Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] 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 Osmond. This week I'm answering your questions on Canadian basketball that you submitted for our mailbag. A wide range of topics sort of teeing up this summer of basketball. But before we get into that, I want to pay respects to Brandon Clark, who passed away last week at the age of 29.
[00:00:34] So young man, one of the longest tenured players on the Memphis Grizzlies who was drafted 21st overall in the 2019 NBA Draft from British Columbia.
[00:00:45] I've had a few interactions with Brandon over the years, but I remember my interaction with him in February 2025 when the Grizzlies came to town and I I caught up with him in the locker room before tip off and I was curious just about him potentially playing for Canada in the future because he had just bad luck when it came to injuries over the years. Played only two games this season after right knee injury he suffered in preseason and then a subsequent right calf injury.
[00:01:19] Played 64 games last season and then six games the year prior to after a torn left Achilles and a high grade PCL sprain in his right knee. But man, Clark was eager, if I tell you that he was eager to play for Canada in the future, once the time was right and he was healthy, he obviously didn't get a chance to do so. But when I chatted with him like my biggest takeaway was this guy is so generous with his time.
[00:01:50] And for those that don't know how the NBA sort of works before a game, players go through their pregame routine and there's about like 35 minutes in between pregame where media are allowed to go into the locker rooms and chat with players and ask them questions, whether it's for a story we're filing or just get details for stuff that we were hoping to know about or information that we might plug into a story later on.
[00:02:20] And pregame oftentimes with NBA players, most guys don't want to talk to you. To be honest with you, they'd rather speak post game because they're in the middle of their pregame routine so you don't want to usually bother them. Like Luca, those guys of the world will not speak pregame.
[00:02:39] I personally hate speaking to players post game because sometimes it depends on if they win or they lose, if they're in a good mood, whether they give you a good quote or not. So it's not really like dependent on, you know, like like it's just bad timing sometimes post game, but more post games when they usually chat.
[00:03:00] But when Memphis came to town, Brandon Clark seemed excited to chat pregame. I don't know when was the last time he played in Toronto prior because I said he was injured the year before that. But I asked him just about his Canadian roots and I don't think there's anyone, anyone that can say a bad word about Brandon Clark.
[00:03:22] Just gone too soon. And yeah, it's sad because I do really think he was eager when the time was right to play for Canada in the future. But yeah, he's going to be remembered. I want to plug his nonprofit foundation called the Rise to Read, which helps great students improve the reading skills in Memphis. I'll leave the donation link in description below for those that are interested in donating. But yeah, rest in peace to Brandon Clark won't be forgotten let's talk about Shea Gilgis Alexander for a second as I get into your questions. Shea was just named the 20252026 MVP going back to back shout Drake. First Canadian to do so since Steve Nash. Crazy. 20 years to be exact that Steve Nash went back to back.
[00:04:13] But when it comes to Shai, were we surprised?
[00:04:17] I've been saying he's the best Canadian player of all time since maybe, maybe 2023.
[00:04:25] I think it was FIBA. I was like wow, this guy is. He's on another level. We've never seen anything like this before.
[00:04:32] I was saying it before. I think they even won a playoff series in Oklahoma. Some thought I was crazy, but now looking at where he's at now makes sense, no?
[00:04:42] Let's just go through his resume real quick from this past year led OKC to a number one seed, an NBA high 64 wins despite his team having the third most games missed due to injury.
[00:04:58] Jalen Williams was out for how many games? It's insane. First player to win consecutive MVP since Jokic did it. Giannis Steph an elite company. He's the first guard to average 30 points and 55% shooting in a season in history.
[00:05:16] He joined Michael Jordan, the Michael Jordan as the only players to average 30 points, five assists on 50% shooting in four consecutive seasons. The guy did not score under 20 points in a game this season. He was the third player to do that since Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor and he passed Wilt by making NBA history with the most consecutive 20 point games. His plus minus was a plus 788 on the season, more than 100 points better than the second closest person which was Wemby.
[00:05:56] I'm about to have some serious, serious discussions when it comes to Shai if he wins another ring this season because he'd probably have the greatest two year stretch we've seen from a player from a team in a long time. This is one of the greatest teams of all time are witnessing an OKC.
[00:06:18] And Shay, still 27 years old, I think he's knocking on top 15 all time.
[00:06:26] I might have some even more outrageous takes if he wins a chip this year.
[00:06:34] But we'll save it, we'll save it for June.
[00:06:38] Before we get into those takes, I saw someone tweet like, what a week for Toronto. Drake dropped his best work we've seen in a while. Shay now wins mvp. The FIFA World cup is coming next month. What a time. What a time to be in Toronto. Also, shout out to nil Alexander Walker. I don't think we mentioned it. Most improved player. What a year for the cousins. What a year for the Alexander family, man. But yeah, let's get into these questions that you all submitted for a mail bag. There's a lot like always. So I'm not sure if we'll get to them all, but I'm to going to prioritize. Some of them that were sent sort of like similar questions, multiple. Some of you guys sent in the same questions. So let's get into it.
