Previewing Canada at the FIBA men's AmeriCup

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:04] Speaker B: 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 Ben Osman. I'm giving you two podcasts this week. If you haven't already, go listen to the one I dropped with NBA agent Mike George. We had a great chat about life as an agent and he gave his unfiltered thoughts on Canadian basketball. Definitely recommend listening to that. Go give us a rating if you haven't already. Go follow us on Instagram, Twitter TikTok. Y' all know where to find us. But today I wanted to preview Canada at the FIBA Men's America cup, the tournament that is happening from August 22nd to the 31st. The team spent training camp in Toronto at OVO. I was there for some media scrums after I think the first day of practices. The team then flew to Miami for a scrimmage against the USA which I heard they lost. I'll get into that and what I heard from that scrimmage and some other scrimmages they've been in. They are now in Nicaragua. Just had an exhibition game against Dominican Republic which I believe they won before their first game in the tournament which is this Friday. You'll probably hear in this podcast either on the day of Friday or maybe a day before. We'll see when we get this out to you, but I'm going to be on vacation. I've mentioned this on the podcast before but during the FIBA America cup tournament going out to Paris, you know, so comprehend the Paris. I speak French, you know me just I'll be out there. I'll be trying to tune into some of the games. Might be tough but I'll keep an eye on and see how Canada is doing. How guys like Keyshawn, George, Lennon, Miller, top guys I think will be featured in this tournament. It's the first big tournament for Canada since the Olympics and to preview Canada's team and their chances at this tournament, I'm bringing on a guy that I feel like he does the most in depth coverage in terms of analysis breaking down of Canada basketball. Their schemes tracks a lot of these guys overseas. Jonathan Chen, Raptors Republic My guy. How you doing? [00:02:07] Speaker A: I'm good, I'm good. Happy to be here. Lee Bang. [00:02:10] Speaker B: Can't thank you enough for for for coming on. If you haven't already, go check out Jonathan's preview of Canada basketball for the field of Mirror cup at Raptors. Republic does a really thorough job I think nails it in terms like the scrimmages they've they've been in the scrums too. In terms of what we. When we spoke to Nate Mitchell, Rowan Barrett and what the goal is for this team. So definitely go check that out. But before we get into the FIBA Mirror cup, both you and I, I saw you, you were at Global Jam this week at the Mattamy Athletic Center. What were your thoughts on Global Jam as a whole? [00:02:45] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think on the men's side at least, it was a. A little disappointing end. I know the. The bronze medal game wasn't broadcasted, but they lost by one to Japan after. [00:02:57] Speaker B: I was there for that. I was there for that. [00:03:01] Speaker A: Yeah. So, I mean, I. I think at the end of the day, it was like finishing last is. Can't be like what the expectation was for the tournament. And you know, I know, you know, we were there with Dave Smart towards the end of training camp and it was really short turnaround. Not a lot of time to kind of install any kind of complex system or anything like that with a lot of the guys who honestly haven't played a lot together. So, you know, I think overall, though, definitely a little bit of a disappointing run on the men's side. On the women's side, though, you know, they won, so that's a lot better. They're doing a lot better. [00:03:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Especially without Sila, without Jasmine Basco. Savvy swords. Shout out to the woman. Man, they did things. Cheyenne Day Wilson had a big game, clutch performance, had I think 11 points in the fourth quarter. Avery Howell bald all week. I think she averaged like 21.5 points on like 71% shooting from three. She did her thing. I'm really excited to see what she does at Washington. If you haven't already, go listen to the podcast. Two. Two weeks prior that we had Avery Howell on. Not two weeks prior. A week ago, we had Avery every on and just like her decision to go to Washington. And I think this role with Global Jam is gonna like, get her ready for. For the task at Washington and the ball in her hands more. But like on the men's, like you mentioned, I don't know. I don't really push a lot of stock. Obviously we mentioned they had like three, four games of like training camp. I feel like the Brazil team had like a lot of guys that are pro. Brazil takes this tournament serious. Shout out to them, man. Especially the celebration. I don't know if you were there for the celebration. They wanted to. They wanted to pop a bottle like right after they won and shout out to Michael Bartlett, he's like, I don't want any of this on the floor. Maddie. Athletic ET we're going to probably have to pay a lot of money to get this cleaned up. So, like, they wanted to legit, like, open up the bottle after they won and celebrate, but Bartlett was like, please don't do this. Please don't do this. Georgetown, obviously, I think they've been like, usually NCAA teams, like, they have, like, scheduled, like, workouts that they do during the off season, so, like, they've have time to practice. Right? So, like, you're bringing guys like Xavier all the way who have never played together and other guys that, like, it's just hard to. To figure out how that's gonna gel in three or four days. And, hey, they beat Georgetown. That's a W for me. [00:05:17] Speaker A: Yeah, that was a big win, I think. Yeah, I think Brazil, even on my part, you know, I think a lot of us kind of underrated them. You kind of look down their roster and you see everybody's, like, playing in their, like, domestic league. And maybe that's just, you know, not indexing enough on the talent level of their domestic league. But, like, I know we're going to talk about the America, but like, Nathan Mariano, he was at Global Jam, and he's also going to be most likely be on the AmeriCup roster as well, from what I'm hearing. So definitely a talented squad, for sure. [00:05:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Shout out to Brazil, man. Any players on Canada that impressed you? Disappointed? You want to go through some. Some names that you liked at watching at Global Jam, and maybe you were expecting a bit more. [00:06:01] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure. I think definitely something that was encouraging to see was Mike in Woko's performance against Georgetown especially. I know he got, like, kind of hurt towards the end of the tournament or maybe even in that game, but, yeah, I think that was somebody that, you know, we've kind of seen at the U18America a couple years ago kind of really pop off at the beginning. And then, you know, following his college career, he's transferred to a couple different spots. But I think what really stood out was just, like, how physical he was. Like, he's boxing out and he's setting hard screens, which is something that's so important for a big. And he plays with so much energy and he's got a little bit of touch as well. And, you know, I think I tweeted about this, but this is kind of a lofty comparison, or it's not really even a comp. But it's. I think he was playing very Doing a lot of things that are very similar to Kevin Gelli, who has already become such a huge part of the senior men's team in just like over a year. So I think that was definitely something that I was looking for a lot and so that was encouraging to see. I think before the tournament I really liked Elias Ralph after watching some Victoria University tape a couple years ago. But yeah, I think he was a little too timid, often like not aggressive enough, I feel looking for a shot. And I think he still needs to develop some a little bit in terms of like initiating contact. But yeah, I think overall I think those two were kind of my guys kind of look going into the tournament definitely had some highs and lows. And then obviously of course, you know, the best player on the team, Xavian Lee, you know, had a pretty good tournament. I think when one of the emphasis he wanted to talk about was kind of his like playmaking, which I think that's a question you asked, but training camp. So that was cool to see. Yeah. And I think, I think overall though, I think a lot of the players that were there didn't show like brand new. Absolutely brand new things that kind of like caught my eye overall. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I do think like for a guy like Xavier, I feel like it showed. Obviously going from Princeton right to Florida, I kind of, I think this was a great. Just like, okay, you're making progress and showing that you can play at the sec, right. Obviously we'll wait to see how it turns out. A guy like Mike Nooko, you mentioned. I watched him at Hoop Summit a few years back and like you mentioned, just a dominance, like attacking the rim, like, bro, like the way he finishes lobs or whatever it is, it's like, man, like he wants to kill that rim. So I, I seen a lot of the same stuff. Anybody that disappointed you or you were looking to see a bit more, I feel like Elijah Mahi kind of had had a quiet tournament, but it was, it wasn't really anything like eye popping. Especially from the last Global Jam where he led the team in scoring. [00:08:41] Speaker A: Yeah, no, for sure. I think that if I had to pick it would probably be Mahi because I think, yeah, like the last Global Jam, like he was like the number one outstanding kind of long term prospect in my eyes. And he was also like one of the younger players in that tournament and he just looks so bouncy and like he was doing a lot of things on the wing. But this time around it was. I don't know if it was just like the role he was playing more kind of like a 4 or something like that. But, yeah, it was definitely a little more quiet than what I was expecting. So, yeah, I think that was maybe a little minor disappointment there. [00:09:15] Speaker B: But yeah, yeah, yeah. And not to knock like, Mahi, because I feel like I watched him a lot at Santa Clara and I thought, like, if he gets a handle, like, this guy is potentially NBA guy. I still think he's a potential NBA guy. And, like, I don't put much stock into tournaments like this, especially, like, in terms of, like, projecting an NBA guy or not, because Leonard Miller, I feel like, had, like, his Global Jam performance wasn't like, it was, I'll be honest, it was terrible. Like, it was very bad that first year. And Leonard ended up getting drafted. Right. Just barely out of the second round. Right. So I, I definitely think Mahi and, like, it's tough. Like, we mentioned, like, three, four days of training camp trying to figure out your role on this team. And I do think, like, he just missed a lot of threes that he normally hits and, but, but yeah, like, Mahi's a guy. I think Mahi Xavian Lee, Nooko, Boo Boo Benjamin was something I was hoping to see more of, but pretty quiet. I think he was hurt. Like, you mentioned Nooko, too. I think he was dealing with that hip, hip injury. I spoke with him a bit afterwards, but yeah, Mike Xavian Mahi, Aiden Holloway, I thought did his thing at points, too, and I'm excited to watch those guys. But anybody on this team, like, Global Jam roster, you think has a future with Canada on the senior men's level? [00:10:29] Speaker A: Yeah, no, for sure. I think a couple guys, definitely. And obviously we'll have to see, like, how their kind of pro careers turn out because, you know, we've seen in the past, you know, grinding away in the G League. A lot of times players don't really become available. Like, you just look at, like, the AmeriCup team, like Nate Darling, Kevin Gelly, they were grinding in the G League for a couple years and just weren't available for a lot of windows. Now they're in Europe and, or they're moving to Europe in Nick Darling's case, and now they're a lot more available, so I think it'll depend. But I, I, I think I really like Elias Ralph. I just really like his size and a couple things that he can do. And I just think he's, like, he's a fantastic rebounder despite maybe not having the most vertical pop. So I think that's, that's Someone who definitely has a future with a national team. And then, yeah, looking at the careers of like, how if Xavian Lee is going to be, you know, if he's in the euroleague, then I think that's like a big gap for the Winter corps if they ever figure that kind of stuff out. So I think a lot of these guys are definitely like, talented. And compared to like even like the America team last year right there, I think there's a lot more guys who are going to be in the national team player pool for a while. [00:11:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Talking about the Mirror cup, two scrimmages they held, I believe already before the, the game against the Dominican Republic. Not scrimmages, but like they played against, from what I heard, the Niagara River Lions and cbr, I heard that was some terrible basketball. But then they also played the USA in a scrimmage. I heard it was compet, but from what I heard the US Was just physically dominant in that game. Just like I don't think Canada really had the size from, from speaking to somebody that was there. But what's your level excitement for this Feeba America for Canada and like the whispers that you're hearing about some of the scrimmages they've played, do you put much stock into it? And yeah, what's your level excitement for Canada's female Cup? [00:12:23] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I think given where Canada basketball has been with the America, I think this year definitely there's a lot more excitement, there's a lot more talent on the roster and you know, they're not. It feels like Canada basketball is not treating it as like a second tier tournament, at least not to the magnitude that they did with the 2022 team. So I think just based off of that, there's a lot more kind of excitement on my end and you know, I think there should be a medal contender and not winning or not meddling in this tournament would definitely be a disappointment, which is not something you could have said in 2022. But yeah, I guess in terms of like the scrimmage, I think, I think it's really just about getting the players on the floor together and gaining continuity. You know, that's always been something that Cannon basketball has been trying to preach in this last Olympic cycle. And you know, they try to do things with like the core and things like that. And I think at least with the winter core, they're getting to a place where a lot of these guys are already familiar with each other. They've played at least a couple games together. They're familiar with the program. So not having as long as a kind of prep time leading up to the tournament isn't as kind of worrying as if it's with like just all of these brand new NBA guys for the whole team. But yeah, I mean, I think it's always good to win acts like those scrimmages. So, yeah, still a bit of room to improve before the tournament starts. [00:13:51] Speaker B: Yeah, always, always. Still room to improve. What was your reaction when you first learned about the roster? Let me go through some of the names for you real quick. From what I've heard, Jaden Campbell and Quincy Guerrier obviously played at the Raptors 905. Those two were the last two cuts, I believe. So I don't know, it hasn't come out yet, but the time of