Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Welcome to the Canadian Basketball show, your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host, Lee Ban Osman. We are live in Hamilton, Ontario at the TD Coliseum after Canada just defeated Jamaica. I don't even got the score here. Where's the score at 116 to 78.
A complete blowout. They went 20 in FIBA World cup qualifiers. Also beating Puerto Rico on Friday, 110 to 84. In this game, Che finishes with 17 points, four rebounds, forces four steals. Pickpocketing guys, quite impressive. Dylan Brooks led with 20 points with three rebounds. Getting to his midi. This fade.
A lot of work down there. Leave a like rating and review. We're giving you this podcast. Live from Hamilton. I'm joined by my guy, Jonathan Chen of Raptors Republic in the gondola of Coliseum. How you doing, man? Welcome back to the show.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: I'm good, I'm good. Thanks for having me on.
It's quite a trek to get up here, wasn't it?
[00:01:14] Speaker A: Right? It was like, man, I don't know how long you took. I took me. I was napping the whole ride. My homie drove me.
Especially today. Friday was quite easy. Traffic wasn't that bad. But today it took maybe like an hour and a half to get to Hamilton. But I'll say, this amazing venue, I'm like quite impressed. I think they should be hosting more games here. Not just because Shay's from Hamilton and he can draw a crowd, but because TD Coliseum, the renovations of this place. I was chatting to some people. They said the last time they had a game here, I wasn't here for it. They said it does not look like this. And. And I. I walked into the VIP session, I was like, damn, this is. This is proper, you know?
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it feels brand new.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: Brand new.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: Good venue, good venue. And the people showed up for Shea. I think it's the most I've ever seen for a can of basketball game in like south southern Ontario at least.
[00:02:05] Speaker A: So, yeah, not like completely like sold out. Friday's game was probably more packed Monday, obviously. Probably like some people got a little work, that kind of stuff. But close to full, close to full house for Canada basketball, feeble World cup qualifiers.
I don't think the score does it justice. I feel like Jamaica put up a fight in the first half, you know, missing key guys. Norman Powell's not playing. Who's the other leading scorer? Kofi. Forget his last name.
[00:02:32] Speaker B: Coburn.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Yeah, he was gone.
I thought Jamaica, you know, they chilled by as many as 27 early on they brought it within like 15. I'm like, damn, okay, you guys got some heart. Got some heart. And in the post game conference, like one of the top guys is a guy that just finished high school. Quite impressive. So shout out to Jamaica. What impressed you about this game?
Canada's process. And yeah, just these two games against Jamaica and Puerto Rico to can you continue feeble World cup qualifiers?
[00:03:03] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I would say just professional. How professional the senior men's team came out.
You know, we heard it from Gordy all throughout the week that they were stressing that Fiba is a 40 minute game, it's not a 48 minute game. So you don't really have, you know, the leeway to kind of start slow. And in both cases the first quarter, Canada came out pretty strong.
Towards the end, I guess the beginning of today, they had a couple turnovers to start the game, but overall I would say pretty strong first quarter.
And then, you know, there was a little drop off in the second and the third in each game where, you know, they had gotten such a huge lead that maybe they had lost a little bit of focus or whatnot. But yeah, no, I think overall this is exactly what you wanted to see. They're still perfect in the World cup qualifiers. 6 0.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: First place now I think in the second round right now they're the only undefeated team in their group, which is group F, and set themselves up really well once again, just like the 20, 23 World cup qualifiers where they almost ran the table.
So yeah, I think overall just a great sign to start off the Gordy Herbert era.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: Are you shocked at the turnout in terms of like NBA guys? Because I don't think USA is bringing seven guys on the level of Shay, you know what I'm saying? Because I'm quite impressed that they got these guys that committed to in a summer where it's like no offense to Jamaica, they don't got no NBA guys. Norman Powell, obviously, contract situation, he probably would have played. Jose Alvarado didn't play. Also going through his own contract stuff. But seven guys they got out here and there's still some guys that are dealing with contracts if they're not playing that were in attendance this Friday and throughout the week. Are you shocked that they were able to get like seven guys to pull up to FIBA World cup qualifiers? Because I'm like, damn. Quite impressive in my eyes.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think this is definitely like a different Canada basketball era.
