Who are the top Canadians in college basketball?

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign welcome to the Canadian Basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host Lee Ben Osman. This episode we're going to preview and break down some of the top Canadian talent in college basketball. The NCAA season is right around the corner. The draft class of 2026 is very exciting if you ask me. AJ Debanza dropping 30 plus I believe in exhibition game against Nebraska. Cameron Bruiser also same against I think it was ucf. Darren Peterson, Kansas. He's probably the guy I would take right now with the number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But a lot could change on this episode. Like I said, we'll be focusing on Canadian names. You should know ahead of the season sleepers, potential future draft picks and give you our unfiltered thoughts on some of the players this year. And I'll be honest, this might be a down year in terms of Canadian talent in college basketball, but still some good names. But before we get into all that, I just want to say thank you for the love we got on the last pod we did with Saint Bonaventures. Frank Mitchell from Toronto had a lot of people reach out. I want to shout out Easy83 on Twitter. He DM me. He said he's been joining the podcast. He relates with my obsession with Bellissimos, one of the best spots in the city of Toronto. If you know, you know I don't got to tell you much. Someone got to tell them to give me a sponsorship at this point. Too much free promo. But yeah, if you're listening to this podcast, shoot me a message on Twitter IG let me know what podcast you've been enjoying. I want to shout some of you guys out. We got some other Canadian college basketball guests in the works, hopefully coming in the month of November. Stay tuned for all of that. But like I always say, you've been join the pods, leave a five star rating on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen. Show some love. Follow us on IG Twitter. Everything is down in the description below. But without further ado, joining me to break down some of the top Canadian in college basketball is another Canadian that watches probably the most college basketball out of all the Canadians I know. He knows about programs I've never heard of. There's a lot of them. He used to work at the Score and is now a college basketball analyst and consultant. Matthew Winick, how you doing man? [00:02:16] Speaker B: I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. I appreciate the recognition is the person who is Canadian who knows the Most about. And I played college basketball, which I don't take lightly. So. So that means a lot. I really appreciate it. [00:02:29] Speaker A: I follow you. I see the spreadsheets tracking down all the names in college basketball. I don't know how you do it. It's very impressive. Just tell me what does preparation look like before a college season like this for you? [00:02:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a 365 day year job. Right. Because I mean think about it for coaches that they're playing their season and the week it ends, the transfer portal is immediately hitting and they're trying to find their next team for the next year within a week or within a month. And then it's just a quick prep to understand who is where, who made good choices, who made bad choices and then kind of move along and then you add the money piece into. It's really such a hectic industry. So if you take a full month off, if I went to Europe for a month, I'd come back and I wouldn't have any idea about what anything is anymore. So you got to be on the ball. [00:03:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Do impressive job. Tap in with Matthew. We'll get I feel like deep into the Canadian talk right now. But in assessment wise, Canadians in college basketball this season, are there a lot of standouts in your eyes? Like where does this compare to like years past? Like I'm obviously thinking because I cover like a lot of the draft kind of stuff. Canadians that enter that process, I'm like looking at is there a surefire guy? That's what I keep wondering and I question, but what's your assessment of Canadians in college basketball this season? [00:03:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I think as it pertains to, you know, NBA future, it's not necessarily the greatest of classes just because a lot of the guys you know, are a little undersized. They might not be prototypical NBA players from, from a physical profile. Right. So there are some guys that, that will have really successful careers either near the tail end of it or the beginning of it in college hoops. But I don't see anybody that's in the NCAA right now that is probably a surefire NBA player. Now obviously everyone has their own path and whether it's the G League or two ways or whatever it might be, there will be players in college basketball that are Canadian that will see NBA time. It just might not be via the draft or especially in the first round. [00:04:33] Speaker A: Yeah, a name that probably has been getting a lot of draft buzz in the last few years. I think it'd be rem Reminisce if we don't like start with this guy. Xavier Lee, Princeton now headed to Florida, the Gators that just won the national championship this past year. What was your thoughts on Xavian Lee's decision to transfer? Because I know just from speaking to some people he, I think his final three was Kansas, it was St. John's I think Duke was also in the mix. People don't realize that Duke was also in the mix, but he decided on Florida. What were your thoughts on his decision to transfer initially and decision to land on Florida? [00:05:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean when the national champions, the reigning national champions who lose their entire guard room ask you to come and fill those big shoes like that's as big of a compliment as you could possibly get as a player. For Xavian Lee to leave an Ivy League degree to leave Princeton before he's all said and done that is only really ever been done at