recording this. But from what I been told, the 12 guys that we represent in Canada at the female Men's America cup are Trey, Bill Haynes, Marcus Carr, Javon Blair, Nate Darling, Keyshawn George, David Munichat, Leonard Miller, Kyle Wilchard, Charles Bediaco, Mifonda Kemengelli, Isaiah Mike and Thomas Kennedy. What are your thoughts on this 12 man roster? And yeah, just reaction when maybe you heard Keyshawn George, Leonard Miller, I know you were hoping for months ago and it came true. What was your reaction when you heard about the training camp roster? [00:14:44] Speaker A: Oh yeah, like I think I tweeted immediately we're going for gold. Because I think, you know, obviously it's not the big names, you know, sga, things like that, which I don't think was ever going to be realistic. But I think they got what they wanted in terms of young NBA talent giving them a trial run, seeing how they're going to integrate into the national team player pool. And then they followed it up with some of the best European pros, which is like way better than kind of taking guys who they had in the 2022America where it was more about like a developmental context. Like I'm like Kevin Galley. I think I've been on this like agenda for over a year. [00:15:23] Speaker B: But I'll give you credit, you have been on the Cabin Galley train probably more than anybody else. So shout out to you. [00:15:30] Speaker A: Yeah, because I mean like he's climbed like the European pro ranks in two years all the way up to the Euroleague where he's going to play next year with Dubai. And like he is just, you know, I know there was a lot of kind of complaints about, you know, the Canada basketball senior men's center depth. [00:15:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:49] Speaker A: Looking at the Paris Olympics, especially when they got Killed inside by France. And I still got nightmares. Yeah, right, right. And Cavangeli was a guy who was at the Olympic training camp, and he's like the exact kind of physical, athletic, FIBA big that we've all been saying Zach Edey is going to become, which I'm sure he's going to be a big part of the program as well. But Cavangeli has really become like the player and the leader in the winter corps, so I think that's a big get. Isaiah Mike, another guy who's climbed the ranks in Europe and played in the Euroleague in his first year last year, another really, really talented player. And I think Trey Bell Haynes has become a really solid Euro European pro. He had, like, interest from Barcelona last year, Nate Darling. So I think, given the circumstances, I think this is probably one of the strongest rosters that Canada basketball could have assembled. And of course, yeah, I've been asking for Keyshawn George and Leonard Miller for a long time, and I think, you know, I think we'll talk about them soon. But they definitely fill roles and archetypes that the senior men's program is kind of missing. So it's cool to see them get integrated into the system now. [00:17:04] Speaker B: Yeah, obviously, there's been a lot of discussion about. You were at training camp, and I think one of the questions Rowan was asked was like, did you want more NBA guys potentially in this America? And he was kind of saying, obviously you hope for it, but, like, contracts, injuries. He mentioned Zach Edie and I was kind of like, really Zach Edie? Honestly, I didn't expect Zach Edie to play in a FIBA Maricov, but maybe if he was healthy, maybe, maybe he gave it a shot. But, like, what are your thoughts on the amount of young NBA guys they did get? The two guys, Leonard and Keshawn? And were you expecting more? Did you want more? And we can talk a little bit about, like, guys like Emmanuel Miller because I. I'll be honest, I heard his name leading up to camp instead of Leonard Miller. Like, he was a guy that was like, he's likely going to play. I. I didn't hear Leonard Miller's name until, like the last few days, but yeah, I expected Emmanuel Miller, to be honest. Delano Banson was another guy that I heard, but obviously his contract situation, I think he's looking for a deal. Hopefully he gets a training camp invite. Caleb Houston is a guy that obviously he signed with the Hawks, and I was wondering why wasn't he potentially in the mix? But what are your thoughts on Just the young two NBA guys they got. And were you hoping for more? [00:18:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I think what I thought was going to be real, most realistic was just George and Miller. I think it's going to be. It's always difficult and we're seeing it even in the NBA among certain teams. It's like it's hard to develop players and win at the same time. That's a, it's a really delicate balance. And I think for Canada basketball, right, this Americop, you know, their CEO Mike Bartlett, they kind of had this like new vision, you know, best in, best for. They want to like win every tournament they're in. So there's obviously that aspect where they want to win and get like the best European pros who have played in the system, who are really talented players and really fit the FIBA game, but at the same time leaving a little bit of room to develop and have maybe a little more forward thinking approach. So I think with that in mind, I think it's hard to integrate a lot of young NBA players into a competitive team on such a short notice. So yeah, I mean like, I'm not gonna lie, like if Shaden Sharp is gonna play, like obviously that would be incredible because he's obviously been involved in the program through training camp but hasn't suited up yet in an official game. And that's somebody who I know a lot of people are really interested in for 2028 maybe. So yeah, I think there's always room for the most optimal, most amount of NBA players. But I think, I think for what this team is kind of competing for, I think this is, this is a, a really good get for me and like I'm completely satisfied, if that makes sense. [00:19:42] Speaker B: Yeah. How do you see Keyshawn George fitting into the program? Is it a seamless fit in your, your opinion, with the core guys that they already have in, in the program and building towards maybe 20, 28 Olympics and he's in that mix. Do you what are your thoughts on Keshan's fit? [00:19:57] Speaker A: Yeah, like I think 100%. I think he fits like a glove. You know, I think Keyshawn, the biggest thing that stood out to me in his rookie year was his defensive activity. Like his stocks that he was hitting was just absurd for a rookie. And then he wasn't afraid to keep shooting three point attempts and I know, you know, the efficiency wasn't there, but I know a lot of times, you know, scouts are looking for how many three point attempts you're getting up because you know, coaches aren't going to let bad shooters shoot a lot of. So I think just with those skills, you know, the shooting threes, being able to defend multiple positions, and then also being a big wing. Like, if you think about the Paris Olympic team, the wings on the team, you know, aside from RJ Barrett, you're looking at Dylan Brooks, Nikhil, Lou Dort, you know, they're all, you know, played their role well, but they're not, you know, six eight, six nine. And you know, just having height, I think helps when. Especially when it comes to something like rim protection. So, yeah, so I think from that perspective, Keyshawn George is like filling an absolute need. That big wing kind of archetype. He. He fills that. He plays defense, he's switchable, he plays. He can guard two through four, maybe a little bit of one. His hands, like, I think this is a question I asked him, but, like, the way he's able to mirror the ball with his hands and like, target the ball and like, basically attack and like dislodge the ball, that was something that was super impressive on film. So overall, I think Keyshawn George, like, out of