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Canada Basketball introduced a 14-player core for this summer season’s FIBA males’s World Cup qualifiers, highlighted by NBA skills Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett.
All 14 have made a three-year dedication to the senior males’s nationwide group and can characterize Canada between now and the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris. The 2023 FIBA males’s World Cup takes place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, 2023, within the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
One of many notable gamers lacking from the listing of 14 gamers is Andrew Wiggins, who’s at present one win from making the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors.
Canada head coach Nick Nurse mentioned Wiggins hasn’t dominated out taking part in for Canada, however couldn’t decide to the three-year summer season plan.
Nurse, who coaches the Toronto Raptors, additionally mentioned: “When you commit you’re in…if you happen to don’t commit, you’re going to need to hope there’s a spot,” in keeping with Sportsnet’s Eric Smith.
He and group common supervisor Rowan Barrett later added that Wiggins and others that haven’t joined might play, however provided that one of many 14 gamers is unavailable.
Core 14 Gamers:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Utah Jazz (NBA)
RJ Barrett — New York Knicks (NBA)
Khem Birch — Toronto Raptors (NBA)
Oshae Brissett — Indiana Pacers (NBA)
Dillon Brooks — Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
Luguentz Dort — Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (NBA)
Zach Edey — Purdue (NCAA)
Melvin Ejim — Cedevita Olimpija (Slovenia)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (NBA)
Cory Joseph — Detroit Pistons (NBA)
Jamal Murray — Denver Nuggets (NBA)
Kelly Olynyk — Detroit Pistons (NBA)
Kevin Pangos — Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Dwight Powell — Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Canada Basketball additionally introduced the boys’s group will host the Dominican Republic in a qualifier on July 1 in Hamilton. Canada will then face the U.S. Virgin Islands on the highway in Saint Thomas on July 4 to wrap up the third window of qualification. Canada may also have World Cup qualifiers in November and February.
The boys’s group is in Group C of qualification with the Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands and Bahamas, and is at present 4-0 by way of two home windows of competitors. Twelve of the 16 groups on this spherical of qualifying advance. Seven groups from the ultimate spherical will earn a spot on the World Cup.
The Canadian males missed out on the Tokyo Olympics, shedding 103-101 in extra time to the Czech Republic within the semifinals of an Olympic qualifying event final July in Victoria. The Czechs went on to win the occasion and e-book their ticket to Tokyo.
Nurse says that have confirmed the necessity for continuity within the nationwide group program.
The Canadian males haven’t made the Olympics since 2000 in Sydney, Australia.
Canada is at present ranked 18th within the FIBA males’s basketball world rankings.
With information from The Canadian Press
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