[00:07:19] How many NBA players are you expecting to suit up this summer for the FIBA qualifiers? This is a question I got a lot. And I'll be honest, it's so hard to give you a number of players I'm expecting to see.
[00:07:36] I'll probably get whispers on some names in June if I had to guess, like let's go through, if I had to guess, maybe five to six.
[00:07:46] Bartlett was on here and he talked about like the core guys are committed, but the question is, are they going to play in this FIBA qualifier? Because this round of qualifications is already basically locked up. I think they just need to win one more game and they'll be facing Jamaica, Puerto rico in Hamilton July 3 and the 6. But the guys that I'm thinking that are locked probably to play this summer, I would say Nikhil, I would say Dillon Brooks, I would say Andrew Nemhard.
[00:08:19] And from my understanding, I believe Keyshawn George is a lock to play this summer. He loved playing last summer from what I was told. And I think the Wizards front office also really think he was huge for his development. So I expect him to be there.
[00:08:34] All this stuff not confirmed of course, but there's some players dealing with contract stuff. Like Lou, I don't think he'll play until his contract stuff is situated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So we'll see what happens there. Obviously they're going to Quebec in late August, so I'm guessing they're like, hey Lou, you probably won't be available to play in July, but end of August, this one's for you. Your contract stuff's probably done by then. You'll probably get paid.
[00:09:02] Don't worry about it. Sit the first two games out, go play in August.
[00:09:08] Which makes me think that Ben Mathurin, same situation. He's a restricted free agent this summer. Who knows if he plays at all is Shea Lock, I don't know. The game's at Hamilton. So like you think he is.
[00:09:21] You think he is just cause it's in his hometown. Like the national team basically made these games to sort of let's, let's be real appease, make him happy. But if he wins another title, wouldn't you want a little break after going back to back? I know I would, but maybe he shows up, maybe he shows up to camp, plays in like limited minutes in one or both of these games against Jamaica, Puerto Rico.
[00:09:49] We'll see. I think RJ is also extension eligible. Will he play? That's a good question. I want to know if RJ's gonna play. I think he played in the summer of 2022, but he was basically guaranteed to get a contract because he was on a rookie deal. So like the Knicks were obviously gonna offer him the rookie max at that point. Also like his pops runs the team. Like so does he really have a choice?
[00:10:14] You know, like who knows. But the big question, I want to know because if you go and you look at the posters that Canada Basketball has been posting, I think that gives you a hint on like who might show up. And Jamal's been on the posters. Jamal Murray is my biggest what if, if he will play, will he not?
[00:10:36] They've put him on the posters, which makes me think he has agreed to that.
[00:10:42] And remember we had Bartlett on, like I said a few weeks back and he said Gordy Herbert is going with a three year commitment.
[00:10:50] If you're not playing, you gotta be in camp and around the team. So we'll see, we'll see what players show up and end up being the core group.
[00:10:59] But yeah, I would say maybe five to six if I had to bang the locks. Tamir Nikhil, Dylan Brooks, Andrew Nemhard, Keyshawn George.
[00:11:08] And then I would say Shay Shay's gonna be around, but I don't know if he plays right away, depending on what happens in the. In the finals. Right.
[00:11:18] Zach Eddy. I don't expect him to play. He's been injured for, what, the whole year. So, yeah, we'll. We'll figure it out and see what players. I'll probably get, like, confirmation, probably closer to the date, but from what I've heard from people close to the team, it's like, hey, people are committed. That's what it seems like, the messaging. So we'll see. Next question. Here is Yvonne Ejam with the Toronto Tempo.
[00:11:43] I got this question from a few people because the Temple signed her to a contract, but the answer is no. I don't know if anyone explained this, but they signed her to a training camp deal, but she was never at training camp.
[00:11:58] And what they did was basically suspend her contract in like, WNBA terms, which means they signed her just so they can have her rights for next year if they wanted to bring her in for a camp.
[00:12:13] So I'm thinking maybe they're looking at her for a developmental spot for next year, who knows? But she's not with the team this year, won't be at all. So. But yeah, it was pretty cool just to see Tempo kind of sign her. I know she's been playing, I believe, in Spain over the last year or so, but yeah, she's on the radar for the Tempo, so. But she won't be with the team. Next question. What are you most excited for this summer in Canadian basketball? Probably the FIBA U17 World Cup. To be honest with you, I actually think they have a chance, real chance to Mero. I've said this before. I had plans to go out to Turkey originally for the tournament, but those plans have been scratched, unfortunately. I'm going to be covering the FIFA World cup for the Toronto Star, so I won't be able to go because the tournament happens in like, end of June. I think it's from June 25th to like July 5th. The World cup is early June to mid July, so there's no chance I can take a week and a half off at the end of June and go. Would have been cool, but we'll still have coverage. The FU17 World Cup. I'm looking to get a player on the roster on the podcast potentially in studio before they head out to Turkey, so stay tuned for that. But I think the roster is deep, man. Like real, real deep. And they have a chance to battle with the top nations.