almost all the young guys in the NBA, aside from maybe Zach Eady, I think he has like, the most clear Runway to becoming a key part of the senior men's national team as early as, like, LA 2028. [00:21:43] Speaker B: Yeah, it's crazy because, like, he came in, I remember last draft cycle, like his knock was his defense. Like, people were criticizing that. [00:21:51] Speaker A: And. [00:21:52] Speaker B: And then he comes to the league and everyone's like, wow, this guy's an amazing defender. Like, he can guard one through four, basically. And I think that's how Canada want to use him. I want to see what the lineup looks like. And I think we're both going to talk about, like, maybe lineups that we'd like to see out there. But from what I've heard, he's going to have a featured role on this team. And he's played FIBA before, right? Like, and he's played overseas in Switzerland, in France. So I don't think this type of FIBA style game is something new to him. I think he's going to be very, like, adaptable. And like, honestly, I think he. I had him on the podcast, my first guest on here, and I think he preferred. I. I gotta listen back to it. But I think he might have said he preferred the. The European style play where it's not just like this isolation running gun for so massive type of style. So I think if it's his style play where he's A smart iq, skilled player, can shoot the ball. I ran into his father at Global Jam and he was telling me, like, you should expect him to have like a really, like, hey. His goal, I think might be to get into that 39, 40%, 3 point range. So I think for him it's like, this could be the clear cut. And he talked about it, like, why not play for your country this summer? And I think this will be a huge, like, he's had a lot of time off and this will be a clear chance for him to just show what he's been working out on. And I think the shooting will be a big thing for him. And. Yeah, and I think a lot of guys, I think Ron and them are expecting him to be the guy that one of the guys that perform on this team. And, and it builds. I think it builds too. Just like, I feel like he's a Swiss army enough. Like he can just fit, like we mentioned, like a glove. But I do think they might need him to score on this team. So I do want to see what he looks like maybe like with the Trey Bo Haynes, like, playing kind of off ball. Like, I know Trey Bo Haynes has the ball a lot of times, but potentially him playing off a ball, a guy like Keyshawn, where Keyshawn can find him, and we'll see how it all works out. But I do think Nate Mitchell, like talked about scouting him in summer league and watching his film during the season. So I'm excited to see how. How they implement him and Leonard together. Speaking about Leonard, what do you want to see from him? He's a guy that, that I feel like obviously he's been back and forth in the G League, was a guy that was kind of came out of nowhere in Canada, had a crazy high school year and then and went to the G League. Ignite got drafted and he's kind of been quiet. Has been. Has had like some crazy monster numbers in the G League, but obviously Minnesota has so many forwards and it's so hard to crack. But what, what are your impressions of on Leonard and on this team and what do you want to see from him? [00:24:31] Speaker A: Yeah, no, for sure. I think the way his NBA career has gone has been a little unfortunate just kind of due to like, the team and how well. How. How deep they are in the front court and. And how well they've been playing basically since they drafted him. But. Yeah. So I think the biggest thing for me is just I want to kind of see what Leonard Miller looks like in a competitive game in Games that kind of matter. Kind of see how he plays. I know when he was kind of a rookie and you know, as all rookies, they kind of struggle with, you know, off ball defense rotations. So I want to kind of see if that's kind of been cleaned up playing in a couple of years in a kind of a professional basketball system. But yeah, no, I think overall Leonard Miller, I think the one word that I would use to describe him is just like bunky. He kind of moves herky jerky, but then there's like moments of like just fluidity and he's really good around the basket. I think that's one thing that stood out when he was playing with the G league ignite that he's always kind of around the basket sniffing out kind of offensive rebounds, put backs. So I think the. There's going to be a lot of opportunity for him to play off of someone like Trey Bell, Haynes, Nate Darling, Keyshawn George and even Kevin Gelly to where that he can just be like the cleanup guy. So yeah, so I think overall I'm just like really just want to see him on the court, really want to see him playing meaningful minutes. And I think that this is like the perfect opportunity to do that. Yeah, and I think he's definitely one of the kind of X factors in terms of this senior men's player pool where if he has like, he has like the sky high potential and if he's going to hit that as this like kind of four in fiba, all of a sudden canon basketball, the profile of the team looks a little different and you can, they can throw a couple different things at other teams. So yeah, I think just kind of seeing him on the floor really is going to be the biggest kind of thing for me. [00:26:29] Speaker B: How important do you feel like this tournament is for him? Like on a scale of 1 to 10, like say he has a bad tournament. Are you like, are you concerned or say he has a good tournament? You're like this validates potentially like giving him more minutes in the NBA. Like where do you just in terms of like say you're an evaluator, right? You're looking at it like he. Does he need to have a good tournament for like the next phase of his career and like potentially seeing minutes in Minnesota? [00:26:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I, I think, I think it's getting towards that kind of zone, I guess I would say, you know, I think NBA teams, they're. They always kind of do take chances a lot on guys with tools on second contracts. So I wouldn't be Surprised if he does get on a different team, even if things don't kind of work out in this America. But yeah, I just think like, it's been so difficult for him to play meaningful minutes and so this is going to be a big opportunity and it's not like he's 19 anymore where, you know, the sky's the limit and mistakes are kind of on more understandable. So I think this is definitely a big tournament for him and it. If he plays well, it can be like. Like you mentioned, like validating, kind of getting more minutes in the NBA. So yeah, I do think I would be pretty disappointed if the tournament doesn't go well from Leonard Miller. Like not even like from like a statistical perspective. But I'm just saying, like, if he's not able to play big minutes, if he's not closing games with this Canada team, I think, you know, some red flags are starting to pop up a little bit in that case. So yeah, I think. I think it's a big tournament overall. [00:28:08] Speaker B: Yeah. What we heard from Dominican Republic game, I think he led the team in scoring 16 points. I read that. So I'm excited. I hope. I obviously been covering Leonard for a few years now and I think. I think situation in Minnesota has been unfortunate that so many forwards backed up. But I'm hoping this tournament gives him the chance to showcase that hidden talent that he's had and why he was such a unicorn in a way coming into the draft process. And a lot of teams are really interested. [00:28:38] Speaker A: Yeah, no, because I was just going to say I think the other thing to note. I know he hasn't played a lot of NBA minutes, but he's so young and he's producing in the G League. I think production is always a really important part of players and prospect profiles and. And the