I think I saw like a quote from Dylan Brooks in Oren's piece from earlier this week where Dylan was just talking about how the loss in Paris kind of is just like fueling him. Like, he still thinks about that loss and the opportunity they had to medal in that tournament and how for him, at least that's what he's been using to fuel him to come back to Canada basketball. And I think Gordy's also touched on it as well, where, you know, a lot of this core of these NBA players, Shai, Nikhil, Dylan, they've gone through the whole cycle once and, you know, we had obviously the incredible high of the bronze medal at the FIBA World cup in 2023, and then the disappointment in the Paris Olympics. So they've kind of gotten the whole roller coaster experience and now they've. They're all back and committed to. To come back and try again and kind of do this, maybe quote, unquote, the right way or. Or the FIBA way, as I think Gordy's been talking about a lot.
But, yeah, no, I think it's great to see that, especially when you're best. When the. One of the best players in the world is that committed that everybody kind of falls in line and. Yeah, and I'm sure, like, playing at home doesn't hurt as well, but I would definitely say, like, the amount of talent is pretty shocking just from where we were a couple of years ago.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: Yeah, Hamilton showed out a lot of MVP chance for Shay. He didn't play as much as he did in the first game. Obviously he was a blowout, so not much, but still Shea, what, 17 points. And I think. Let me look at the minutes here. 20 minutes of game time. So quite impressive. 16 points. Sorry for shit. Unless. Unless this is updated. But yeah, quite impressive. I thought the lineup out the gate, Gordon Herbert using it twice. I was wondering if he's going to tweak it for a Monday game, but stuck to the five that he ran on Friday of Andrew Nemhardt at point guard, shay at the 2, Dillon Brooks at the 3, Leonard Miller at the 4, and Mufondi, Kevin Geli at the 5. What were your first impressions of the lineup? Were you expecting that lineup? I could say maybe the four. Leonard was a complete shock to me and I feel like he gave them a different look. What are your thoughts?
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think it was definitely a complete shock. I think I even. We even asked a Puerto Rican head coach kind of like, oh, were you expecting the initial starting alignment? And he was saying no, not at all. Like he was expecting exactly Canada to go maybe a little smaller.
But just seeing What I think what Gordy's been saying where sliding Dylan to the three so that Canada is a bit more physical, a bit more athletic, a bit bigger in the starting lineup has definitely been an interesting thing. And I thought. I thought Leonard Miller had an up and down kind of window. I think the first game he struggled a bit, especially defensively, but I think tonight he was. He was amazing. He was giving you everything that you kind of wish for with Leonard Miller.
The cutting to the rim along the baseline, offensive rebounding, some rim protection as well, and rotating on defense. I think just all the activity that you want from Leonard Miller is that exactly what you saw today. And, you know, maybe there's a level of competition that we have to consider as well, but this was kind of the actualized version of letter Miller and what he can be and how he can contribute to the senior men's team. So that was a really good sign to see.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: Yeah, it didn't rebound much, but I feel like he adds that. Like, he's like a gazelle. I kind of like see the long strides, very much like in transition player, 12 points on six to seven, shooting from the field. You can hear in the background they're chatting. We want Shay. We were recording this maybe I think like an hour after the game, and fans are begging for him to come out. I don't know why people are still in the building, honestly. They gotta. They gotta escort these people out of here. But some players still lingering around giving autographs out. But yeah, Leonard Miller, 12 points, 6 to 7. Like, I'm just looking at that. Quite impressive.
And yeah, he just has a knack for getting to the rim sometimes, you know, it's like, okay, you wanna.
You want him to be more decisive, maybe make the extra pass, see guys that are open, that kind of stuff. But he has a will to get to the rim. Since his high school days, he had this ability, so.
And yeah, and I think it's a. It's a good look. Like Gordy talked about, he wants Dylan at the three, and I think that's creating a lot of mismatch advantages for them.
I think Dylan feels comfortable. I see him just like, nodding along, like, yep, I'm. I'm. It seems like he's so happy that he's at the 3. He doesn't have to play any. Any bigs and. And bang it a post for rebounding. And we'll get into the rebounding because I feel like it's still an issue. They still have a big man issue with this team. And I thought it was. Even though they blew out Jamaica, I fe. It was still on display in this game.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah. No, I think, like, the biggest question that I have moving forward is, you know, I wouldn't expect Leonard Miller to start maybe with the final World cup team or the Olympic team, but who slides in at the four if they want to keep kind of Dillon at the three?
You know, the last Olympics and the last cycle, often that was RJ Barrett. But is that big enough for Gordy? I don't know exactly.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: But then I'll always think about. I'm like, well, Zara's not gonna come off the bench for Canada.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Yeah, that. That's a tough sell. I think his pops is running the team.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: Like, him coming out the bench is like, you know, like. But then it kind of goes against what Gordy's saying, where he's like. He's saying, I want Dylan at the 3, and RJ's not a 4. So it's like, where are you gonna slot this Lou Dort? To me, he's also not a 4 or 3. I think he's a 2.