least in headways by Danny Wolfe and that obviously we went to Michigan and then became a first round NBA draft pick. So that is also not a decision that is taken lightly. Like you are really banking on your future as a high level professional basketball player. If you're going to bypass that degree one year away from graduating from Princeton as it comes to going to Florida, he is going to have to change his role a little bit because he was the on ball option at Princeton. Everything ran through him as an on ball guard. He got to his spots. He was not playing against the athletes that SEC competition has. So this will put him to the test. If, if, if there is an NBA high level NBA prospect in this class, it's Lee. And it happens because he continues to play how we did in the Ivy League in the big bad SEC. [00:06:22] Speaker A: Yeah, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.55 assists at Princeton last year. I watched his game probably the most out of any Canadians outside of maybe Will Riley, Ryan, Ryan Emhard, those guys probably I watched him the most. And you talked about it. He's going to go to Florida, he's going to have to adjust his role. And he probably also, if you asked him maybe when he first got to Princeton, he probably didn't think NBA was a possibility until sophomore year takes off. And I don't know what, I don't know how much we watched of Global Jam this past year, but I feel like in that setting he was kind of preparing for what his role might be in Florida, kind of taking a backseat sometimes to guy like guys like Aiden Holloway who played for Canada for the first time. Get them their Shots was kind of this facilitator. It's. I think that's kind of what he was kind of preparing for maybe. But what were your thoughts on. I don't know if you watched him much in Global Jam. [00:07:21] Speaker B: Yeah, like it's very important for Xavian Lee to be able to play on and off the ball at Florida this year. You look at his numbers last year at Princeton, he took 162 threes. 115. 115 of them were off of the dribble, which means only 46 were off of the catch. So this, he was not someone who was spacing the floor for Princeton. He was the one that was finding floor spacers. And when you're playing at the high major level, you have to be able to do both. If you're playing in the NBA, you're not going to be the starting point guard or even, even the backup point guard on an NBA team from the get go. So it's very important for the future of his basketball career both this year and moving forward to be able to play on and off the ball. So being able to do that Global Jam is just, you know, the first step of something he's going to have to showcase all season. [00:08:05] Speaker A: I think the biggest question everyone is wondering how does he fit alongside Boogie Flank? What are your thoughts on that fit? And I don't know because I feel like Boogie was obviously like kind of a late addition. He was going through the NBA draft process. I was kind of shocked that he, he came back to college. Obviously the bag is, you know, the bag talks sometimes. So I don't know how much he made, but I believe that probably was a factor too. But what are your thoughts on just like the fit between him and Boogie? [00:08:33] Speaker B: They're gonna naturally, if you just go off of their, their statistics last year, it's not a good fit because both of them were heavy on ball, not great off ball. Shooters very much pick and roll players and obviously you can only run pick and roll with one player at a time. But it's going to be up to them. Like they're both very good basketball players. It's going to be up to them to figure out when it works for each other to have the ball and on and off the ball and then just being able to space it like it's going to help them both in the future being able to play both guard positions, especially given they're not necessarily huge or overly athletic as players. So this is going to help them in the long run being able to play together. But it might not be the easiest to fit off the bat. Like Florida begins their season with the bang against Arizona and day one in less than two weeks from now. And it might take a couple of weeks for them to really figure out what makes sense in actual game action. [00:09:25] Speaker A: What does a good year look like for Xavier Lee in your eyes? [00:09:30] Speaker B: I think that it's showing that he can do more than what he did at Princeton. He was a very, very specific type of player at Princeton and they needed him to be that. Like that's. Let's not say that he was being, you know, a flawed player. He was being what they needed him to be. But what can you open up? Like has he gotten stronger in the offseason? Will he be a better defender? Will he be a better off ball shooter? Like what can he provide to a winning team at the highest level that's a successful season for him. Is showing pieces of his game that he hasn't had the chance to show just because he like he might be a way better defender than he's shown, but he didn't have the energy because he was so busy offensively. Like we're going to learn a lot about that with him. [00:10:09] Speaker A: And yeah, I spoke to some coaches on that global jam staff. I think for them it was like, yeah, if he's going to make it to the league, the biggest thing is the defense on that end. That's kind of what I think they were pushing him on. And physically I think he's a completely different guy than he was two years ago. I don't know how much he weighs now, but probably close to 200. And I know the way he eats. The guy eats like five times a day. It's insane. If you watch, he has a good YouTube series, Nick in a Cut. There's a like a two hour vlog following him around. I watched some of those and like the way he goes about his days are pretty insane. But yeah, he's a name. I think from what I heard when he went through the draft process the year prior, had two way offers from NBA teams, teams were interested. It was just the size. I think that was like the biggest concern. Now he's going to the sec, I would say, you would probably say