fact that he's in the G League, which is already kind of a difficult league to kind of get yours, I guess, with, you know, a lot of, I guess competing players trying to like really showcase their talents. I think the fact that he's able to produce and put up big numbers and being at such a young age is encouraging. I think now it's just about taking that next step and like now let's play some more meaningful minutes on the. On the largest stage and the America is kind of a good springboard for that. [00:29:21] Speaker B: Yeah, he's 21 and Keshan George got drafted last year. I believe Leonard's like a month older than Keshan only, so still, still a lot of room to grow for. For Leonard. Excited to See him in this tournament. Cabin G. We talked about him and I just want to get your thoughts. Is there room on the Kevin G. Like the fan club, the. The train. Like, is he somebody you see? We kind of touched on him in a World cup, in an Olympics, potentially. And I think he was also like in that last roster spot. We mentioned it in Olympics. I think they went with Ken Burch instead. But I think he was, he was one of those guys in the last spots that Canada was considering. But I think Melvin Edgem was a guy that was going to be there 100%. But what are you expecting from Capmigelli in this tournament? And is he somebody you see in getting a shot at the Olympics? Like we mentioned, France killed us. [00:30:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, there's always room on the Cavagelli hype train. [00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:21] Speaker A: But yeah, I think I'll say to me, Cavangeli is probably the best player on this team and I think he's probably going to be the most impactful player. He's probably going to be the most important player throughout the tournament. And yeah, I think people who haven't watched him in these even like these qualifier windows or even, you know, paid attention to how he's been playing overseas is he is one of the most physical players that I've ever watched. And the other part is as a big, he runs harder than any other big I've seen. Like, he is constantly just hustling energy and when you add his ability, like the skill level that he has, he's got that little touch shot and he's got some pop, you know, with the ball in his hand, especially when he's rolling to the rim. So anyways, yeah, I expect him to be one of the best players probably even in the tournament. And as far as what he kind of looks like on the senior men's team. Yeah, I think for sure. I think he's definitely has a role on a World cup team. Definitely has a role in the Olympics. I think to me, a platoon of Ed and Cabin Geli is what I think would be the most ideal. Just because that's like 40 minutes of high level center play, which is not something or it's something that we definitely lack. And they're both kind of in that similar vein where they're like, you can dump them the ball when they're rolling to the basket and they're going to make a play and they're probably going to score, they're going to get fouled. So yeah, I think definitely Cavangeli should be a player that is going to be on the World cup teams. I think actually his invite to the Olympic training camp kind of spoke volumes of kind of like the talent and how important cannabis will saw he was going to be in the future because you know, I think last leading up to the summer in Paris, there's a lot of like summer core talk. We're going to keep the core, we're not going to add anybody. And you know, they extended this invite to Kevin Gelli who had never played for the national team at all. So I think that was just maybe like a little like we're going to invite you here with an understanding that you're going to be the key to our winter corps as well as having a big role as part of the summer corps moving forward. But yeah, I have, I have really high expectations and yeah, I think he's gonna, he's gonna be a dominant force. [00:32:38] Speaker B: That's a good point because everyone obviously like they looked at the names they added like, like the Nem Hard, like the, the Wiggins, but the camp Miguel use a sneaky one. It was a long term play. Yeah, that's interesting. Like I didn't even think about it like that, but excited to see Kevin Gilly in this tournament. Kyle Wilcher, a guy that hasn't played for Canada. I don't know, was it, has it been like it's 2019, 2021. I don't remember the last time he played, but I feel like it's been a while. But he's, he's a guy that I feel like is a vet on this roster. What do you, what can you tell us about Kyle Wilcher and what are you expecting from him this tournament? [00:33:15] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think, I think the cool thing is Wilcher and Cabin Galley, they played together the past two or one and a half seasons in Venice playing in the Euro cup level, which is like the second best European league. Yeah, I think Wilcher, as you mentioned, he's been on the, he's like, he's the vet on this team for sure and he's been out of the program for a little bit as the team's kind of gone a little younger. But yeah, I think he's kind of a great fit for a FIBA tournament. You know, he is one of the best shooters for a big in the world and he's a professional scorer and I wouldn't be surprised if he just goes catches fire one game and then scores like 25 points and leads Canada off the bench maybe or even if he's in a starting role, but just lead them in scoring because he can get hot. And you know, that's something that we've seen in the past in a Canada basketball jersey. But yeah, I think really he's, to me he's there as kind of like an insurance for the offense. He's a guy that, you know you can run plays for. You can use him as kind of a spacer, a screener, and he's kind of slipping screens and he's hitting threes. You can run a couple spaying kind of actions with him as one of the three point shooters. So I think he's kind of there to kind of grease the wheels when maybe some of the lineups are more maybe defensively slanted. And so I don't expect him to have as big of a role as he has had in the past, but I still think he's a valuable player. Obviously there's a lot of like, defensive concerns because truthfully, like, I like, I think that's one of the reasons he's not playing in the Euroleague, because he's definitely a Euroleague offensive talent, but his defense is, is truly kind of pretty lackluster. But you know, you surround him with guys like Keyshawn George, big wings, Isaiah Mike Cavangeli as a rim protector, David Moenkat, maybe even as kind of another big wing. I think maybe you can insulate him a little bit on the defensive end. But yeah, to me the optimal role is come off the bench and just be a gunner. Just be a gunner. Get 20 points in like a bra, in like a quarterfinal and get Canada through. [00:35:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Come out of nowhere. Just give us a, give us one or two good games or where you're just hitting everything, you know. [00:35:30] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:35:31] Speaker B: Nate Mitchell talked a lot about continuity being something that they'll look to rely on despite like obviously this camp being like what I feel like they had like five, four days before actually playing a scrimmage against the U.S. and then obviously Niagara was in between that. But do you see continuity on this roster in your opinion? [00:35:55] Speaker A: Yeah, I think so. I think at least more continuity than we've, we've seen in the past on the senior team, if that makes sense. I think they're bringing like seven or eight guys from the last few windows for the America qualifiers. So that's a big thing. And those are kind of high stake games because Canada needs to qualify. And so I think there's definitely some familiarity there. But I think even