2016 Manila FIBA OQT Scouting Report: The Road Warriors of Canada

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The 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) that will be held here in Manila is just around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to get a better of feel of each of the teams taking part and playing for one of three remaining wild card tickets to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In this part, let’s focus on the Road Warriors of Canada.

FIBA Rank: 26

Latest FIBA performance: 

– 3rd place in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship. 8 wins and 2 losses. They went 3-1 in group play and swept their 3 games in the 2nd round. They lost a heartbreaker in the semis to Venezuela, 78-79, before beating host team Mexico in the 3rd place game, 87-86, thanks to a Cory Joseph game-winner.

Latest tune-up games: 

– CAN had two recent tune-up games against Croatia. CAN won the first game, 91-80, but lost the second game, 70-78. They then take on China, Italy, and Gilas in a pocket tournament in Bolgona, Italy.

Current 20-man Roster:

Shai Alexander – 6’4 – G

Dillon Brooks – 6’7 – F

Tyler Ennis – 6’2 – G

Corey Johnson – 6’5 – G

Dyshawn Pierre – 6’6 – G/F

Joel Anthony – 6’9 – C/F

Chris Boucher – 6’10 – F/C

Brady Heslip – 6’2 – G

Owen Klassen – 6’10 – C/F

Philip Scrubb – 6’3 – G

RJ Barrett – 6’7 – G/F (currently in the FIBA U17 Championship)

Jason Calliste – 6’2 – G

Tyson Hinz – 6’7 – F

Levon Kendall – 6’10 – F/C

Thomas Scrubb – 6’6 – G/F

Sim Bhullar – 7’5 – C

Melvin Ejim – 6’6 – F

Cory Joseph – 6’3 – G

Naz Mirtou-Long – 6’4 – G

Anthony Bennett – 6’8 – F

Key Players:

The star: Cory Joseph – Joseph starred for CAN in the 2015 FIBA Americas, and he had a very good season with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA in 2015-2016. Without NBA stars Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson, and Nick Staukas (among others), Joseph will be this team’s leader on the floor. His playmaking, defense, and shooting are his main weapons.

The bust?: Anthony Bennett is well-known among NBA fans as one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of all time. His play for CAN, though, has been pretty productive, and they will surely look at him as one of their leaders here in Manila. 

The breakout: Brady Heslip could be this team’s breakout star here in Manila. He has been one of their leaders in their two friendlies against Croatia, and he will be one of this team’s main perimeter weapons this year. He normed around 13 points per game in the Euroleague for Italian team Pallacanestro Cantù and around 17 points per contest in the FIBA Europe Cup games. 

Outlook: Despite losing most of their NBA players, CAN remains a force to be reckoned with and is still favored to advance to the second round. TUR will definitely be this team’s biggest thorn in the group round, but they also cannot overlook a competitive and athletic team like Senegal.

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TAGS: Canada, Cory Joseph, Fiba, gilas pilipinas, Olympic qualifying tournament, OQT

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