[00:13:44] I don't know about the US The US Is always dominant in these type of tournaments, but a lot of the core players that this team has from the FIBA U16, I believe now have that experience playing in the States, winning at a high level.
[00:14:00] Like, I'm thinking of Liam Mitocaro, who just won his Chipotle national title at Bella Vista, learned from Miles Saddler. That's going to be huge for him, coming and potentially leading this FIBA U17 roster. Kenyon St. Louis, another guard at Winston Salem, did his thing at the Grind session. Tristan Edwards, another player I expect to be a huge contributor. He was at Huntington Prep. Isaiah Hamilton, another guy who I will get into this question because it just falls right after but the question is, what do you think about Isaiah Hamilton going to Mount Vert?
[00:14:41] I'm happy for him.
[00:14:43] I personally think there was nothing really left for him in Canada to prove or I think all the resources were kind of like, okay, you used it all up. You know, I get we want our top talent to stay and develop here. But Isaiah has a different case and Mount Vert.
[00:15:07] From what I know, they've been on Hamilton for a while. I remember speaking to somebody, I think it was in July at Peach Jam, saying they were trying to recruit him.
[00:15:17] Their staff also made a trip, I believe to Canada. I don't know if it was to see Isaiah Hamilton in person, but I know they were at the Raptors game catching up with RJ Barrett. So my guess was they probably went to go check out Isaiah also during that time. But how do you say no to Mount Verb? The amount of talent that they have helped produce over the years is insane. They had four first round picks in 2025, Cooper Flag, Derrick Queen, Asa Newell, Liam McNeely, all in the league.
[00:15:54] I think it's best for Isiah to get out of Canada, get away from the noise in Toronto.
[00:16:00] Because let's be real, just like any city, but specifically Toronto, there's a lot of evil eye.
[00:16:09] The city can be very hateful at times, you know, like, and I think it's best for him to go do his thing and kind of block out all the noise, right? Just work on his development, work on the game.
[00:16:21] I'm happy for him, I'm happy for his family. Really good people that I got to get to know very well. When I was doing a story on Isaiah Hamilton for the Toronto Star and all they care about is development when it comes to Isaiah, none of this hype stuff that we see on Instagram. And I got to know him and it was just like, hey, there's A different side that obviously you see the kid dunking, doing, doing East Bay dunks, all this kind of stuff, but he's such a real genuine kid that loves the game and just like has so much fun with it.
[00:16:55] Obviously there's still areas of growth for him as a player, but he loves this. That's what I got from just getting to know him. And it's going to be a big summer playing for Canada, dominated at the FIBA U16s and obviously got hurt before that final game against the U.S.
[00:17:12] but now we'll be on the world stage in Turkey in front of several NBA scouts and executives, likely for the first time.
[00:17:22] Spoke to a ton of teams that will be making the trip out to Turkey and this will be their opportunity. Some of them especially maybe for some of the executives, their first opportunity to track and take notes on a lot of these players. So yeah, I'm excited just to hear the feedback from teams on what they think about some of these players. Some of the Canadian talent that I'm pretty high on, especially in the class of 2028. But yeah, happy for Isaiah though, man. I think everyone should, should just be saying, wow, what a spot for him. Mount Vert continuing to see Canadian talent and he'll be joining, I think Javion Tindall over there. Right, so. And Javion, man, he knows how to throw those oops. Right, so he'll be fighting Isaiah potentially.
[00:18:10] So excited for that. Next question, thoughts on Gordy Herbert becoming potentially the new head coach in New Zealand? For those that don't know, it's been reported that the New Zealand breakers in the NBL are in negotiations with Gordy Herbert. It seems like they're close to a deal. It's getting reported like this, but it's also been reported that they're still trying to figure out the logistics to how this will all work since obviously he's the head coach of the senior men's national team and he's expected to take over this summer for qualifiers and the foreseeable future.
[00:18:46] How does that look like? I personally, I don't have a problem or care that Gordy is taking another job outside of coaching with Canada, the national team. Like when you think about it like it's a part time job. So like go make your bread, go do what you got to do. I do have questions though on how he maybe manages or plans to juggle things with New Zealand being basically on the other side of the world.
[00:19:17] But outside of that, man, what can we say? I do think from what I know the Australian league pauses its season twice a year for FIBA International Windows during late November in late February.
[00:19:33] If it's not too much for him, go do your thing. Like, no one should really care that much. But yeah, that's kind of my thoughts on it. But let me know what you guys think if, if you have any thoughts on Gordy Herbert becoming a coach in the nbl. Obviously he was at Bayern Munich the year prior, but health issues kind of ended his run over there. But yeah, I'm excited just to hear from him potentially this summer and if he does take the New Zealand job and how he plans to juggle both. And it shouldn't be an issue though this is like very small thing on the grand scheme of things, right?