with Nate Mitchell coaching again as well, I think there's also some Familiarity with whatever kind of system he wants to implement defensively and offensively, like a style of play. So, you know, I think this has always been something that I've harped on, but you know, it can always be better for Cannon basketball to be more, to have more continuity, you know, to really get all of these guys for every window playing together. But obviously that's not possible with contracts and things like that. So I think they, they've definitely done a better job this time. And I think, you know, the America, it's important, it's cool to win a tournament, FIBA qualifying points, but really the big thing here is qualifying for the World cup in 2027, which the Windows are going to start this November. And I think, you know, Mike Bartlett was on your podcast a couple weeks ago and talking about, it's like they want to use this tournament as a way to set themselves up for success in those windows and have the continuity from not just the training camp, but this whole week long tournament and really have this be the core of players who are going to play in those winter windows. And so I think from that perspective, I like that kind of proactive, lay the groundwork for the future where probably it's going to be even more important. So I like that they're addressing it. It could always be better. We could always be Argentina playing 14 or 10 exhibition games across three continents. But yeah, I think it's definitely improving and I for one like that a lot. [00:37:50] Speaker B: Yeah, Argentina is playing ten games. That's insane. And I looked at the FIBA America rankings today. They weren't even in the top, potentially win it. And I'm like, y' all doing 10 games for what? Hey, they could surprise people though. [00:38:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I think they're missing a lot of their big, big stars, their Euroleague players like Facundo Compazo, who is like a really good feeble player. He's not playing deck Gabriel, Leandro Balmaro, I think. Yeah, so they're missing like they're maybe top four or five guys and they're still like putting all, pouring all these resources. But hey, it worked in 2022 with a much more talented roster. But yeah, like, I don't, I don't think we're ever going to get there, but we can be smart about it. And that's what I'm, I like what I'm seeing there. [00:38:38] Speaker B: Yeah, you're obviously at training camp and what type of style from like your conversation with Nate Mitchell do you expect this team to play and a team coached by Nate Mitchell? What should we expect maybe from. We've saw previously and the last America up and the windows and now what are you expecting this style of team to play like? [00:38:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I think the biggest takeaway from 2022 when Nate Mitchell was the head coach and all of these windows is kind of resiliency. The team was really young and it was really scrappy in 2022. And honestly, I think they outperformed by finishing fourth and nearly beating America in the bronze medal game. They were down by like double digits throughout that tournament and then they were like come back and flip a switch in the second half. So I think resiliency is definitely something that is kind of built in and comes down, comes from kind of the way Mitchell coaches. But yeah, and I think being at training camp, the emphasis is definitely on extending the ball pressure, playing guys 94ft, creating havoc, creating turnovers and getting out in transition and running. You know, that's something that we saw with Jordyn in the Paris Olympics where, you know, we're gonna just have Dort hound opposing point guards, we're gonna have Nikhil hound them, we're gonna have Brooks hound them all the way up the court. And, you know, extending that. I think extending that defense during the Olympics was like a very calculated decision because we didn't have maybe as strong rim protection on the backside and in the interior, which I think maybe those concerns aren't as big of an issue this time around. But I think upping and upping that pressure is still something that they want to do and I think that's definitely something that we're probably going to see. For sure. It was something that we saw against Nicaragua in the America qualifier windows where they're like pressing. They have like five, all five players in Nicaragua's backcourt and they're like pressing man to man all the way up. So, yeah, I think we're going to see a resilient team. We're going to see a team that ratchets up the pressure and then hopefully that helps grease the wheels with, you know, getting out in transition, supplementing maybe a half court offense where it might be a little more shaky. But yeah, no, I think Nate Mitchell is a great coach and I think. I think Canada is in good shape to do well in this tournament. [00:41:00] Speaker B: Shout out to Nate Mitchell. I know he's probably not listening to this because he's preparing for the FIBA America, but I'm going to get him on eventually on this podcast. But yeah, I feel like they have the guys that can pressure up like keyshawn the size Keyshawn George Leonard Miller. I feel like Cha Bo Haynes is annoying little point guard, you know. So I think they, they have the personnel potentially do it and that's what I expect from this, from this team with Nate Mitchell. But yeah, what do you know just about Canada's group? Venezuela, Panama, Puerto Rico. What can we expect from, from this, this group that they're in and who are you most afraid of? I feel like it's Puerto Rico. [00:41:39] Speaker A: No. Yeah, for sure. I think Puerto Rico obviously they just played at the Olympics as well and they're going to be featuring Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans. So I think that's probably going to be the biggest threat. I think Venezuela, I think I saw they lost like an exhibition game to Nicaragua. So you know, I know Venezuela is kind of this boogeyman for Canada basketball in the past couple of years, cycles. But yeah, yeah, I think this group, it's, it's, it's not like a group of death or anything. I think Canada, all things considered should be the favorites and they should be able to get out of the group. Yeah. Because I think Puerto Rico, even though they're kind of maybe like a middling contender team, they do have Marcus Howard in their program but he's not going to be playing on this in this tournament. He's a huge big time scorer in the Euroleague. So yeah, I think Puerto Rico can be a little dangerous. They can maybe give Canada a scare. But I don't think the group stage should be worrying or it's not like this group of death once again for Canada kind of thing. Yeah. Because I think to me at least the big two quote unquote rivals to Canada in this tournament is Brazil and America and they're in a group together. [00:43:03] Speaker B: So go tire each other out. Yeah, go deal. [00:43:06] Speaker A: Maybe, maybe. Yeah. So yeah. So I think overall group wise we're looking good. It's all about you. Yeah. Getting to the knockout stages and yeah. Taking care of business. [00:43:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I mentioned Puerto Rico because from what I read they have like six guys from their Olympic roster returning to play in this fibAmerica. Jose Alvarado obviously another guy. So yeah. So Puerto Rico should be interesting that match. So that's probably the one group stage game I'm looking forward to the most. I feel like they should get the job done against Venezuela, Panama and another guy that, that's on this team, this 12 man roster. I'm kind of shocked to be honest because I had him on the podcast and he didn't really Hint that he was gonna play, like, this summer. He said sometime in the future, like, obviously, I want to be in the