I assume Keshawn George, like the Puerto Rican coach. I thought Kean George would get the start.
He had his kind of up and down, maybe. I think he's still adjusting to the feeba style.
Didn't shoot the ball particularly well, I thought. I still thought he contributed getting to the. To the paint in transition, that kind of stuff.
Had 10 points in this game. Four rebounds, three assists, three or 12 shooting. Just over five from three. Like, if he knocks down his threes. We're not talking about Keyshawn really struggling much, but. Yeah. Interesting starting five. Interesting starting five.
I wonder now that the five guys that are out, do they, like. Do you think Kevin Gilly can play the four? Do you think they put Cabin Gilly at the four, Zach Edie at the five? I'm just, like, thinking of, like, guys that could play the four, and he's the only name that I can think of. Maybe you think of Kelly, maybe think of the white, But I also think those guys are kind of past the prime. Yeah. Like, I don't know if they're 100% guaranteed to be part of the core going forward, but I'm blanking out of names, and I'm like, who will play the four of this team? If you want Dylan at the three?
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Yeah, no, exactly. That's. That's exactly kind of the exercise that I've been trying to think of, like, all these names. The other guy really is Like Kyle Wilcher, but obviously with his kind of, like, defensive concerns, maybe that's not the direction to go.
But, yeah, I think Cavangeli. I think for me, playing Cavangeli and Ed maybe only really makes sense when we're facing against, like, our huge lineup.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Yeah, Boseli, we'll see France again. I got nightmares, though.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: But, yeah, no, I think. I think just speaking about Cap and Gelli now, I think I've been a pretty big fan of his for a couple years now, and seeing him kind of so integrated into the senior men's team is definitely a huge win. He's one of the most physical bigs that Canada has. High motor, done really well in the Euroleague. Just signed an extension until 2028. So he'll be available throughout all of these cycles or, sorry, all of these summers now leading up to LA 2028.
But yeah, I think ideally he still is kind of platooning with Edie as, like, the lone big man rather than playing together. But that's an interesting lineup, though.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: For sure. It'd be interesting. They got to bang his eye. Capt gel is a monster, too.
I see the. The chemistry developing between him and Andrew Nemhard. And Andrew Nemhard has taken the control of point guard duties, which is another interesting development with this team.
Shea, off the ball. What are your thoughts? She off the ball. I feel like there's still moments where he's like, he's Shea, he's gonna go get the ball and he's gonna go score. He's gonna go ISO. But you noticed that you asked Gordy about a post game after the first game, what were your thoughts on Shay off the bowl?
[00:13:06] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think it was. It was an interesting experiment that they. I. I'm based on what I saw. Like, I think they definitely were trying to emphasize that for this window to see, like, can this work long term?
Because, yeah, like, in the first game against Puerto Rico, I think almost the majority of offensive possessions, Shay was starting in the corner, and he's coming off a pin down and kind of catching the ball on the move to beat his defender.
And the other thing that I think Gordy also emphasized as well that I really liked was, like, Shai is setting screens off ball. He's setting screens. The play that they really like is like, he's coming from the corner, he sets like a screen, and then he gets the ball, like, in the post at the free throw line, and he gets a touch, and it's just a really good way to manufacture some good possessions for Shai.
I do think though we'll probably see definitely more of him on the ball when like it's a big tournament like the World cup or the Olympics. But yeah, no, I think Andrew Nemhardt is definitely ready to kind of take those reins. He's probably the best like steady ball handler, playmaker, natural PG on the team. And yeah, no, I think it's kind of a perfect blend of having Shai on the ball in some possessions but then having him off the ball to kind of, you know, conserve energy, but also kind of get him into spots where teams can't really trap him like we saw with okc. And I think that's just going to add like an additional element to Shai as an offensive player.
[00:14:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I think long term wise this is a very smart decision and Andrew Nemhardt just fits in perfectly. Like he could play off the ball, he can. Like they bounce off each other at times. I'm just like, like you mentioned when it gets to serious time, Shay's just gonna like he can just. What's so impressive? He just gets 10 points in like a two minute span, you know, like that's, you don't see that type of scoring. That's why he's arguably the greatest player in the world right now.
So yeah, it's quite impressive. Like Shade can just do that. So it gives them another look off ball where teams are going to have to scheme for that, right. Where it's like we're not 100%, the scheme might not be okay. We're waiting for Shade to bring up the ball and I think it helps defensively where this guy four steals, like I don't think Shay bring up the ball every single time is going to lead to him becoming a defensive menace. The way he's picking up guys full court. I felt bad for those Jamaican guards. Like it was like he was treating them like it was like it's lunchtime. I'm taking, I'm taking your money today. Four steals. Nikhil had four steals, Dylan Brooks had three.