[00:20:07] Next question.
[00:20:09] Will top end Canadian talent ever be able to get the right exposure in Canada to garner Day one interest?
[00:20:17] Yes, I feel like they have for years. No, you're probably seeing less and less Canadian talent go D1 right now because NCAA coaches really, for the most part only care about the transfer portal a lot of the time. So you won't get an offer to go D1 unless you're this star talent that everybody's talking about. And I wonder how much the new rule of eligibility is going to affect things because I think the NCAA is transitioning from a four year seasons of competing to like five years. So you get four seasons, but you got to finish that within five years.
[00:21:02] And especially since a lot of Canadians do a fifth year in high school, that might impact a year of eligibility, if I'm correct.
[00:21:13] I'm hoping to get a college coach potentially to come on this podcast to talk about that and how that might affect Canadian players and how that changes their recruitment style. And we've had some discussions, several discussions actually. But there is different sentiments from people that feel like, hey, is it best to leave Canada early?
[00:21:37] Like, I've had that conversation with a lot of people. Some feel like you should stay here, some feel like you should go, some feel like you need all five years.
[00:21:46] Like there's always this discussion because Canadians tend to develop a bit later, but there's not one right answer. I would say always depends on the player's circumstance and who that is. Like Will Riley ended up leaving early. Who else?
[00:22:04] I'm trying to think of who else. Like some of these surefire talent, right, they're going to end up leaving not even early, but like at the exact time that they're supposed to leave. But most Canadians take a fifth year. Well, Riley did not, you know, for example. But yeah, we'll get into more of those discussions, talk about how D1 recruitment is changing for a lot of these players and and hopefully I can answer it or bring somebody that's an expert in this, that is dealing with the day to day to give you a concrete answer on this next question.
[00:22:39] Who do you got winning the NBA championship?
[00:22:43] I think it'd be hard not to say okc, especially considering that the run that they're on, I don't think people say this enough, but their season is up there with Jordan's bulls, Steph and KD's runs with the Warriors. Like these teams that we're seeing right now, back to back years in okc, arguably one of the greatest teams of all time.
[00:23:08] They're that dominant. Like that's how I believe they are that dominant. It's going to be a fun series between them and the San Antonio Spurs. Wemby obviously generational talent, I don't think I actually believe whoever comes out of that series is who wins it all, to be honest. But I'm not counting out San Antonio either. Right. I just think, personally, I think the East Eastern Conference is a joke in my eyes and I don't trust the New York Knicks that much considering I feel like Philadelphia was sort of like a cakewalk.
[00:23:45] So yeah, Mike, if you ask me personally, I think it's OKC San Antonio, but I will lean heavily on OKC's experience and Shay being Shay, you know.
[00:23:58] Next question.
[00:23:59] Will there be.
[00:24:02] Will there be more of a pathway for officials for the cbl?
[00:24:06] I'm not sure, to be honest.
[00:24:08] There's one official that has called a few FIBA games and it's pretty well known in Canada that I wanted to get on the podcast potentially this summer.
[00:24:17] So we've had some conversations hopefully to get them on. But if you heard me before, talk about the officiating problem here in Canada, I believe it's pretty easy to pick up a whistle and call high school games.
[00:24:31] There's too many bad refs than good ones. I haven't met one person that is a fan of the officiating in Canada.
[00:24:40] I feel for them, but I also want to leave half the time watching some of these games because the calls that are being made are literally some of the worst calls I've seen. This is an issue that needs to be fixed.
[00:24:53] And yeah, I don't know in terms of pathways, but there's some people that have made it to the league that are officiating. There's like I mentioned someone at fiba, right. So I want to Give those guys potentially an opportunity to come on the podcast, talk about their, their journey. And yeah, for those that are interested in officiating, because I think there's some people that listen to this podcast, are interested in becoming a ref or are a ref and listen to these podcasts. And I don't mean to trash you guys all the time, to be honest with you, but I think both of us would agree that there's an officiating problem in Canada.
[00:25:32] You know, I've seen championship games literally swing because of officiating, which should not happen.
[00:25:42] Next question. Kind of ties into this. Will there be a higher investment towards officials and in college and university? I doubt it, to be honest with you. They got the same 10 refs. I see Colin games at U of T on a Wednesday, at Matamy Athletic center for TMU on a Friday. It's bad. Where would the investment come from? I got no idea, to be honest with you. But.
[00:26:06] Next question. Why does Lee man love chicken parm so much? I've talked about this, but Fettuccine Alfredo pasta with chicken parm.
[00:26:14] Greatest meal you can have out there, I think. I don't go almost a week without it. If you're ever in the city and you need a spa downtown, hit my line. DM us on ig. I will answer just to give you a chicken parm recommendation. I think somebody hit me up on Twitter not too long ago and it was like, hey, I tried some chicken parm. I don't know if they had a great time, but you need my recommendation. I need to put you on.