mix for the Olympics, that kind of stuff like that. He spent some time in the G League with Grand Rapids this past year. Charles Betiaco, a guy that went to Alabama, shot blocker. And yeah, I feel like Charles Beniako, his size, and I know he's starting to stretch it out from the floor a bit, but I think he averaged almost a double double in the G League. What are your impressions of Charles Bariaco? And I know we've been talking harping on, like, big guys that are starting to, like, come along for Canada basketball. I think he's a guy that could be potentially in the mix and obviously some younger talent, I believe that are still in high school that I'm kind of keeping an eye on, like, that could potentially. I don't want to put pressure on them too early, but what are your impressions of Charles Bariako from stuff you've seen at a Batman and in the G League? [00:44:39] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think for me, I haven't been able to catch as much of Beako in the G League, and aside from just kind of like, looking at a couple box scores. But what I do remember from Alabama is he is kind of this really elite defensive prospect. Like, he basically shuts off the paint. I think Alabama's, like, painted defense was way better when he was on the floor versus when he's off the floor. And with his length, he kind of just. And especially in Feeble, where there's no three in the key. Like, he can kind of just like, wall off the paint. Wall off the rim from opponents. And I think that's something that, again, you know, we're talking about, like, archetypes. Maybe that's something that the actual senior team doesn't have that kind of paint presence, aside from maybe someone like Kyle Alexander, who's been in the program in the past. So, yeah, so I think especially when it's looking at kind of these young supplementary players that might kind of play a role alongside, you know, SGA and RJ and Nikhil and those names, I think you're looking for kind of standout skills and things that are missing. And that's definitely something that Ben probably does better than anybody in the program, which is just defending the paint and paint defense, rim protection. So I think. I think his inclusion was definitely a really big surprise, and I think having him there early is really important, and I think I would want to kind of see him kind of grow with the winter core first get more FIBA experience before, you know, shooing him in into, like, the. The World cup or the Olympic team. But I think this is a big opportunity for him. And. Yeah, no, I think. I think it's just exciting to have this many bigs. [00:46:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:24] Speaker A: In the program. [00:46:25] Speaker B: Right. [00:46:26] Speaker A: With different profiles. So, yeah, I think that that's probably the most exciting thing. And, you know, pairing him with Wilcher, maybe that's an interesting kind of alignment where, you know, one guy supplementing offense and defense because Wilcher had a lot of success with Kyle Alexander in the last World cup qualifier window playing off of him. So maybe that's an alignment that they look into. [00:46:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I like the bigs. I feel like that's been obviously the. The biggest concern for Canada over the years. Thomas Kenny, I feel like, is just a reliable. I think he killed. He killed it in U sports, doing his thing and overseas. I like that he's here, but. Yeah. Charles Bediaco, a name. I was shocked. Didn't get any hint that he was going to be playing until someone. Someone tipped me off, and I was like. And I. And I hit him up. I'm like, are you playing? And he's like, yeah, I'll be in training camp. And I'm like, wow. Shocked, but excited to see Charles Bediako. And yeah, it makes me wonder if he's headed overseas too after. After this before if. Because obviously, if he's playing the FIBA America, but I wonder if he wants to get accustomed to that feeble style that you're overseas. Top type of basketball, but excited to see Charles Bediaco. Is there anything you're looking forward to in this tournament that, like, you want to see from Canada in particular, maybe from a player, maybe from a team that you're like, I need to see this. To feel satisfied. From this tournament or just like something that you want to see. [00:47:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think the easy answer is win a medal or win the whole thing. Win the whole thing. You know, I think Canada has never won the America. We've only gotten, like, bronze mainly, I think four times and silver twice. But that's like, way back in the day. So I think it's long overdue. And so I think the biggest thing for me is, yeah, just. Just win. Win a tournament and, you know, get the FIFA qualifying points and get the bragging rights of winning a tournament. You know, this is something that they want to do. This is their vision for both as the women's and the men's program. And, you know, the Women did got the. The bronze medal already at the Americup. So, yeah, now. Now it's. Now it's on the men's to, and I think they got a good shot at it. So I think the biggest thing is, yeah, just coming away winning the whole tournament. [00:48:38] Speaker B: Do you think Canada, like, has a real chance to win their first America tournament? Like, let me. Let's do the five America Cups finishes. They've been in fourth place, eighth, third. Six. Six. That's their last five America cup finishes. Do you think this is the year they could get it done? [00:49:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I think so. Like, I think the biggest or the favorite for this tournament is probably going to be Brazil, who finished second. Brazil is bringing back basically their whole roster from the Olympics, and they're a deep team. You know, we saw it in Global Jam. You know, you can't take them lightly. And I think they're really only missing, like, Guy Santos, who plays for the warriors from this roster. So they're a team with a lot of familiarity, with a lot of strength, so that they're obviously a threat. And of course, America, you know, they don't have the stars as well, just like Canada, but they have a group of really seasoned European vets, and they just have a bigger talent pool than other nations. So I think those are probably the two biggest threats to Canada. I think Dominican Republic might sneak up on Canada, especially because, you know, they beat us in the. The final qualifier window with largely the same team that they have in this kind of tournament. So they're another team to kind of watch out for. But, yeah, I think Canada has a shot to win. And, you know, if the NBA players that they bring in, the young guys kind of show out and they're integrated in ways that kind of. I expect them to be and how familiar and up to speed they can be with the program, I don't see a reason why they can't win this tournament. And I think that moving forward, that should be the expectation entering any tournament is to medal. Right. So to me, they have a good shot. Yeah. And I think they just need to kind of take care of business on the floor and, yeah, Window win the tournament. [00:50:38] Speaker B: Is Bruno Koboko playing this tournament? Do we know if he's playing? [00:50:41] Speaker A: Yeah, he's playing. He's playing. I think he's the best player still. [00:50:44] Speaker B: Oh, my God. We got our hands full with Bruno Koboklo revenge game against Canada. All that we did to him. Yeah, I'm excited to see Bruno Diego Santos, the guy that killed Canada at The Global Jam. I feel like another. I feel like another tournament. He also killed us, but, yeah. [00:51:01] Speaker A: And the 2023 World Cup. Yeah. [00:51:03] Speaker B: Yes. Is he playing there? [00:51:05] Speaker A: They're both there. Yep. [00:51:06] Speaker B: Oh, man. I