Team Canada’s Olympic Prospects 2016 & 2020
A look inside the Canadian National basketball system.
Much has been made recently about the flux of talented basketball players who have migrated from our neighbors to the north into major basketball circles. Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Ennis, Anthony Bennett are all expected to participate in the FIBA Americas Tournament next year, but according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog and SheridanHoops, Coach Jay Triano is targeting a deep run in the 2020 Olympics. With a roster that would include Jayhawk swingman Andrew Wiggins, Syracuse PG Tyler Ennis, Cleveland PF Anthony Bennett, Orlando's Andrew Nicholson, Celtic’s Kelly Olynyk, Laker's Robert Sacre, Cav’s Tristan Thompson, Spurs’ Cory Joseph, Michigan’s Nik Stauskas and Gonzaga PG Kevin Pangos , Triano is hopeful a roster full of NBA talent will translate to success at the international level.
Any time you attempt to project players six years ahead, you always run the risk of looking foolish, but given the history of International Basketball Competition since NBA players were allowed to compete, this could end up being a long shot. First, you have to look at their immediate competition. For the 2016 games, it looks to be a very tough draw just to qualify for the Olympics. The FIBA Americas tournament in 2015 will be the last time qualifying for the Olympic tournament will occur regionally, but in order to qualify for the Rio games, Canada will have to beat out perennial powers Argentina, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. In order to truly set up a run to gold in 2020, it seems necessary for Team Canada to get into the upcoming Olympics games; even if they are not yet competitive, in order to get the much needed experience and familiarity with each other.
Next, you would have to take into account the teams that have had success in International Competitions. Teams that have enjoyed success since the games' advancements globally have had either an array of shooters or a significant post presence, or BOTH!. Spain has excelled in International Competition not only due to the inside presence created by the Gasol brothers, but also boasts a roster with guards Rudy Fernandez, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Calderon & Ricky Rubio who all have NBA experience. They also feature an array of shooters including Navarro, Fernandez, Calderon, and Euroleague Star, Segio Llull. France was mired in mediocrity for years until Tony Parker improved his perimeter game AND was joined by a growing star in Nicolas Batum, who also has made great strides in his shooting range.
International competition is often a grueling knock-down, drag-em-out type of game. Without either a significant post presence or a number of sharp-shooters, winning on the international level has simply not occurred. In international competition, the middle is usually clogged, and without a post presence to create a double team of shooters that will stretch the defense, scoring becomes a difficult task. The U.S. found this out first hand when we sent team after team of 6’8 swingman/slashers and guards. The last game the U.S. lost in international competition was to Greece at the FIBA Worlds in 2006. In that game, the U.S. could not stop Grecian big man Sofoklis Schortsanitis or snipers Vasileios Spanoulis and Theodoros Papaloukas.
However, Triano is banking on the pipeline of talent to produce results similar to Spain's and Argentina's storied "Golden Generations". This team could mark a special time for the Canadian Nationals. While the projected Canadian starters are formidable, it's the depth of the bench which is truly note-worthy. Current Canadian big men participating in high level Division I programs include Sim Bhullar (NMSU) , Khem Birch (UNLV), Dwight Powell (Stanford) and Jordan Bachynski (ASU) who all will have the time needed to physically mature. Six years from now those players could serve as relief when Thompson, Olynyk or Bennett need a blow. Reserve wing players & shooters include Melvin Ejim (ISU), Olivier Hanlan (BC), Laurent Rivard (Harvard), Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga) and Brady Heslip (Baylor) who stock the Canadian system. These players are all team oriented individuals that are stars on their respective college teams. In six year's time, Canadians hope all will be nearing the prime of their professional careers. And the pipeline does not end there; current high school five Star players Trey Lyles and Montaque Gill-Caesar are the wild cards of the bunch. Both Lyles and Gil-Caesar are immensely talented, yet very green, but could provide even more depth in 2016.
However, even with the stockpile of talent, it seems like it will take Wiggins, Ennis, and Joseph to all become high quality perimeter shooters or Olynyk, Thompson, or Bennett to become legitimate scoring threats in the post. Of course over the next six years, all have the opportunity to expand their games and to mature as a collective in order to make the dream a reality. While Wiggins and Ennis both have thru-the-roof potential, even if both became stars on the NBA level by 2020, it would still be difficult to win gold with a team whose two best players are a guard and a 6’8 slasher. Don’t believe me; go ask the 2004 U.S. Team…
Written By: @HoopsFactoryTV (J. O'Neill & A.Gray)
