TORONTO – It’s been 21 years since Canada was represented at the Olympics for men’s basketball, and with this latest heartbreaker in the books, that drought will continue.
With a thrilling but ultimately ill-fated 103-101 loss to Czech Republic in overtime of Saturday’s semi-final, the Canadians were eliminated from their last-chance qualifying tournament, failing to punch their ticket to Tokyo in the process.
It was yet another painful setback for a program that has experienced so many of them over the past two decades, but in many ways, this one felt like a new low.
“Everybody’s disappointed,” point guard and team captain Cory Joseph said afterwards. “We had enough to make it, we just didn’t get the job done, again.”
This was supposed to be the year they finally broke through on the world stage, the summer they made it back to the Olympics for the first time since Steve Nash led them there in 2000.
They were playing on home soil, having made the financial commitment to host one of FIBA’s qualifying tournaments in Victoria, B.C. Their roster featured eight NBA players, more than the other five teams at the event combined. They were the team to beat.
But it’s not just that they lost; it’s how they lost that stings.
Canada was the top seed in its group after finishing pool play with a perfect 2-0 record. After a slow start in the opener, the team looked to be making encouraging progress in wins over Greece and China.
Nick Nurse had settled on a rotation, the stars – Andrew Wiggins and RJ Barrett – were leading the way, and everybody else was buying into their roles. Their strengths – speed, depth and skill – seemed to negate their known weaknesses.
But in the game they needed to get to advance to the final and play for a trip to Tokyo, those weaknesses were exposed.
The Czechs’ size overwhelmed Canada on the boards and at the rim. Their superior chemistry, coming from years of playing together, was apparent as they picked the hosts apart with the pass to create open looks for their shooters.
Despite having just one NBA player on their roster, Chicago Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky, they thoroughly outplayed Canada for nearly the entire game.
The Canadians never led in regulation and trailed by 10 points with less than one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Miraculously, though, they closed the frame on a 12-2 run, highlighted by six points from Wiggins in the final 17 seconds, to force overtime.
They scored the first five points of the extra period before the Czechs fought back and reclaimed the lead. Wiggins tied the game at 101 apiece on a pull-up jumper with 15 seconds left.
The final sequence was especially cruel. On one end, Satoransky banked in an extremely tough turnaround shot over Canada’s best defender, Lu Dort. On the other, Canada executed its inbounds play perfectly. With 1.8 seconds on the clock, Barrett made a pinpoint pass to set Trey Lyles up for a wide-open mid-range jumper from the corner, but it rimmed out at the buzzer. What would have been a remarkable comeback win fell just short and instead of heading to Hawaii, where they were scheduled to train ahead of the Olympics, they’re summer ends in disappointment, again.
“I’m very disappointed for these guys,” Nurse said. “They committed and we worked super hard and we prepared hard and they played their guts out. When you do all that you want to be rewarded for it.”
“These games happen too much for our liking,” said Joseph. “But it’s something we have to continue to chip [away] at.”
It’s déjà vu. Similarly, Canada’s team at the 2015 FIBA Americas – which served as Olympic qualifying – had eight NBA players on the roster. They dominated pool play, beat up on the competition in Mexico City and cruised into the elimination rounds. The Venezuelan club they would lose to in the semi-finals had a fraction of their talent but far more FIBA experience under their belt. Sound familiar?
This team felt different; a new coaching staff, a young star in Barrett looking to carry over his success at the junior level, Dort and Nickeil Alexander-Walker making their senior club debuts. Even the six holdovers from that 2015 team, which included Wiggins and Joseph, were older and more experienced. They knew what was at stake and what could happen if they let their guard down at the wrong time, but the result was familiar.
That’s the reality in these tournaments, where talent only gets you so far. There’s very little room for error in a winner-take-all format. Turkey, the favourite on the opposite side of the bracket, was upset by Greece in the other semi-final later on Saturday.
The FIBA game is different than the NBA. The rules are different. The style of play is different. It’s officiated differently. The teams that tend to find success are the ones that have the most reps, teams that have had a chance to build chemistry over many years together and acquire that valuable FIBA know-how. More often than not, those intangibles are offset quickness or athleticism.
That’s been Canada Basketball’s challenge, and will continue to be a challenge as they look ahead to future qualifying windows and turn their attention to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It’s a catch-22. You want your best players to compete at each event, and to the program’s credit they secured commitments from most of their best players prior to the pandemic, which pushed this tournament back a full year. The problem with relying on NBA players to fill out your roster is there are always going to be legitimate reasons why some of them can’t play.
There are always going to be injuries, like the ones that kept Jamal Murray or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from being available. There are always going to be guys in between contracts, like Kelly Olynyk and Khem Birch were this summer. Even in a best-case scenario, where you’re getting good turnouts – like they did in Victoria – it still means you’re working with a different group for each qualifying window.
On top of that, you’re working around the busy schedules of your NBA players. This year that meant a very short training camp, which some guys were permitted to join in progress, and no tune-up games ahead of the tournament. It’s tough to build chemistry or establish an identity as a program that way. When you have the amount of elite, high-end talent that the United States has, you can overcome those inherent disadvantages. For all of its promising young talent, Canada still hasn’t been able to do that.
“We’re going to always have turnover, I think,” said Nurse, who isn’t committed to coach Canada beyond this summer. “The injuries and the contract situations always play a part in that, but we’ve got to have some group sticking together, a core group, I think is probably the important thing.”
The future of the sport in this country remains bright. The women have already qualified for Tokyo, where they’ll have a real shot at medalling. Outside of the United States, Canada has produced more NBA players than any other country for seven straight years, with more young talent coming up behind them. However, it’s yet to translate to success for the senior men’s program, and you can understand why some people are getting impatient.
“I’m very disappointed,” Joseph said. “Of course, who wouldn’t be? I think the whole country is disappointed.”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