We were watching and we're like, can these guys bring up the, the ball up the court like it was that bad. What were your thoughts on just like Shay? Because I think sometimes we forget that like Shay is this all time scorer but he's also an elite defender, can pick up full court. What were your thoughts on just seeing that different side to him, that maybe, maybe I'm not watching OKC games like that. I feel like he does it a lot often like that too. But I feel like we Forget sometimes he's an elite defender. What are your thoughts?
[00:16:02] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think what his like 611 wingspan helps a ton. Like just poking the ball away, whether it's from the front or the back, when he kind of pokes from behind, which is like his like signature move, especially when he's kind of picking up a full court. I think it's interesting that that's kind of the one theme or trend that has kind of continued on despite the different coaches with the national team in these last few years. It's just this Canada kind of picking up full court on defense, pressuring the ball, just kind of wrecking havoc and trying to create chaos as much as possible. We saw that a lot when Jordy Fernandez was the head coach. We saw that a lot in the winter core when Nate Mitchell or Nate Bjorgren was the head coach. And now we're seeing that a lot with Gordy as a head coach.
I think I saw a quote the other day where he was talking about, or I guess he subscribes to like possession maxing where like you crash hard to get a lot of offensive rebounds to give your chance, give yourself more second chance opportunities and you maybe not gamble, but you try to really force live ball turnovers to kind of fuel transition opportunities. And with the kind of athletes and the defenders that Canada has, Shea included, that's definitely much easier. And I think that's always been Canada's defensive identity with this core. And it looks like that's going to continue to be the case for the next couple of years.
[00:17:18] Speaker A: Yeah, 15 steals on the night against Jamaica, 48.
Fast break points.
48. And they scored 116 on the night. Quite impressive. I'm just thinking now, man, you add Lou Dort to this.
[00:17:31] Speaker B: Right?
[00:17:31] Speaker A: Exactly right. So it's going to be. It's going to be pretty scary when you think about it.
Next thing I wanted to ask you, I feel like for Gordy, like, there is this emphasis of like, hey, we want to embrace FIBA basketball, right? FIBA style mixed with NBA. But maybe throughout this game, at times I felt like they got away from it. Maybe in the Puerto Rico game as well, where they're just Dillon Brooks is being Dillon Burks. Let me go get a post up. I can hit this any day of the week. It wasn't following following as much as it was today where I think he shot. I forgot what he shot exactly, but he was efficient.
Like 8 for 11 from the field, I believe.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: 8 for 12.
[00:18:19] Speaker A: 8 for 12. 17. 8 for 12 in the field for 20 points and like he was getting to his spots and he said post game, like, I feel like I'm gonna hit every single time. Like that's what he said.
So what are your thoughts on that? Where it's like, hey, you want to embrace this FIBA style.
But from people, I even heard at practice where it's like, hey, they have so many sets where it can lead to different actions, but at times it's like you just gotta let Shay be Shay, you gotta let Dylan be Dylan, because these guys are world class scorers. Right. So what are your thoughts on the embracing of FEMA basketball? Did you see it as enough as you wanted to these two games?
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's hard for me to say, like I'm still, I still don't know exactly what Gordy's referring to when he says like FIBA basketball with NBA influence or NBA basketball with FIBA influence.
[00:19:07] Speaker A: I just think it was like, hey, go get your own.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: Like you got a mismatch.
[00:19:10] Speaker A: Go do. Yeah, just go do your thing, you know?
[00:19:13] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think like, there's definitely a balance that needs to be kind of drawn for both sides. I think just the talent level of Shai and we kind of saw that with Gordy with his German national teams, like, you know, when they needed a bucket and it was kind of closing time, they would go to Dennis Schroeder. Isolations at the top and Dennis would like blow by somebody or like step back for a little mid range jumper. So I think there's definitely a balance, but I think this window is maybe kind of about breaking, quote unquote, bad habits. I don't know if bad's the right word, but breaking habits, I think. I think we're seeing a lot of experimentation and a lot of emphasis on like these foundational principles that Gordy wants to kind of establish and maybe he's emphasizing that a little more. But I do think that a good balance is necessary.
Yeah, I would love to be in the film room and figure out because like Gordy was saying, like the best way that he can show the players on the team what is FIBA basketball with NBA influenza versus not is showing them the film.
