Trae Bell-Haynes will be Canada’s team member at the upcoming FIBA World Cup. He spoke with “Basketball Sphere” about several topics.
Canada is placed in the most demanding group at Mundobasket. Their opponents will be France, Latvia and Lebanon. Only two teams will continue the competition in the second round.
Considering Canada’s extremely talented roster, with several NBA superstars, many have high expectations for them this summer. Bell-Haynes spoke to Basketball Sphere about this and many other topics.
The difficult group served as an introduction to the question about the pressure. At least on paper, Canada is a really great team that has a lot to offer. This requires additional expectations from the basketball public, and the FIBA World Cup 2023 is an ideal opportunity for Trae Bell-Haynes and his team to show what they can do. According to what they showed individually during the season, they can really do a lot.
“It is no longer a matter of pressure at all. We set our own expectations and goals, because at the end of the day, that’s all we really need. It’s really nice to know that the world public expects a lot from us, but we don’t see it as pressure.” – said Bell-Haynes.
During the previous season, Trae Bell-Haynes played in Montenegro for Buducnost Podgorica. Thanks to good individual performances, he earned a spot in the national team.
Also, starting next season, he will play in the Endesa League for the second time since he signed with Zaragoza. In Buducnost, he averaged 14.5 points with 52% of his shots from the field. When 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists are added to that, it sounds efficient.
“A huge kind of honor for me. Every time I get the chance to wear the Canadian jersey, I feel proud. I know how many great players this country has. This becomes even more important when I realize that I am one of those who will represent the national team.“
Basketball “killers” as teammates
And one has to admit that Trae Bell-Haynes is right. Although he has a fairly efficient season behind him, what Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did during the last season, it is simply admirable. The first of them saw off everything that Nikola Jokic was doing and together with the Serb led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title.
On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shined for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best season of his career. He scored 31.4 points per games with 5.5 assists. There’s also New York Knicks player R.J. Barrett, and the defensive duo Lu Dort – Dillon Brooks. It seems promising to think that they all play in the same team.
“This is a team full of leaders. All those who came to the preparatory camp have performed countless times for Canada. We all have enough experience and a huge desire to win. The bottom line is that everyone does their part no matter what happened.
Obviously, the Shai – Murray – Barrett trio has a special kind of talent that makes them really successful in the NBA. The very fact that I am on the field with such teammates is something to be proud of. It’s nice to play with them, compete against them and in the end learn a lot.” – said Trae Bell-Haynes.
Basketball beginnings and what followed
After graduating from high school in Ontario, the Canadian spent four years at the University of Vermont. After not being selected in the NBA draft, he decided to come to Europe. His first European club was Frankfurt. He gained experience in Spain, Finland and Germany and that helped him to adapt to the European style of basketball.
The period of 365 days in Buducnost also taught him all the challenges that the ABA league brings. After the FIBA World Cup 2023, Trae Bell-Haynes will play in Spain for the second time in his career. We were interested in how he sees the differences in the game when it comes to Europe and North America.
“I think the main difference and the key to all of this is in the basics and the way we learn the game. In Canada, during those younger days, we paid much more attention to skills. From what I had the opportunity to see in Europe, I would say that the players are more educated from a young age in terms of approaching games and understanding the game.
They simply make the right decisions much easier. One thing I have noticed in the ABA league is the aggressive approach of all players who give their maximum. From the first to the last minute, the intensity is at a high level. Simply, there is no relaxation.“
Impossibility for adequate rest
At the end of the conversation, we briefly touched on the impossibility of adequate rest for professional athletes. According to Serbian national team head coach (Svetislav Pesic), Nikola Jokic is not prepared physically and mentally to help the “Eagles”. This was confirmed by the new captain Bogdan Bogdanovic, saying that the words of the Serbian center were: “I’m not mentally present and concentrated enough, I simply can’t.”
A few days after that, one of the best players from the previous World Cup in China withdrew from the national team. Ricky Rubio decided to take a break from professional activities to devote himself to his mental health. The root of the problem lies in the fact that the Spanish point guard suffered from several serious injuries in the previous two years, due to which he played only 67 games in total.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand how long our competitive season actually lasts. That’s a lot of physical and mental fatigue, but also stress. To play for so long in continuity without the possibility to take refuge from professionalism at a given moment. I can’t say I know what those two went through.
I know that the pressure for players who carry the huge burden of the national team’s expectations on their backs every summer is much greater than otherwise. I believe that it is not easy to deal with it, especially when expectations are not met. The best way to deal with it is to rely on family, friends and teammates.
Simply, you have to find a system that somehow separates you from the sport you play, in this case, from basketball. These people (family and friends) will be there for you whenever you need it.” – concluded Trae Bell-Haynes.