By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Canadian Basketball Federation announced a list of 29 players that have been invited to join the preliminary roster of the national team for the 2019 World Cup.
Among the players are former All-EuroLeague guard Kevin Pangos, Valencia forward Aaron Doornekamp, Zenit St. Petersburg guard Phil Scrubb plus Unics Kazan forward Melvin Ejim.
Greek-Canadian guard Naz Mitrou-Long has also been invited to the training camp. If the player makes the final cut for the World Cup, he will automatically become non-eligible to play for the Greek national team. He has been working towards getting a Greek passport.
Per the Canadian Federation:
Canada Basketball is pleased to announce the 29 athletes invited to attend the Senior Men’s National Team training camp ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
“Being asked to represent your country is a tremendous honour and we’re excited about the group of athletes that we have invited to training camp next month in Toronto,” said Rowan Barrett, Canada Basketball General Manager, Men’s High Performance. “These athletes demonstrate the depth of talent we now have in our country, as we prepare to meet the challenge of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
A finalized list of Senior Men’s National Team training camp attendees will be announced prior to the start of camp.
Canada will open exhibition play with a two-game series against Nigeria. The Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto will host Team Canada on Wednesday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET before the team travels to Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg for a game on Friday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. CT. Tickets for Toronto and Winnipeg are on sale now.
Following the Canadian exhibition games, Team Canada will travel to Australia for a five-game exhibition series against Australia (August 16-17), New Zealand (August 20-21) and the United States of America (August 26). Tickets for these games are on sale now from Ticketek.
Last month, Canada Basketball announced Nick Nurse as Head Coach of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
Canada is heading back to the World Cup for the first time since the 2010 FIBA World Championship after finishing the FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers with a 10-2 record to lead Group F. One of the fastest rising basketball nations in the world, Canada’s depth was on display during the Americas Qualifiers as 36 different players represented their country over the course of the six competition windows to qualify for the World Cup.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China (Aug. 31-Sept. 15, 2019) will be the biggest edition of FIBA’s flagship event with a record 32 participating teams playing 92 games over 16 days.
Canada is in Group H for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and will face Australia (September 1), Lithuania (September 3) and Senegal (September 5) in the First Round. The top two teams from Group G (Dominican Republic, France, Germany and Jordan) and Group H will qualify for the Second Round and form Group L.
The results of the three games from the First Round carry over to the Second Round with every team playing against the two teams in their new group that they have not faced. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Quarter-Finals.
Click here for additional details on the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 competition system.
For the first time, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will qualify seven teams directly for the following year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Canada must finish either first or second in the Americas zone to earn a direct berth.
|
Name |
Position |
Height |
Hometown |
Previous / Current Club |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
Guard |
6’5” |
Toronto, ON | New Orleans Pelicans |
| R.J. Barrett |
Guard |
6’7” |
Mississauga, ON | New York Knicks |
| Aaron Best |
Guard |
6’4” |
Scarborough, ON | Riesen Ludwigsburg (Germany) |
| Khem Birch |
Centre |
6’9” |
Montreal, QC | Orlando Magic |
| Chris Boucher |
Centre |
6’10” |
Montreal, QC | Toronto Raptors |
| Oshae Brissett |
Forward |
6’8” |
Mississauga, ON | Syracuse Orange (NCAA) |
| Dillon Brooks |
Forward |
6’7″ |
Mississauga, ON | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Brandon Clarke |
Centre |
6’8” |
Vancouver, BC | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Aaron Doornekamp |
Forward |
6’7” |
Napanee, ON | Valencia Basket (Spain) |
| Luguentz Dort |
Guard |
6’4” |
Montreal, QC | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
Guard |
6’6” |
Hamilton, ON | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Melvin Ejim |
Forward |
6’6″ |
Toronto, ON | BC UNICS (Russia) |
| Brady Heslip |
Guard |
6’2” |
Burlington, ON | Istanbul BBSK (Turkey) |
| Cory Joseph |
Guard |
6’3″ |
Toronto, ON | Sacramento Kings |
| Mfiondu Kabengele |
Forward |
6’10” |
Burlington, ON | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Naz Mitrou-Long |
Guard |
6’4” |
Mississauga, ON | Salt Lake City Stars (G League) |
| Trey Lyles |
Forward |
6’10” |
Saskatoon, SK | San Antonio Spurs |
| Jamal Murray |
Guard |
6’4” |
Kitchener, ON | Denver Nuggets |
| Andrew Nembhard |
Guard |
6’5” |
Aurora, ON | Florida Gators (NCAA) |
| Kelly Olynyk |
Forward |
7’0″ |
Kamloops, BC | Miami Heat |
| Kevin Pangos |
Guard |
6’2” |
Newmarket, ON | FC Barcelona Basketball (Spain) |
| Dwight Powell |
Forward |
6’11” |
Toronto, ON | Dallas Mavericks |
| Phil Scrubb |
Guard |
6’4″ |
Richmond, BC | Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia) |
| Thomas Scrubb | Forward |
6’7” |
Richmond, BC | Openjobmetis Varese (Italy) |
| Marial Shayok |
Forward |
6’5” |
Ottawa, ON | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Andy Rautins |
Guard |
6’4” |
Syracuse, NY | Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul (Turkey) |
| Nik Stauskas |
Guard |
6’6” |
Mississauga, ON | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Tristan Thompson |
Centre |
6’10” |
Brampton, ON | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Kyle Wiltjer |
Forward |
6’10” |
Portland, OR | Unicaja Malaga (Spain) |