Yeah, I mean, I would love to know exactly what he means by that, but yeah, no, I think it's always. It's also hard too with the level of competition that they played in this window. You know, they're kind of creating a lot of live ball turnover. There's a lot of transition opportunities and that's probably not what we're going to see. When you know you're facing France or the USAs of the world. So, yeah, I think that's still a big open question for me, but I think some balance is definitely the way to go.
[00:20:44] Speaker A: Yeah, they ran test, but I felt like this. This game was just fast breaks. It was just straight. You can't. I don't know if you learn much from the. From the tape in this game. I think guys are also just like some guys are heading to summer league. Ryan Emhard, those guys. So I don't know how much you learn from. From a game like this, but we talked about it. The big man concern, it's been emphasized. Gordy's talked about it. Rowan's talked about it. They had a big man camp before training camp even started.
And I'm looking at the rebounds on this team, even though it's just like a small indicator. Right. But you got Andrew Nehart and Shay leading you rebounds, you know, and I'm like, what?
And I tracked it at the beginning. I think Jamaica had 12 offensive rebounds to Canada's one to start the game.
And no offense is Jamaica.
What happens when you face the bigger nations that are banging in the paint?
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Yeah, Yabu again.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: Yabu 2.0. I'm afraid I'm still getting nightmares.
How concerned are you with.
Just like we saw Zach, Katie, he. He showed up on Friday. I don't know if he was here today, but.
Which makes me think it's like I'm. I'm happy he's here, you know, like, it's a.
He's treating this like, as a priority, you know, like he's. He's here, but how reliant are they on him when it comes to solving that issue?
Because I'm just like, looking at it like, I don't know if some of the bigs that they have right now playing in this qualifiers. No offense is going to solve the issue.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think the best way to put it is Zach 80 is probably the ceiling raiser on this team. If he's healthy and he's able to play at the World cup, at the Olympics, you know, I think Canada instantly is looked at as one of the favorites for like, the gold medal. Like, that's how much I think also I really believe in Zach Edey. You know, in the limited time we've seen him in the NBA, we've seen him been like such an impactful player on offense with his like, offensive rebounding much less like all of his finishing abilities.
And then on defense as well as a guy who Just like suppresses like shots at the rim from the other team and now fiba. There's no three in the key. Like Eddie can stand there for even longer and just park himself in the paint. So if there is like a solution to the problem, it definitely is Zach Edey.
So hopefully, like, you know, all of his injury scares and his injury history kind of clears up.
But yeah, no, I think the rest of these, this, these bigs and the kind of the big man depth, it's still a big question mark.
I think really the only one who's kind of maybe stand out is Cabin Geli.
I thought Charles Bediaco actually had a couple good possessions.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: I was shocked they didn't bring him back again for this game because what they did, they swapped three guys in, three guys out. So the guys they swapped out, I believe was Charles Bediaco, Thomas Kennedy, Aaron Best. They played in the first game against Puerto Rico. And then in this game they had Cassius Robinson in.
[00:23:49] Speaker B: They had Jackson Rowe. Jackson Rowe and Kembert.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: And Kembert. Three guys.
Kemberg was in the last Olympics. I thought he had good minutes in that cycle. But yeah, I feel like they like, no offense to the guards.
We have a lot of guards on here.
I feel like it might have been crucial to get maybe Charles Bediako, Cambridge, more time with guys like Shay, guys like Andrew, because I don't know if one game is going to cut it because when's the next time they're going to play In August. And then what happens after that? They're not going to play with these guys again until the next World Cup. Yep.
[00:24:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And. Well, I guess whatever, like exhibition games they have right before that. But yeah, I think it's. I think that's always been a struggle of the national team. It's just so hard to kind of establish continuity, commitment. And at least we have the commitment part right now. But yeah, I mean, the big man depth is definitely still, still an issue. I think.
We'll see.
[00:24:51] Speaker A: We'll see.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: I think, I think a lot rides on Zach Edie's shoulders to see kind of how successful Canada will be in this in 2027 and 2028.
[00:25:00] Speaker A: He looked good in Memphis. I think he played 11 games. They had like a 74 record with him.
It's just crazy that you're. You're putting all your hopes and dreams on one guy to stay healthy for another year. Right. And he's going to prioritize the NBA. Let's be real, like if he's feeling any type of way Memphis is not letting this guy play the World Cup. You know, they, they have money invested into him. Canada basketball is not paying. So yeah, the only thing like my, my issue, I think probably like the only thing that I had that was, I probably want to see more was just Charles Buddy acting Cambridge with these, with these guys because we have so many guards. I don't know, like, no offense to the guards that are like at the end of this player pool. We don't need to see you right now. Like that's not what we need. We need to see Charles Beniako, Kembri with these guys. So that's probably my qualm, my biggest qualm with, with what they rolled out this past week. But yeah, I want to ask you about the core guys. Core guys, winter core guys. Capgelly just signed a deal I believe in the Euroleague. Marcus Carr, what are your thoughts on that? I feel like it was Kevin Gilly played before Marcus Carr, probably it was due.
