Canada has never won a medal at the FIBA World Cup in the past, but now they come with their best roster ever.
This will be their 15th appearance at Mundobasket. It can absolutely be said that this time they come ready to spoil everyone’s plans. Of course, one of the key things is that Jamal Murray be ready.
The draw for the World Cup put them in the “quartet of death”. Their Group H also includes France, Latvia and Lebanon.
FIBA World Cup – Canada: Previous editions and the best results of the national team
As already written, this will be Canada’s 15th appearance at the FIBA World Cup. In the period from 1974 to 2002, they were regular participants. In 2006 they did not qualify, and in 2010 they finished 22nd without a win in the group (0-5).
They missed the tournament in 2014 as well, only to return five years later in China. And there they found an extremely demanding group in which they were together with Australia, Lithuania and Senegal. Only one triumph (against the African country) was not enough to qualify for the next stage of the competition.
Canada achieved the best result in two consecutive championships. It happened in 1978 and 1982. Both times, they finished in sixth place.
FIBA World Cup – Canada: Road to Mundobasket
Canada came to the World Cup through the qualifiers. In the first phase, they achieved a perfect record (6-0). Their opponents were the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. They defeated everyone twice.
The second phase was also extremely successful for them. They recorded only one defeat in six more games played. This happened against Argentina, which was then led to victory by Facundo Campazzo. In the end, they qualified with a total record 11-1.
FIBA World Cup – Canada: Roster and focus on those who are expected the most
The duo that will lead Canada in the “group of death” is reflected in two names – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.
The first of them played a fantastic individual season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although everyone predicted them to be at the bottom of the Western Conference, they were one of the most pleasant surprises and just missed the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander made the most of the space to improve. An average of 31.4 points with 5.5 assists per game speaks volumes.
NBA champion Jamal Murray showed the world how good he can be. After 20 points per game in the regular season, he increased his numbers in the playoffs to 26, which is impressive. The only problem is that “Blue Arrow” is still recovering from his injury and it is not definite that he will travel to Indonesia.
During Canada’s quest for the world throne in 2017 in the U-19 competition, RJ Barrett was the tournament’s MVP. His fourth NBA season in the jersey of the New York Knicks passed with 19.6 points per game, and he visibly raised his shooting percentage, which has been a problem for him throughout his career.
The absence of the main NBA stars in the qualifiers brothers Phil Scrubb and Thomas Scrubb knew how to use it. They led their national team to victory on several occasions, which puts them in the forefront of candidates to score double-digit points from the second plan.
Defenders
The first to mention is Dillon Brooks. The Memphis Grizzlies have nothing but praise for his sacrifice and everything he brings when he’s on the court. He can contribute much more defensively than offensively. It is certain that the World Cup can be of great help to him as a form of preparation for the next NBA season where he will play for the Houston Rockets.
The defensive wall next to Brooks will be Lu Dort. He showed his qualities when it comes to defense the most during the NBA bubble and play-offs in 2020. Since then, he’s also improved his relatively poor shoot, but with Murray and Gilgeous-Alexander already on the court, that won’t be a problem.
The biggest responsibility at center positions belongs to the NBA tandem Dwight Powell – Kelly Olynyk. The first of them is a significant force in the paint and can be expected to offer resistance to anyone who finds himself on the other side of the floor. When it comes to Olynyk, his ability to spread the opponent’s paint, and to shoot from distance is an additional danger of everything that Canada has to offer.
FIBA World Cup – Canada: More about head coach – Jordi Fernandez
Mike Brown is just one of many that the Canadian coach has learned from. Jordi Fernandez assembled perhaps the strongest national team in Canada history. After the coaching academy, he attended university in Barcelona and Amsterdam. He made his first coaching steps in the third tier of Spanish basketball, where he worked as a conditioning coach.
This was followed by a trip to Norway and the Netherlands, where the first connections with the NBA were made. He came to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009. There, he was in charge of player development. He got his first real chance in the G League with the Canton Charge.
“Whoever walks through the door of his office, he will find a way to understand him. He has seen, heard or experienced everything in some way. That is why he is so valuable” – said about him in Ohio players such as Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and many others. It is worth emphasizing that he was part of the Cavaliers’ coaching staff in 2016 when they won the NBA trophy.
![Jordi Fernandez](https://basketballsphere.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jordi-Fernandez.jpg)
He spent with the Denver Nuggets next six years. In 2022, he moved to California to become part of the Sacramento Kings, whose coaching staff he is still a member of today.
“One day he will become the head coach of a franchise in the NBA league. He was already in the G League, he has great international experience with the Spanish national team. I would be really happy for him” – these were the words uttered by Mike Malone, under whose patronage Nikola Jokic and the rest of the team won the historic trophy.
FIBA World Cup – Canada: Expectations
The draw for the FIBA World Cup placed them in “Group H” where France, Latvia and Lebanon are also. It is clear that there will be a big fight for two spots in the second phase.
The assumption is that Lebanon will end at 0-3 without realistic expectations that they can surprise much better teams. On paper, Canada has a really impressive roster that has yet to prove themselves on the floor.
The clash against France could be crucial in the battle for the first position in this group. Latvia is by no means a naive selection, but athleticism and NBA experience work in Canada’s favor. It is to be expected that they will advance from Group H, and then anything is really possible.