both, because they are clearly not ready yet (Samuel maturity-wise and Lawson body-wise, but he too could also use some extra maturity and consistency).

[WellYouKnow]

Im expecting a strong win today. This is a veteran team, and the majority of these guys have played together several times before.

For all the doom and gloom here , i think it should be pointed out that the team with Hanlan, XRM and Phil Scrubb weren't exactly lighting the fiba scene on fire. They lost 3 of their last 5 games. 2 of them to pretty weak teams in VI and DR.

With little time to prepare, having experienced guys might be a better way to go than young fringe NBA guys

[frumble]

Just checked the websites of TSN, Sportnset, the Globe, the National Post, and the Toronto Star, and couldn't find a single mention of the qualifing game this afternoon.

Im expecting a strong win today. This is a veteran team, and the majority of these guys have played together several times before.

For all the doom and gloom here , i think it should be pointed out that the team with Hanlan, XRM and Phil Scrubb weren't exactly lighting the fiba scene on fire. They lost 3 of their last 5 games. 2 of them to pretty weak teams in VI and DR.

With little time to prepare, having experienced guys might be a better way to go than young fringe NBA guys

Yeah, they didn't excatly light it up with Hanlan, XRM, and Scrubb, but I would take any of those three over any of the guards on today's roster.

Re having experienced guys instead of fringe NBA guys, among the guards, only Anderson falls into that category. Best, Keane, and McNeilly are less experienced than Hanlan, XRM, and Scrubb.

There is no doubt that the roster today is not as good on paper as what we had in November.

[WellYouKnow]

Just checked the websites of TSN, Sportnset, the Globe, the National Post, and the Toronto Star, and couldn't find a single mention of the qualifing game this afternoon.

Im expecting a strong win today. This is a veteran team, and the majority of these guys have played together several times before.

For all the doom and gloom here , i think it should be pointed out that the team with Hanlan, XRM and Phil Scrubb weren't exactly lighting the fiba scene on fire. They lost 3 of their last 5 games. 2 of them to pretty weak teams in VI and DR.

With little time to prepare, having experienced guys might be a better way to go than young fringe NBA guys

Yeah, they didn't excatly light it up with Hanlan, XRM, and Scrubb, but I would take any of those three over any of the guards on today's roster.

Re having experienced guys instead of fringe NBA guys, among the guards, only Anderson falls into that category. Best, Keane, and McNeilly are less experienced than Hanlan, XRM, and Scrubb.

There is no doubt that the roster today is not as good on paper as what we had in November.

I might take Best over Hanlan.

Hanlan really hasnt impressed me since his sophmore year at BC. He's a mostly inefficent, volume shooting tweener. Best is a waaay better athlete.

To be honest I'm not sure that Hanlan is that much better than Keane either since Keane can actually run an offence.

If Keane were given the chance and asked to gun too, im sure he could put up a halfway decent ppg on poor %s like Hanlan.

I think the frontcourt is alot better with Landry and Ejim there than Klassen and Trasolini.

Ejim really offsets the potential talent loss to me. He's a superstar at this level of play imo. He was our best player against France at the 2016 last chance qualifiers.

[thunderforce]

Is this game on tv ?

[mojo13]

Is this game on tv ?

No.
It is available on DAZN in Canada. A subscription streaming service.
Livebasketball.tv rest of the world. Subscription service for 10 bucks a month. Canada too but you’d need a VPN tunneler to get it as well. Same with US I think as it might be blacked out in the US too.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Is this game on tv ?

Nope, it's streaming on DAZN.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Boxscore watching and it seems like a poor start for Canada so far, down 27-21 at the end of the first. It also looks as though we're getting "Bad" Brady Heslip today - he's 1-6 so far.

It seems unlikely that VI would continue to shoot 59% though, so I guess Canada can still get back in it.

The fact that we're sweating out games against the Virgin Islands though, just shows how detrimental this new qualifying system is to Canada's chances.

[WellYouKnow]

Ejim with 21, 6 and 2 blocks at the half.

This is actually a pretty fun game with the Virgin Islands going super small and sprinting vs Canada working inside with the bigs.

Canada is shooting 35% from 3 on 20 shots and 80% on 15 shots inside the arc.

Pretty clear what they should do in the 2nd half to close this out

[Hair Canada]

Ejim seems to be keeping Canada in the game almost single-handedly. Scored 21 by halftime, almost without a miss + 6 rebounds and 2 assists and 2 blocks. Seems like WellYouKnow really got it right about him being the most important player on the roster and the potential difference maker (it's true that he was our best player in the Olympic qualifiers, alongside Joseph). Bennett also with a decent game, much better than what he showed last time. But already with 3 fouls.

Canada with a brittle lead at halftime: 53:48. Hodge from VI torching us again. Seems like we're heading for a nail-biter. might depend heavily on Heslip's shooting, which is a toss of a coin.

[WellYouKnow]

Haha of course Canada comes out and blows VI away with 3s after i say the need to keep going inside.

Shot 8 of 13 from 3 in the 3rd quarter to push the lead to 17.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Well that was a welcome result! Nice to see the guys build up a good lead in the second half so it wasn't a nail biter after all.

Ejim is definitely the best player on that Canadian team. He's the kind of guy that I wouldn't be surprised to see show up on the roster for the World's or Olympics, assuming that 4 or 5 of the NBA guys don't participate for a variety of reasons.

I'm a little surprised at how awful Dyshawn Pierre has been, though. I didn't think he was a major difference maker, but I thought at least he'd be productive and consistent. With the exception of that loss to the DR, he basically hasn't provided anything going back to the AmeriCup last summer. Very disappointing.

As long as they can take care of business against the Bahamas, we should be in decent shape going into the summer. And if they can get a couple of the NBA guys for those games (the Nuggets Murray-Lyles combo, for example, would be amazing) we can pick up some more points heading into Round 2.

For the Round 2 games, we should have a bit deeper of a guard pool to choose from. Kassius Robertson and Trae Bell-Haynes are both seniors, and are unlikely to find themselves on NBA rosters next year, but are probably talented enough to be useful for the purposes of these qualifying games. I hope the organization makes an effort to bring them into the fold over the summer by at least inviting them to a training camp.

[WellYouKnow]

Awesome win.

Ejim and Heslip looked like killers

Bennett was great

Anderson and Keane both played well offensively and did an amazing job on Walter Hodge

Landry and Pierre looked good in their reserve roles.

Best, Shepherd and Mcnielly were good enough and that was without Thomas Scrubb playing who might be better than all of them.

Scrubb was the only guy to not play. Cant imagine its because they dont view him as a very useful piece

[slothrop8]

Great result to beat VI by that much. Really puts our point differential in a great place and we have all winnable games ahead of us this window. This was the one I believed we had to have to qualify and we got it in style.