What are your thoughts on them and what does that mean? As a guy that studies, you are the, the expert when it comes to winter core. Following these guys overseas. What does this mean for Canada in those windows?
[00:26:23] Speaker B: Yeah, so unfortunately it's not good news. I guess it's good news for their individual careers, which is always the more important thing. But the Euroleague and FIBA have had this kind of like decade long dispute where they're trying to both be the, the biggest player in European basketball. So what ends up happening is the Euroleague doesn't actually release the players for the FIBA qualifier window. So there's always like a conflict and we've seen like some examples in the past of like the Argentina team being able to like really get their players released from mainly Real Madrid.
But yeah, I think it's, it's great news for a kind of the depth of talent of Canada around the world. I think Marcus Carr, especially in the past year, since last year's America cup has really taken a lot of strides as kind of a lead guard while balancing, kind of being able to score the ball with also like facilitating and playmaking. And he just, he had like a fantastic season over in Germany.
So I, and it was kind of rumored basically maybe since like January that he was going to be making a Euroleague move. So I think he's going to Bologna in Italy.
So that's a. Yeah, definitely a big move. And I think for Marcus it's also maybe a little bit of a redemption. I think when he first came out of college, he started at the Euro cup level with A team in Greece and it didn't go as well. And then he kind of dropped down to some leagues in Israel for a couple of years before coming back to go play in Germany last year. And yeah, I mean, I think he's. To me, like I wrote about this, I think before the February qualifier window, but he's like the point guard of the future for the Winter Corps. I think Trey Bell Haynes has kind of was that for the last cycle, but I think for this one it's definitely Marcus Carr.
Yeah. And I think with Cabin Geli. Yeah. Back with the Euroleague team Dubai, really strong or I guess middle of the table team.
But yeah, I think unfortunately what that does mean is for the Winter Corps, these guys aren't going to be available. So now we're kind of leaning more on our depth and you know, we still have solid players and guards once again like Trey Bell Haynes, Keza, Kajami Keane. So these are guys that are like, well, battle tested and have been with the Winter Corps for a long time. So I don't think it's a. It's like we're losing and we're going to have like no point guards, but it's definitely, I think a big loss, especially seeing what Marcus Carr did against Puerto Rico when He scored like 31 and won the game for Canada in overtime. But it's good for their careers though.
[00:28:50] Speaker A: Yeah, Gordy, I think he says he's going to be close to the Winter windows too.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:53] Speaker A: So.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:28:54] Speaker A: Um, yeah, so should be some continuity going into that. A lot of cheers happening. I want to see what's going on here, but it might be Shane taking photos with people, maybe, who knows? But I want to ask you about is there a player in this 24 player athlete pool that they released that wasn't there or that you wanted to see that? You're like, ah, I wish Canada looked closer at this guy. He might be part of that 50 player pool. But you felt like should have been included if both sides agreed and that that player wanted to play.
[00:29:32] Speaker B: Yeah, I think.
Well, I think the one there first, I'll say like a player that I think I'm really interested in seeing. That was on that list was Ben Matheran. He's always kind of been around the program, but never really has played for the senior men's team. And I assume with the game being in Quebec that he's going to be a big part of it.
Yeah, I think, I think he'll be a really interesting player as kind of almost like a microwave scorer. Off the bench.
But yeah, I think, I guess the one guy I would shout out would be some of the, the Euroleague guys who kind of like our big wings slash bigs that we were able to kind of see play in previous windows at certain times. But maybe they are part of the core 50 names, but we just aren't like, we're not. They haven't released like those names yet to us. But I think the three guys would probably like Trey Lyles, o' Shea Brissette, and like my personal favorite, Isaiah Mike.
[00:30:27] Speaker A: I don't, I don't think Isaiah Mike's ever placed for Canada basketball again from what I've heard.
[00:30:31] Speaker B: Never again.
[00:30:31] Speaker A: I don't know. I don't know if he had a great time to be so.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, like, I think his play also in the America was a little tough. Yeah, I don't know if that was like injuries or whatever.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he is in that 50 player pool. What are your thoughts too? Like that 50 player pool where it's like not.
