frumble wrote:Canada's U17 training camp roster announced today.
http://www.basketball.ca/tickets-on-sale-for-canada-vs-jamaica-p154191%26language=en/news-article/17-athletes-selected-for-u17-mens-national-team-training-camp?platform=hootsuite
Our leading scorers at last summer's U16s were McNeilly, SRM, and Sakota, with Ndur getting a lot of boards. They are all on the list, along with other rotation players from last summer Todd, Krikke, and Bediako.
Four players from our U16 team from last year are not on the list: Shand, Case, Koulibaly, and Radocaj.
Three underage players on the list:
Caleb Houstan (2003 born)
Charles Bediako (2002) (also on the U18 team)
Zach Edey (2002) (listed as 7'2")
Notable 01 borns on the list who did not play at the U16s last summer include include Patterson, Hemmings, and Moncrieffe.
Hair Canada,
Any insights on the roster? I know you have written about Houstan before. Any thoughts on Edey?
Do you think Patterson and Bediako are likely to play U17s given U18 participation?
Any thoughts on Paris Shand not being there?
Will write more once the final roster is out. But some preliminary thoughts:
First, this time, unlike last year, it's really the best roster we can put out, so that's great to see. Hopefully, this means that the feud that has plagued Canadian junior basketball last summer is behind us. Patterson, Hemmings and Moncrieff would be huge additions and Ambrose-Hylton might also surprise. I'd love to also see Houstan in the final roster, but we'll see. I think Patterson and Bediako should be available if they're part of the last 17.
Paris Shand not invited is a no-brainer for me. First, he's not a promising long-term prospect, a PF in the body of a guard (6'5 or 6'6) with limited athleticism and speed. But even if we just look at the short-run, he was really terrible in last year's championship. Undersized who managed to grab some offensive rebounds due to his strong physique, but mostly finished poorly and took way too many outside shots despite very poor shooting. I remember thinking that it's quite sad if that's the best we can offer on the interior. Also seen him this season at Bill Crothers in a couple of games and haven't noticed much improvement.
Anyway, not trying to dis Shand, who's a good guy and a hard worker. Just saying that he's really not good enough for this level of competition (much like Victor Radocaj or Matteus Case, who were also part of the team last summer), and I'm happy that we have better options this year.
Edey is completely a newcomer and is actually quite an impressive prospect for his size (perhaps even a 7'3). As might be expected, he's not very quick or agile and his offense is quite rudimentary. But he has a solid physique, he's not awkward, moves decently well, and can really protect the basket. Had something like 10 blocks in about 15 minutes in the biosteel futures game. Doesn't need to do much more than stretch his arms at this point. Reminds me a bit of Jordan Bachinsky, but Edey might be even bigger. Would really like to see him on the team, together with Bediako and Minott (or at least two of the three). Would be a great improvement to the center position from last year, when we were just eaten alive in the paint by the Americans.
