HAMILTON – Overall success. It wasn’t perfect, but the new iteration of Canada’s men’s national team more than got the job done against the Dominican Republic in Friday night’s World Cup qualifier.
They outshot the visitors 95-75 in a win that was bumpy early on but ended up being exactly what everyone expected going in: a team with some elite NBA talent backed by polished pros elsewhere in the lineup is tough for anyone to beat does it.
Canada was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led all scorers with 32 points and added five rebounds and five assists, while the Oklahoma City Thunder star helped his team explode with 15 points in the fourth quarter. His cousin Nikale Alexander-Walker of the Utah Jazz added 17 points, while Kelly Olynyk of the Detroit Pistons added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell contributed nine points on 4-of-5 shooting while adding six rebounds and setting an endless supply of ball screens for Canada’s guards.
The win improved Canada to 5-0 in Group C play in the first leg of qualifying. They conclude the stage on Monday when they travel to play the Virgin Islands, who are bottom of the group. Whatever the outcome there — Canada won by 48 without taking advantage of its NBA talent when they played in February — Canada is certain to advance to the second round and, barring a sudden reversal of fortune, is in good position to proceed to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines and Japan.
But the result was in some ways secondary as the match was the first test of the senior men’s team’s plan to build a summer core of 14 players. That plan includes their top talent committing to play for Canada this summer and the next two after that to build cohesion on their way to what they hope will be their first Olympic appearance since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. .
[brightcove videoID=6308927964112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]
The difference was evident before the ball was even picked up when Canada introduced its starting lineup – featuring four NBAers to the delight of a sold-out lower bowl crowd of approximately 6,000 at the FirstOntario Center in Hamilton, Ontario. No one got a bigger boost than Gilges-Alexander, who played high school basketball in the city before heading to the United States.
“It was so much fun,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who brought the crowd to its feet early with a left-handed dunk, apparently a first for the right-hander. “Just knowing that all the people that have seen me grow up since I was in high school were there to see me play today. Something I can’t describe and then it happened exactly as I wanted to go in.”
Indeed, Canada had more NBA players on the bench watching (not all members of the summer core were able to play this summer, but as part of their commitment they are expected to be a part of training camps and team events) than the Dominican, who counted none in their composition.
Needless to say, there was no one to match Gilgeous-Alexander, who was as impressive as possible in his first appearance on the court with the men’s team, a performance that bodes well for the future but also signals his emerging status as one of the best guards Canada has ever had.
“He’s certainly up there with the best of them,” said national team veteran Olynyk, who is in his second decade with the program. “It’s a privilege to play with a guy like that. We have many of them going through this program now. He is not alone. It’s fun to play with, fun to watch, fun to witness. I think everyone here had a treat tonight.
“His IQ is high. He knows the game, sees it and is unselfish,” Olynyk continued. He gets off the ball, gets it back, takes his spots when they’re there. He really knows how to play in the flow of the game. This is something that sometimes gets lost. He’s really good at it. He’s obviously a high level player, super skilled at both ends of the pitch. He’s a game-changer, as you saw in the third quarter. He just changed the game for us.”
[brightcove videoID=6308935667112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]
Canada’s talent advantage showed early. After a sloppy start for Canada, they got their first separation from a poor DR team with a 7-0 drubbing that included a putback by Olynyk, a spectacular block on a dunk attempt by Kyle Alexander (a European pro with NBA experience), two penalty shots by Gilgeous-Alexander and a triple from Alexander-Walker. Another 3-pointer by Alexander-Walker – who had nine points in the quarter – gave Canada a 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The visitors continued to press and took a 31-30 lead with 5:48 left in the half and tied the game at 35-35 with 3:09 left in the game before Canada finished with an 11-1 run, capped at the top of the buzzer by Gilgeous-Alexander before the teams headed to their locker rooms.
Canada’s talent began to show even more clearly in the third quarter. First, Olynyk and Powell combined several high-low passes that led to dunks by Powell. That’s when Gilgeous-Alexander started doing what he does best in the NBA — using his low dribble and long strides to get the ball into the paint, where he would finish or draw fouls. Warmed up enough, he went in for a three in transition to extend Canada’s lead to 21 with 2:57 left in the third. Two more 3-pointers by Alexander put Canada up by 28 points late in the period as Canada led 76-48 early in the fourth quarter.
Canada was never seriously threatened after that, and the highlight of the period was when Purdue University’s 7-foot-4 Zach Edey — the only college player included in Canada’s summer core — stepped up to make his men’s debut. senior team, much to the delight of the crowd, who were right behind the Toronto-born big man. The 20-year-old slotted home a pair of free-kicks for his first points with the senior side.
Add Comment