[00:26:43] All right, so just hit me up and I'll make sure you get a good spot.
[00:26:50] Next question. Are you going to be covering Tempo games by providing weekly recaps and interviews?
[00:26:56] I've actually been covering the Tempo since the expansion draft, so, yeah, like the entire season. But I've been doing it for the Toronto Star, so not much for the podcast, but yeah, I've been around the team quite a bit. I was in training camp. You listened to our podcast with Savannah Hamilton last week. You would know that. But yeah, it's been quite fun to cover it, but I'm actually moving to cover the FIFA World cup, which I mentioned earlier. So I'll still be around the team, but it's going to be hard to. To juggle doing recaps and all that kind of stuff. And yeah, I'll talk about it from time to time if there's guess how we can get on. I'm hoping to maybe get some front office people on talk about how they came, about the team bringing it all together. And I think that would be cool, maybe speaking to some scouts on the W side and yeah, Rise and Carly Clark, potentially. I want to get her on the podcast and talk about her change of scenery to the tempo and what's that been like. So stay tuned for a podcast with Carly Clark.
[00:27:58] Next question here. What are your thoughts about Quebec Hoops?
[00:28:02] Y' all got some dogs. I personally think it's still the second best province when it comes to producing talent outside of Ontario, but yeah, y' all been producing a lot. I'm excited about some of the young players coming up still. And you kind of know what to expect with Quebec Hoopers.
[00:28:24] They're going to be gritty, they're going to guard the hell out of you and just come with a chip on their shoulder.
[00:28:31] The Haitian Canadians in the league are great. O Max Prosper. What? Lou Dort, Ben Matheran.
[00:28:38] What is it about the Haitian Canadians? Obviously a huge population in Montreal, but man, Quebec Hoopers are. They're tough. They're tough. I'm excited to see who the next player is up from Quebec, but let me know if you have any names that you like. I like Eli. Eli that's headed to Santa Clara for a guy that can shoot.
[00:29:00] And he's sneaky. Not. I don't say sneaky. It's pretty clear that he's athletic. You would expect that. I don't know what his growth spurt was like, but he's a player that I'm closely watching. I'm excited to watch some Santa Clara games this upcoming college season and keep tabs on how he does.
[00:29:17] Next question here. What are your personal thoughts on the three year commitment from Gordy in Canada? Basketball.
[00:29:24] Yeah. So Gordy, like I mentioned, like, he's demanding a three year commitment from players, right?
[00:29:29] You're the in or you're out.
[00:29:31] Like we talked about it with Bartlett, OKC's player, Hartenstein. He couldn't commit and then wanted to play later on. And Gordy was like, we don't need you. You weren't there for us early on. You can't be part of this. I don't really know how I feel about it, to be honest, because then I also think about these are multimillionaire athletes.
[00:29:56] Some of them don't like to be told what to do, where to be at a certain point. But on the other hand, if you actually want to win a gold medal, continuity is the key in these FIBA Olympic tournaments. In my opinion, it worked for Gordy winning gold in 2023 with Germany and he stuck with it in the past and will be doing it again with Canada.
[00:30:26] So what's that saying? You can't fix what's not broken, right? So I have a bit of reservation because I'm like, if Zach Edey says I'm gonna go spend the next five months or whatever it is before the season just rehabbing and working on my injury, getting that better, making sure I'm in elite shape for the NBA season and I won't be in the city, I'll be in the middle of Iceland because they have the best specialists and they want me there for two, three months. Like, what can you say to that? You know, because when it comes to the Olympics, are we really going to say no if Zach E. Doesn't want to show up? I've always said that, you know, so those are, you know, my kind of issues with that. I do think Zach Edie will probably be around still when they do their camps, that kind of stuff.
[00:31:25] But that's kind of my reservation. Right. And they've went back on it before. I don't think they'll go back on it this time where they bring in players that, that they said, hey, weren't part of this three year commitment. But it'll be interesting to see when they release the players that have committed to this and potential names that, you know, I've heard some names that aren't going to be part of it, which I wish they were, but I also understand why they're not. I won't get into the names yet until they're released, but I'll touch on it when that list comes out. On why X and X wasn't there.
[00:32:07] But yeah, it's a tricky situation, you know, especially for some of the younger players. Right. Young players are kind of in a tough spot, especially if they're developing. So pretty interesting. We'll follow it, right? We'll follow the three year commitment and how it works for Gordy, how it works for Canada basketball again.
[00:32:28] Next question. Are you going to be doing FIBA coverage for the U18s?
[00:32:34] Yes. Stay tuned for that. I think they're doing media day soon for the FIBA U18. Hoping to do a preview on the roster.
[00:32:44] Who did I have on last time we did FIBA stuff?
[00:32:47] Wes was on here. We previewing some players.
