By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Canada Basketball announced the 20 players that will participate in the training camp for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
There will be several additions expected compared to last summer and the 2023 World Cup where Canada punched the ticket to the Olympics and went on to win the bronze medal. Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins are included on the roster joining names like Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks and Toronto Raptors swingman RJ Barrett.
The Canada roster is as follows: Kelly Olynyk (captain), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Kyle Alexander, Andrew Wiggins, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Trae Bell-Haynes, Khem Birch, Dwight Powell, Lu Dort, Phil Scrubb, Thomas Scrubb, Melvin Ejim, Trey Lyles, Oshae Brisset, Zach Eday, Mfiondu Kabengele and Andrew Nembhard.
Per Canada Basketball:
“Today is a truly great moment for Canada Basketball and our Senior Men’s National Team,” said Rowan Barrett, General Manager / Executive Vice-President, Senior Men’s Program. “Each of these players is prepared to proudly represent our country in Paris, and we’re looking forward to regrouping next week in Toronto to begin what I believe will unify Canadians across the country this summer.”
“This journey began in February 2020 with the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers, and I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all our players, coaches and support staff across multiple teams, competition windows and tournaments that were instrumental in us getting to this point, Barrett said.”
Canada will train at both the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on the campus of the University of Toronto, as well as the OVO Athletic Centre from June 28-July 7.
Bennedict Mathurin and Shaedon Sharpe will also attend training camp to gain valuable Senior Men’s National Team experience, but they will not compete for roster spots this summer.
Last summer, Canada captured a historic bronze medal – the first medal at a Men’s World Cup in team history – with a 127-118 win over the United States at the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023. Overall Canada went 6-2 in the tournament, including key victories over several top-five ranked federations.
“While winning bronze at the World Cup last summer was an important first step for our team, it also showed that we still have work to do as a group,” said Jordi Fernandez, Head Coach of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team. “If you ask anyone within our team and program, we have a constant drive to improve and will work tirelessly throughout training camp and our exhibition schedule to fully prepare to achieve our ultimate goal at the Paris Olympics.”
Following training camp in Toronto, Canada will head to Las Vegas, where they will face USA Basketball in an exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena on July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. Fans in Canada can catch all the action live on Sportsnet.
From Las Vegas, the team will travel overseas to continue their preparation in France before taking on France (July 19, 3:10 p.m. ET / 12:10 p.m. PT) and the winner of the Puerto Rico OQT (July 21, 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT) in Orléans.
Canada was drawn into Group A for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and will face hosts the winner of the Greece Olympic Qualifying Tournament (July 27, 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT), Australia (July 30, 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT) and the winner of the Spain Olympic Qualifying Tournament (August 2, 11:15 a.m. ET / 8:15 a.m. PT).
The 12 teams have been divided into three groups (A, B and C) of four (4) teams each. This stage of the competition will be played in a round-robin format, with each team playing all other teams in its group (a total of 3 games for each team). The teams placed first and second in each group and the two best third-placed teams in the Group Phase qualify for the Final Phase. A draw will take place following the conclusion of the Group Phase to determine the pairings of the Quarter-Finals.
Canada successfully qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as one of the top two teams in the Americas region at the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023. The team secured the berth with an 88-85 victory over Spain in the Second Round to advance to the quarter-finals.
Paris 2024 will mark the men’s teams’ return to the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. The team is chasing the country’s second-ever medal in basketball after capturing silver at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
This summer’s Games be the first time in 24 years that Canada’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will compete together in an Olympic Games, and will also be the first time three basketball teams will represent Canada, as the 3×3 women’s national team will make its Olympic debut after the sport was added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team is ranked seventh in the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike. The rankings were updated following the conclusion of the FIBA Continental Qualifiers – February 2024 Window.