It kind of gives them what. I'll say this, it's like a rabbit at your hat, you know, where it's like it's not revealed who's in that pool.
But say, say Wiggins, for example. Right.
And I'm not saying Wiggins is not pool. I don't think he is. Yeah, but they could pull out of the hat and say we're bringing Wiggins because he committed to us. Like it gives them that gray area. What are your thoughts on that? And like them not revealing the 50 player athlete pool? Because I do think 50 is extreme to release, to be honest. Like no one wants to read a name of 50 players that committed because I think some of the players also include maybe some like younger prospects coming up where it's like, we think you could maybe in two years, three years reach that level. Right.
But what are your thoughts on half, what, 26 players not being revealed?
[00:31:39] Speaker B: I think it's 26. And then there was like Jamal was
[00:31:41] Speaker A: in that 24 player pool originally, but he was a last minute scratch. But what are your thoughts on that now? It's what it'll be.
I don't know my math, I'm terrible at math. It might be what, 27 guys? 27 or 26.
[00:31:54] Speaker B: Yeah. I think there's always kind of this shroud of mystery with what's going on behind the scenes. I mean, I think, I'm sure they've sent kind of all those letters, commitment letters out and they have their own Kind of internal database of their own player pool of 50. But yeah, I think it's tough to say without more transparency.
We'll probably figure it out or we'll be, I think we'll probably be able to like piece together maybe 40 out of the 50 names within the next like few windows just to see like who's on the winter core and who's on the summer core. But I think the one thing is though, I think Gordy does seem pretty, based on his history, like very strict with his commitment rules, I think. Yeah, we saw with Germany with like Hartenstein and Kleba who both maybe didn't come in right at the beginning of that, the three year window. And yeah, he just like never brought them back into the fold.
So I think I definitely, I definitely understand the need to kind of add talent to the team. But I think what we've seen in the past is I'm more kind of pro team continuity right now.
And I would love to see Cannon basketball at least try it out and kind of really commit to it over like an actual three year cycle.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: I agree because I think some people, I get a lot of people mentions Jamal, Shane, Sharp, Wiggins, like there's not a lot of like we have one basketball on the court. Like it's not gonna, it's not gonna work. Putting a roster of 12 NBA guys, that's literally not going to work. Sadly, it's just not. And I like this model of continuity. I think it works.
I do have reservations on like, hey, you have to be here with us right now.
That's kind of like my reservations on that where it's like, you have to be with us every summer because stuff happens, you know, where it's like, I can't commit every summer. Like it shouldn't ruin my chances of playing for the national team. That's kind of my viewpoint of that. But yeah, it's interesting. You see Jamal Murray, he was at a Serbia game watching Jokic.
[00:34:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know.
[00:34:07] Speaker A: That was interesting. Cannon basketball is going through camp. So I don't know how can people from Canada basketball felt about that. But I haven't asked around.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: But yeah, I'm sure the optics of
[00:34:17] Speaker A: that doesn't look good. It doesn't look good. Doesn't look good. But next thing, the mix zone. Let's get to that feeble mix zone and the media seats.
I'm gonna go on around a little bit. Complete atrocious.
We're literally doing a mix zone with fans raining down, asking for autographs while we're trying to do our job and ask questions to these players.
That was complete, like, something I've never experienced. Maybe it happens, like, overseas.
So, like, I don't really blame Cannon basketball, but I'm like, we couldn't do this in, like, the hallway area where we ask questions and players walk by, because it's like, it's a complete shit show. I'll be honest. Where are your thoughts on the MiG zone? And, like, the media seats are literally behind.
I'm going to give you guys a picture. Imagine behind the sanction, behind the net, and there's people sitting in front courtside.
[00:35:21] Speaker B: Yeah, the Nav Bhatia seats.
[00:35:22] Speaker A: You got the Nav Bhatia. You know, Nav is a baller. He got a lot of money. You know, I'm winning one day, he takes me courtside. You got the courtside people, and then you got people walking back and forth blocking your view. You literally can't even watch basketball.
Worst seats in media worry dots. We made the best decision today, me and you, Oren. We went up to the gondola. We watched from overview. We could see the whole court. I enjoy always the gondola view because you get to see the whole court, see the mistakes, the plays drawn, and the clear view. What are your thoughts on just the mix, Owen, and the media seats in Hamilton?
[00:36:00] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think it's definitely tough to do an interview or like, kind of ask questions because, you know, you can't hear the players, can't hear.
Um, yeah, and I think even the. The media seats as well. Like, I think I was. The first night on Friday, I was watching the Jumbotron more literally just to kind of get a view.
