Latest news with #CanadaBasketball
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Canadian men fall to France, Puerto Rico at FIBA 3x3 World Cup
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — The Canadian men dropped two games Thursday to miss the playoff cut at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup. Article content France defeated Canada 21-18 in the early game. Aaron Rhooms and Grant Audu scored eight points apiece for the Canadians. Article content Article content Puerto Rico beat Canada 21-17 later in the day. Jerome Desrosiers had eight points and four rebounds in the loss that left Canada at 1-3. Article content 'I'm most proud of the way we fought,' Desrosiers said. 'This is a pretty young team in terms of 3×3 experience, so the way we stayed together throughout the whole experience is something to be proud of for sure.' Article content
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA crown could spark Canada basketball's next boom
Social Sharing Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Lu Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first-ever championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top. "Oh, it was uncontrollable at times," said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. "I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting. "There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine." Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff were exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. "They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home," he said. Gilgeous-Alexander will be a key to Canada's future success. He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders. "It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing," said Barrett. "Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him. "I think it will help the other players that were playing in the Finals as well." WATCH | Gilgeous-Alexander named Finals MVP as Thunder win NBA title: Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA Finals MVP as Oklahoma City Thunder win championship 1 day ago Duration 2:03 'Had to prove some doubters wrong' Gilgeous-Alexander was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft but was traded the same day to the Los Angeles Clippers. After one season in L.A., he was sent to Oklahoma City in a blockbuster deal that brought all-star guard Paul George to the Clippers. TSN basketball commentator Tamika Nurse, who is also from Hamilton, said how Gilgeous-Alexander carries himself through difficult times perfectly embodies the Ontario city's ethos. "Hamilton is built on blue-collar workers, Steeltown, they call it," she said. "A lunch pail and hard hat kinda town, and that's exactly what he is. "He really had to work hard. He really had to prove some doubters wrong. This is a guy who was drafted and then traded and then traded again, right?" WATCH | Montréal-Nord fans celebrate hometown hero Dort's NBA title: Montréal-Nord residents thrilled as hometown hero Luguentz Dort wins NBA championship 17 hours ago Duration 0:42 Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., said Gilgeous-Alexander's season, one of the best-ever by a Canadian in any sport, and the Finals performances of Dort, Nembhard and Mathurin have created a unique opportunity for Canada Basketball. Naraine sees it as like the creation of the Toronto Raptors in 1995, the emergence of Vince Carter as a superstar in the late 1990s, Steve Nash's back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, and the Raptors' NBA championship in 2019. "It's going to create another wave of people wanting to pick up the game and that's going to be both on the men's and women's side, boys and girls are going to want to pick up the game because they see that the No. 1 men's professional basketball player in the world right now is Canadian," said Naraine. "If you are living in Montreal, if you're living in Dorval, you're looking at this going well, you know, our Canadian teams in hockey didn't do so great. "But then you're looking at Dort or Mathurin saying, 'Hey, look, here's this kid with these Haitian roots, growing up in Montreal. That could be me."' Bartlett also compared these NBA Finals to those other moments in Canadian basketball history that fed into the growing popularity of the sport. "We want there to be no shortage of opportunities for kids at all skill levels to be able to play this game and to stay in love and play this game for as long as they want," said Bartlett. "What does that look like for somebody who's still involved in the game (in their 40s), either as a player, as a coach, as an official. "Are there enough great coaches, well-trained coaches, to teach the game the right way in Canada, in gyms across this country? Canada Basketball can't be in every gym, but we can develop a curriculum that lives through every gym, that coaches are taught the right way, and then officiating as well. That's a big part of it, too."
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA crown could spark Canada basketball's next boom
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first-ever championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA victory could inspire the next generation of Canadian basketball
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first-ever championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top. 'Oh, it was uncontrollable at times,' said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. 'I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting. 'There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine.' Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff were exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. 'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said. Gilgeous-Alexander, in particular, will be a key to Canada's future success. He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. How Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began charting his path to MVP when he was a teen Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders. 'It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing,' said Barrett. 'Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him. 'I think it will help the other players that were playing in the Finals as well.' Gilgeous-Alexander was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA Draft but was traded the same day to the Los Angeles Clippers. After one season in L.A., he was sent to Oklahoma City in a blockbuster deal that brought all-star guard Paul George to the Clippers. TSN basketball commentator Tamika Nurse, who is also from Hamilton, said that how Gilgeous-Alexander carries himself through difficult times perfectly embodies the Ontario city's ethos. 'Hamilton is built on blue-collar workers, Steeltown, they call it,' she said. 'A lunch pail and hard hat kinda town, and that's exactly what he is. 'He really had to work hard. He really had to prove some doubters wrong. This is a guy who was drafted and then traded and then traded again, right?' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conquered the NBA. Now, he's conquering the fashion world Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., said Gilgeous-Alexander's season, one of the best ever by a Canadian in any sport, and the Finals performances of Dort, Nembhard and Mathurin have created a unique opportunity for Canada Basketball. Naraine sees it as similar to the creation of the Toronto Raptors in 1995, the emergence of Vince Carter as a superstar in the late 1990s, Steve Nash's back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, and the Raptors' NBA championship in 2019. 'It's going to create another wave of people wanting to pick up the game and that's going to be both on the men's and women's side, boys and girls are going to want to pick up the game because they see that the No. 1 men's professional basketball player in the world right now is Canadian,' said Naraine. 'If you are living in Montreal, if you're living in Dorval, you're looking at this going well, you know, our Canadian teams in hockey didn't do so great. 'But then you're looking at Dort or Mathurin saying, 'hey, look, here's this kid with these Haitian roots, growing up in Montreal. That could be me.'' Bartlett also compared these NBA Finals to those other moments in Canadian basketball history that fed into the growing popularity of the sport. 'We want there to be no shortage of opportunities for kids at all skill levels to be able to play this game and to stay in love and play this game for as long as they want,' said Bartlett. 'What does that look like for somebody who's still involved in the game (in their 40s), either as a player, as a coach, as an official. 'Are there enough great coaches, well-trained coaches, to teach the game the right way in Canada, in gyms across this country? Canada Basketball can't be in every gym, but we can develop a curriculum that lives through every gym, that coaches are taught the right way, and then officiating as well. That's a big part of it, too.'
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA crown could spark Canada's next basketball boom
Article content Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff was exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. 'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said.