[00:32:50] I want to do some of the. The woman stuff too. I'll probably have a story in the Toronto Star on savvy Sword soon spent some time getting to know her at the Nike Hoop Summit. So I've been waiting to, to have that story potentially come out.
[00:33:05] A big question for me for the FIBA U18s. I watched them in training camp and I wasn't too excited at first to be real with you. But then after seeing the scrimmage, I was like, damn, they got some dogs and could field a pretty gritty and fun roster. I think the big question is if Paul Assuri is going to play. Obviously the top Canadian prospect in the class of 2027.
[00:33:35] It's a big summer for him with his recruitment. Obviously now just in the thick of things. I think he had visits planned to Arkansas and Kentucky. Was it Arkansas, Kentucky, unc I think, was also in the mix. I'm forgetting what the, the commitment, what the, the plan visits were. But I know all these schools, all these top programs are talking to him. And the last time I chatted with him was at the Hoop Summit about Canada basketball and he told me, like, I want to play, I want to play this summer. Scheduling didn't work for him that he wasn't available to be in training camp for the Easter camp in April because of the Hoop Summit stuff. But I do think if Paul wants to show up, you got to bring him, especially even if he missed camp. Like, you can't say no to that talent. I hope they're still bringing in guys because I know in the past they have been pretty strict with people that if you weren't in camp, you likely won't be considered.
[00:34:39] Which I think does a bad.
[00:34:43] Like it's a disservice, you know, for the players that missed camp in April. Like Lyric Robinson wasn't there, but I know he was on the bench for, for the scrimmages. JVON Tindall playing on Mount Vert like he's played against top talent. Like led his team to a Chipotle national championship appearance. Like you can't say no to these talents. Right? So, yeah, my guess is they're going to let these guys potentially suit up.
[00:35:10] But it'll be interesting to see if the, the top names, what happens with them and if they show up or not.
[00:35:18] Yeah, it's a big summer for Paul. Like I'd be. I know he's working on his game.
[00:35:23] I know he's been playing AU was just in Memphis, was watching some of the games.
[00:35:28] Face up game is improving a lot. So I'm excited for him. And yeah, sky's the limit for Paul, you know, and just has the physical tools that you can't teach that this guy jumps out of the gym.
[00:35:41] Like a player I've never seen before. You know him? Isaiah Hamilton, man. Special. Special.
[00:35:47] The next question here.
[00:35:49] What is the best AAU team in Canada?
[00:35:54] Y' all trying to get me in trouble by picking one.
[00:35:58] But honestly I don't think I'm someone that can answer that question definitively.
[00:36:03] Like how are you supposed to answer that? It's not like these teams play each other every weekend.
[00:36:10] And let's be real, I personally watch the teams in the Nike circuit for the most part because I considered that to be.
[00:36:21] I don't think it's really a question by far the best shoe circuit.
[00:36:26] But it's hard to say. I think most people would agree that the top two programs. And I hope I don't upset some people, especially my Montreal people because I see what you're doing over there. Lou Dort, Lee Berkwood, Ali. I know what you guys are doing over there. But I would say most people, if you had to ask them point blank whether the top two AAU teams, most people are going to say you play Canada and Canada Elite.
[00:36:53] So I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, you know. And then AZ Unity has several top Canadian players even though they're Arizona based. Right. But they field a lot of Canadian talent. So yeah, I don't think it's. It's so hard if these teams are playing each other every week. I love to see it Chippy get these guys play at the Jada Finch Classic. I love to see it. I don't know if it'll happen but yeah, I don't think it's crazy to say you play Canada can elite. I think those are the top two. But you gotta ask somebody that's probably ingrained in this stuff. I, I know some other programs are doing their thing, but on the women's side, Kid Nurse, obviously on the Nike circuit, Marleau's team has been doing his thing. I've seen them over there obviously on the under unarmored circuit too. Can Elite has their own team over there.
[00:37:51] But yeah, it's been.
[00:37:53] It's so hard to say. It's so hard to say. But I love to see these teams play against each other. Let's get a week of just games.
[00:38:01] Next question here. Is a Canadian going to get drafted this year in the NBA? Sadly, I doubt it.
[00:38:11] No one got an invite to the NBA draft combine, which was last week, which I think that tells you basically all you need to know.
[00:38:23] If people want to count Emmanuel Sharpe out of Houston as a Canadian, maybe I think his mom went to U of T, but that's a stretch in my opinion. Don't think he's ever someone, correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know if he's ever stepped foot in Canada, and that's my requirement.
[00:38:41] Like if we could claim you as a Canadian. Have you ever been to Canada?
[00:38:45] Have you spent some time here? Keyshawn George spent all his summers in Montreal since he was a little kid. Obviously his father's from there. Right.
[00:38:53] That's why I'm glad we can call him one of us. But if you've never seen the CN Tower, if you never took a hike to Mount Royale in Montreal or gone up some hiking trails in bc, we don't claim you.
[00:39:10] At least I don't claim you.