But yeah, no, I think that the. The gondola here was nice, though. Yeah, I think we were like the only three people up here, so.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: And then a bunch of people complained again, saying, why, why am I sitting here? So we made the right educated decision to sit up here, talk to the Coliseum, and I'll stay honest. Like, great venue overall. So I don't want to complain too much, but, yeah, we got to do something with the media seats. I don't know if that's a FIBA thing or a Cannon basketball thing, but we got. We got to fix that. Biggest thing you learned from Gordy Herbert, Canada basketball this week, I would say
[00:36:52] Speaker B: how much he likes to experiment.
Yeah. Like, I think we've. We've already talked about a lot of it with, like, Shay off the ball, Andrew as kind of the lead ball handler, or even Nikhil off the bench as the kind of lead ball handler.
And Dylan at the three starting Leonard Miller. You know, I think part of it is also just kind of gaining familiarity with everybody. But I think that's definitely one of the things that I thought was really interesting. And I think we're finally, you know, because there was almost like a year where we never heard from Gordy yet. And even though we knew he was going to be the head coach and like finally being able to kind of see maybe what his vision looks like on the court was really interesting and one of the biggest takeaways and I think his kind of emphasis as well on like this FIBA style with NBA influence.
Yeah, I would say that's kind of the biggest takeaways for me.
But yeah, I think overall it was a great window.
[00:37:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm looking for Gordy. Come on the podcast. I see you do a lot of media availabilities. We're open to you. We got a location in downtown Toronto. Next time, Canada basketball is doing something. So let's set that up. We'll ask you some, some nice questions about your vision for the program. Obviously games in, in August. I know we got to get running. You got to go train to catch.
Last thing I want to ask you, FIBA U17, did you watch much?
[00:38:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I watched a couple games.
[00:38:13] Speaker A: How bad was that six place finish at the World cup in Turkey? Because I have thoughts and it was.
I'm disappointed. What are your thoughts?
[00:38:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, I mean, I think I haven't been as tapped into that age group and that cohort as much as I have in the past. But you know, everything that I've heard from kind of people that I trust is like, you know, this is a great collection of kind of individual talent, a lot of like big name prospects.
So yeah, I think to see kind of them falter, it was a little bit disappointing.
I think though, it has been the best U17 like finish in like at least 4, 5, 6 years. Which is like, which is sad. Yeah.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: And I don't want to take it away from like the U18s. What they did, I thought what they did under coach Charles was quite impressive. I don't think anybody expected them to win gold. A lot of gritty players on our roster, but a roster that feels features several players in ESPN's top 124, Seven's top 100.
And just, I'll say it straight, it felt like I was watching selfish basketball. A lot of like, let me get mine defense did not exist on a roster like this. Like I don't know what was going on.
But yeah, one of the most disappointing squads I will say in terms of like expectations for a roster that I feel like has a few NBA guys on that roster potentially. So yeah, I don't want to end on a bad note, but I just wanted to mention fiber U17. I know people hit me up and asked me my thoughts. I didn't even post the the scores against France.
Australia gave them an ass whooping of a lifetime. I'll see this what Australia did to them. And Australia doesn't even have like talent like they have.
Some guys are really good at that team but they just play team basketball.
And it made me wonder what's wrong with the development here and what are we doing wrong as a system because what Canada did in that tournament should take a hard look in the mirror.
So yeah, don't want to add a bad note. City Coliseum shout out to you. I think we might be one of the last people in the building. I feel like they're tearing down the the venue now. We gotta head out. It's 10:41. Jonathan Chan, I can't thank you enough for joining. We're all chat Winter core, Winter core. I'm excited. You're my guy when it comes to information because I trust you. You're the best at it.
Canada plays again in August in Montre, not Quebec City. Sorry. I'm expecting Lou Dort potentially Ben Mather. Once their contract stuff are kind of out the way and things get locked in, I expect them to be available during that window. RJ Barrett, potentially he showed up too. Shout to him. It was funny. One fan was like yelling at Rome, where's rj? Where's rj? That's like my whole mention is just where RJ is. Go listen to the last podcast if you're wondering where RJ is. Similar situation contract stuff and they just got Kawhi. So yeah, Jonathan, can't thank you enough.
[00:41:32] Speaker B: We'll.
[00:41:32] Speaker A: We'll have podcasts. I'll be heading to summer league so stay tuned to that for that coverage and follow along and we'll. I'm thinking I don't know if I'm going to go to Quebec City. Canada basketball. We'll figure it out. But yeah, this has been the Canadian Basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. You have a five star rating and review with my guy Jonathan and we out.