think Brazil might win this. Sorry, Canada. Diego Santos gives me nightmares. That guy is a dog, like. And, man, seeing him at Global Jam for the first time, I'm like, who is this guy? And then seeing him do the same thing to Canada later in a few years after, I'm like, yep. [00:51:23] Speaker A: We should have learned, I think that summer he beat us in Global Jam, and then he beat us in the 2022America. [00:51:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:51:31] Speaker A: And then the next summer, Brazil beat Canada in the second round of the World Cup. And he was the one who hit that, like, last, like, layup. He was guarded by Brooks and there was like, a screen and he beat Brooks around and he floated it up and in. Yeah, he's a. He's a. He's a really fantastic player. So, yeah, I think Brazil. Brazil are the favorites, but Canada can put up a fighting chance. [00:51:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm trying to think of on the US Roster, Jamias Ramsey. I know he had a stint with the Raptors, too, at one point. I think he's another name to watch for Anybody on the US you're looking at that. You're excited to see. [00:52:10] Speaker A: Yeah, I think just going down their roster, I think Jerry and Grant is a guy who's has a lot of yearly experience, pretty good guard, and I think a guy who's, you know, played in the CEBL this year, Javante. Smart. He's been a really big part of their kind of qualifier window process. Yeah. So I think always. The US Are always going to be a threat. But, yeah, I think Keyshawn George, he's the key. He's the key. [00:52:36] Speaker B: Sean, that Stamp, the key. What's your starting lineup? If you had to pick. If you're Nate Mitchell, if Nate Mitchell's listening to this right now, right before he decides to start a lineup for the FIBA Maricop, who are you rolling with? Who's your five guys? And I'll give you my five afterwards. See if we have the same one. [00:52:55] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah. I think the way I'm going to approach this is just putting the most talent on the floor at once. So to me, that means starting Keyshawn George and Leonard Miller and then surrounding them with Trey Bell, Haynes, Isaiah Mike and Kevin Galley. [00:53:15] Speaker B: Okay, so a big lineup. You're going with a. Pretty. Outside of Trey Bohan's a pretty big lineup. [00:53:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, big lineup. And I think Keyshawn can kind of give some shooting. Isaiah Mike can give a little shooting, but yeah, really just going to be just like pummeling the ball inside in the interior, doing what France did to us, to other teams, basically. [00:53:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I like that lineup just because I think Isaiah Mike at the last windows he played really well. I don't think he had like a huge role, but in the minutes that I saw him, like this guy is really impressive. I wish he played more. But going off of that and like him not playing that much in the last windows, I think I'm gonna go with Trey Bo Haynes, Nate Darling, Keyshawn Leonard and Kevin Galley. I think those are the five I would go with. Nate Darling, I'm excited to see. Honestly, I haven't watched much of it, much of him outside of highlights, but Nate Darling, I feel like just the, the shooting, I think that will, that'll be huge for Can. I feel like you, you kind of look at it as in you kind of want maybe two, three guys that can shoot on this roster. And the defense might be a concern there honestly with, with Treble Haynes, Nate Darling and, and Leonard. But Keyshawn George, like we said, the key. He, he'll solve all your issues. But I, I, I definitely think it'd be interesting to see Isaiah Mike start, see, see how big Canada can go. But I do think, I do think the four guys should be a staple. If you're bringing, I think a trable. Haynes should be 100% at point guard. I think Leonard should be in the starting lineup. I think Keshan, I think Khelli and then the, the, the last spot. I think it's kind of like figure out what fits best and how well they play off each other. But yeah. Anybody else you could see in that lineup? Isaiah Mike. I said Nate Darling. Anybody else? [00:55:08] Speaker A: Yeah, probably not. I think those, probably not. Yeah, yeah. I like, I think Nate Darling also, he's, he's overdue to hit some threes because you know, the one window he was playing for Canada basketball, I think he had like one out of like 11 or one at it. He's like one for eight from three and he's redemption 40 plus percent shooter. So he'll probably hit a couple, you know, regression to the mean or progression to the mean, I guess. [00:55:34] Speaker B: Yeah. But yeah, that's basically, I feel like. Anything else you wanted to add about the Canada FIBA America Cup? I think that's, I think we covered everything basically from the, the roster, the team training camp, anything else you've been Hearing just about this team and anything else you want to add? [00:55:51] Speaker A: No, I think, yeah, I think we covered it all. Yeah, it's been a long time since the senior men's have played meaningful basketball. So yeah, it's going to be exciting this next couple, I guess next 10 days or so. [00:56:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Jonathan, where can people find your work? Obviously I know Raptors Republic. Anywhere else and where can they follow you? [00:56:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, Raptors Republic is where kind of all my cannabis ball work goes. And then Twitter. I think it's Jonathan C. Chen with an extra N. Probably a bad username, but yeah, I kind of COVID Canada basketball from on the men's side primarily from, you know, the junior age groups all the way up. Basically every single tournament I'm watching. Yeah. So I think, yeah, just mainly Twitter and Raptors Republic for sure. [00:56:44] Speaker B: Tap in with Jonathan when I tell you. I think he does like by far the best work in terms of covering Canada basketball from just like a following like the players analysis overseas. I'm like, okay, Jonathan, who is this guy? Like, could you tell me when did they. When. What's the possibility these guys playing? And then I'll just go try and find out. But I feel like you just the work that you do is like it's much needed. No one else does it. So I want to give you your flowers and obviously I wanted to have you on the podcast to preview this team. And yeah, I'm going to be heading out to what by the time this podcast comes out, I'm going be on a flight to Paris. So don't expect the podcast since I'm giving you two this week. Don't expect the podcast on August 26th, I'll be on vacation, I'll be relaxing. But on September 2nd we have a really good episode. I don't want to tease the guests yet, but probably one of my favorite episodes. Just like the conversation we had, the banter, I won't say who it is, but the conversation I really enjoyed with this college player that I think we'll have potentially a big year in the second year in the NCAA. But stay tuned for that. September 2nd will be the next podcast and some other guests lined up. I think some guys that people have been wanting to hear from and some. Some players that have made a huge impact. Not just I feel like in Toronto basketball, but in Canadian basketball. So stay tapped in. Follow Jonathan on Twitter, follow him for his Canada basketball coverage and stay tuned to. To our coverage on just Canadian basketball as a whole and listen to the last few episodes. Mike George Avery Howell, Michael Bartlett, which was a really good chat. And yeah, follow us on Instagram, Tick tock, Twitter, everywhere. The Canadian Basketball show, it's been your host, Lee Ben Osman. This has been your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball with my guy, Jonathan Chen. And we out.