[00:39:12] But the Canadians, I'm watching closely that might not get drafted but will be in the mix for contracts. Maybe two ways are Xavian Lee out of Florida.
[00:39:25] And I'm also shocked that Elijah Mahi out of Santa Clara didn't get an invite to the G League Elite Camp. I was happy that Long Island's Jamal Filler got a G League Elite Camp invite. I thought that was cool. But yeah, I was shocked that Elijah Mahi didn't. But those are the three names probably to watch out for when it comes to Canadiens in the draft space.
[00:39:51] But yeah, most people I talk to, most NBA teams don't foresee a Canadian getting drafted this year. But yeah, outside of that, it's tough. This might be the first year since 2020, if I'm correct, that a Canadian doesn't get drafted.
[00:40:09] If I'm correct, I'm not too sure. But you're now seeing the. The COVID people impacted. Like this is the wave of talent. This is that class.
[00:40:18] But it's not.
[00:40:20] It's not a knock on the Canadian talent coming up. But I'm obviously highlighting the 2027 class, the 2028 class. But this is kind of the class that was impacted. So we should see that kind of change in the next few years, right? Next question here.
[00:40:37] It's sort of a half question, half request. Why don't we talk about Todd McCullough more?
[00:40:44] That's a good question. For those that don't know. Todd played four seasons in the NBA. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers at the he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 47th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft after playing college basketball at Washington.
[00:41:07] Also made two finals appearance, I believe in Philly in 2001 and 2002.
[00:41:15] I think we probably don't talk about him enough, to be blunt with you, is because he played, what, how many years has it been now?
[00:41:24] 20 years ago.
[00:41:27] He's a Winnipeg guy and he only played four seasons. I think that's why people don't really talk about him. But I wonder what he's up to.
[00:41:38] I never watched him play. To be real with you, that's past my time. I'm a bit young.
[00:41:43] But I love to know Todd's story, especially as a big man coming up in that time. What was it like? What was it like battling Shaq?
[00:41:52] Because how the hell did you even wake up and think you had a chance? That's what I wonder, you know. But yeah, Todd, shout out to Todd. A pioneer is a big man coming up in Canada and Winnipeg. I don't know if when was the last time we had a Winnipeg guy in the league? Was he the last one? I don't know.
[00:42:13] But yeah, hopefully if anybody has some Todd contacts, hit me up. I'll reach out to Todd, get him on the podcast, talk about his journey.
[00:42:22] Next question here. In the next 10 years, do you foresee a second Canadian WNBA franchise in Montreal? Shout out my guy Eric for the question. Always listening and sending questions in. I don't, unfortunately, Eric, if you listen to the last podcast which I mentioned with Savannah Hamilton, I had like us media were invited to have a sit down roundtable with WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert. And I asked her pretty bluntly that with the Temple kind of dubbing themselves as Canada's team, does that sort of hurt the chances of another expansion team coming to Canada?
[00:43:14] And she said no.
[00:43:17] She said no. But she also said, hey, we're looking at other cities right now.
[00:43:23] The city that I've heard, Nashville was one that she mentioned. Nashville was the one that she mentioned. I've heard a lot about them from other W people that Nashville is likely going to be the team, is likely going to be the city that gets a team Next. Colorado, I think they had detox with Dom and I'm forgetting another one. I think she mentioned Austin. Austin, Texas was the other one. But yeah, there's other markets in the US that they're looking at right now. Obviously your question is like in the next 10 years, I still doubt it.
[00:43:59] Personally.
[00:44:00] I think if the Tempo have success playing games in Montreal and in bc, they might just make that a yearly regular thing where they go cross country and they host games type of thing. But I really doubt that they want to have two Teams in Canada, especially with how the broadcast stuff goes, the viewership stuff doesn't really count towards, like, the US Market.
[00:44:27] And yeah, there's just a little, like, let's be real, there's a lack of appetite from US Viewers to watch a W team in Canada outside of one, you know, so we'll see. Maybe, maybe I'm wrong, you know, but I doubt it, sadly. But. But who knows? And yeah, I love it, but I do doubt it, especially with the temple, like, just calling themselves Canada's team. That's kind of where I see. I'm like, that. That's going to be tough. Tough to give a second team to Canada.
[00:44:59] Is Windsor a good basketball city? That's the next question.
[00:45:04] I'm trying to think, has Windsor produced an NBA talent? Let me Google real quick. I'm trying to think of one name. I think. I think he played for the Magic.
[00:45:16] I think he played for the magic in 20. Mike. Mikel Mulder.
[00:45:22] He played for the Heat and the magic in 2021, 2022. To be real. I don't think about Windsor when I think about basketball cities in Canada. I don't think most people do, sadly. If you're from Windsor, no shade. No shade to Windsor.
[00:45:41] I think Thomas Kennedy, though, he deserves a key to that city.
[00:45:46] Is Thomas Kennedy even from Windsor?
[00:45:49] I just know he went there.
[00:45:51] I know he dominated in esports, obviously a staple with Canada basketball. But yeah, if. If I'm Windsor, I would. I'd build a statue.
[00:46:03] Thomas. Katie. But shout out to Mikhail Mulder, a player. I think he's playing in the cbl or has been in the past few years. But yeah, but yeah, I'm sorry, I don't think people think of Windsor when it comes to basketball cities.
[00:46:17] Next question here. What are the effects of the rising men's league culture in Canada?
[00:46:24] Only good things, I would think. It gives people like a platform. Right.
[00:46:29] You don't know who's really watching at the end of the day.
[00:46:34] To me, like, when we grew up, that's where you kind of made a name for yourselves as a kid growing up. Like, you weren't considered a good, talented player coming up if you weren't going up against grown men and doing it at that level, like getting pushed and dealing with that physicality, I think it just creates and helps continue to grow the basketball culture in this city, in this country. I've liked what Brody League has done. That looks like almost like a professional league from afar, the production side of things, like the way they've branded themselves I've seen them, like, expanding. Well, I've also, like, wanted to do a story on what they've been doing in the Toronto Star. Hopefully maybe sometime after this summer, this busy summer, I could tap in with those guys. And yeah, it gives. Some guys like that need a quick run in the summer to go get in shape, you know, just get down and back on the court.
[00:47:37] So, yeah, only good things. Only good things, I would say. My thing is, can we get more that aren't outside the city? All these men's leagues are in Burlington, Vaughan and Scarborough.
[00:47:49] Let's get them downtown in the city.
[00:47:53] Let's.
[00:47:54] Let's do that. That's kind of what, what I wish to be honest with you.
[00:47:59] Let's squeeze in one last question here before we wrap up on this mailbag. If you enjoyed this mailbag, we'll do another one again sometime soon. Answering your questions, but this one comes from my guy, Peralta. Aside from the back to back mvp, Shea, which Canadian has the highest ceiling?
[00:48:28] Is it rj, Jamal Murray, Ben Mathurin?
[00:48:32] I might be crazy with this answer, but I personally think the person with the highest upside, maybe ceiling, might be Will Riley. And yes, I might be biased. My hands are up right now.
[00:48:52] I covered him last year during the draft process.
[00:48:56] I personally wouldn't say Jamal, RJ Ben, because we kind of know who they are as players and they're talented, of course. Like Jamal, for example. He's probably a top three Canadian player of all time. A champion, like All Star. He's done it all.
[00:49:13] But I haven't seen someone with a work ethic like Will Riley in a long time. He loves the game. Loves the game more than most. And his creativity on the offensive end makes me believe he has a chance to be a special player.
[00:49:34] And yeah, the numbers don't lie. Have you seen the stuff he was putting up toward the end of the season? I know it was on a Wizards team that was tanking, but the numbers he was putting up and the footwork, the passing ability, at his size at at like 6 10, he might be 6'11, who knows?
[00:49:57] Will Riley, that is.
[00:50:01] I would bet a lot of money on him potentially being the next star, the next young star outta Canada.
[00:50:11] Next year will be pretty interesting. With the amount of pieces that the Wizards have, I'm hoping they see him as a pivotal future piece and put the ball in his hands even more.
[00:50:23] Looking at like sort of their rotation, potentially, they got what Anthony Davis, Trey Young, Trey Johnson, who they drafted, was he the sixth or seventh pick? They have him. They have Alex Saar, who was the number two pick two years prior to that. You're adding a potential number one pick. If they keep it and don't trade down, which if I'm dumb, I'm keeping that number one pick you got. Who else? Bilal Khloe Bali, Keyshawn George.
[00:50:52] Another guy, I think, like if I had to bet, I'd say Will Riley or Keyshawn George in terms of who has the biggest or the best ceiling.
[00:51:02] Like, did you not see the jump Keyshawn had from year one to year two? Like, that was insane. I think most people just want him to be more aggressive offensively. He's just so good with the ball in his hands and he looks for other players a lot. But I bet, I bet my money on those two.
[00:51:22] I'll probably be watching the Washington Wizards the most outside of the Raptors next season to keep tabs on these two.
[00:51:30] But yeah, I'd bet my money.
[00:51:33] Willie J. Ball. I think that's his nickname on on IG and the key, Keyshawn George.
[00:51:41] That's my answer. But yeah, those are most of the questions submitted. I couldn't get to them all. I think we went for I can't even tell you how long. I don't have the timer with me right now. But yeah, I appreciate you guys sending in questions. Fun summer ahead.
[00:51:59] Some great guests potentially lined up that I'm really excited to have on this podcast.
[00:52:05] If you haven't already, leave a five star rating and review. Follow us on Instagram if you don't already at the Canadian Basketball show on Twitter at the CBS pod email us at the canadian basketball show gmail.com and this has been another episode of the Canadian Basketball show. Your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I've been your host Lee Ben Osman and we out.