too. Best conference in college basketball. And yeah, I just remember just like I think he worked out for like eight or nine teams. Looked really solid in the G League elite showcase at the combine. Even though that doesn't really matter much sometimes because like that's kind of like a freelance basketball type of setting. But he has interests from teams, teams that I spoke to. I think for him it's probably just the body, the defense. Can he shoot the three ball efficiently at a high level? Catch and shoot off the ball in a role that obviously sometimes he might now have the ball to create in the NBA because that might not be the role straight off the gate. Right. But for you, whatever, obviously we talked about it. Not many like on ESPN or any really draft rankings, maybe Bleacher Report has, has Xavier, they've been fans of him. But there's not a Canadian in the top 60 from I believe right now on any draft boards. Is he a name that you see could potentially being on there? Like, what do you think his chances are of getting drafted this year? [00:12:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I think he has the highest upside simply because he's going to be on national tv and you'd think, okay, national TV doesn't matter like it does. Scouts are looking at these games, NBA draft analysts are looking at these games far more than, you know, even Elijah Mahi, someone we'll talk about, is going to be on national TV five times. Like Xavian Lee will be on national TV 20 times. That does matter. So if he's able to be the number one, you know, on ball option, if he's better than Boogie, than Boogie Fland as the on ball creator, if, if that, you know, people love to look at three point percentage. If he shoots 40% from three, like I'd be lying if I told you that I haven't heard enough people that have said the difference between just seeing 39% and seeing 40% on 3. When you don't get great, great looks on a guy. Like if you're the main option on Florida as an on ball creator, if you shoot 40% from three, if you, if you have put on that weight, if you can at least hang defensively in the sec. Like these are all small, tangible things that may not really matter in the long run, but it gets you on draft boards and then it gets you invited to combines and then it allows you to show yourself often in a situation you may have not been in otherwise. So there are definitely ways in which he's able to sort of jump up and the exposure is really the key piece. [00:13:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Before we leave off on Florida, there's another guy on that roster, another Canadian I had here that he was 7 6, but I think it might be, it might be 79 at this point. The tallest teenager in world record. I don't know what he said. He might be a foot at this point. Red shirted Last year at Florida. Olivier played with Canada basketball at the Fiber U19 this past summer. And I'll be honest with you, I was a bit disappointed in what he showcased. Having a year off just to work on his game. I thought he should have been by far a year in college on that team, the best big man. But I would say he was probably one of the worst in my opinion, to be honest with you. I don't know what your thoughts are to him, but I look back at like Zach edie at the FIBA U19. He was a guy at his size. People had doubts on if he was going to get drafted in the first round. The first time he went went around the draft process ends up obviously getting picked by Memphis, but was still controversial pick that high. This to me is another level. What are your thoughts on Olivier Ryu? Hopefully pronouncing the last name right, I I try to work on my French a little bit. But what are your thoughts on him? Is he a guy we could expect playing this year? I'll float his roster. [00:14:32] Speaker B: He will not play this year. On Florida's roster for one, they have a pretty loaded front court. They have at least four guys that are not only going to be playing big minutes but are among the better big men frontcourt players in the entire sec. What people forget about Olivier Riou is he's not a scholarship player at the University of Florida. Now obviously that doesn't mean anything but he is a preferred walk on. He chose to go to Florida as a walk on. This is true. Obviously the the summer with Canada basketball did not go how most people hoped it would after a year playing at in Florida system. The reality is this, even for Zach Eady, someone who moves way better than Ryu. A little bit smaller, but better footwork, better hand eye like better everything athletically just a little bit smaller. Perdue when he was in college still ran everything around him. The defensive scheme they ran was for him, the offensive scheme they ran, the shooters they had. It was everything was for Ed so that he could succeed it. And obviously it worked to an insane degree. If Olivier Ryu is ever going to be successful in basketball, it has to be for. In my opinion has to be for a scheme for him. Because when you just throw him on Canada basketball and you say just like go hoop, go play. He doesn't move well enough to do that. He can't just play any defensive scheme because you he has to stay around the rim. He offensively there is only you need to get him the ball in advantageous positions. Because he's not going to create advantageous positions on his own. So with Florida, a team that has really high expectations, a lot of returning frontcourt guys, and he's technically going to probably dress this year and be a freshman, it's not attainable to see him play any level of competitive minutes. Now, Todd Golden, Florida's coach, loves to crash the offensive glass and he loves to play drop coverage. Those are two things that in the future, perhaps Ryu can do. If he wants to stick it out at Florida, he could go to maybe a mid major or even a youth sports route and play real minutes eventually. But he's very far from that right now. [00:16:36] Speaker A: I was going to ask you this. Would you stay at Florida if he doesn't play? If he doesn't play another year, would you, would you go to a mid major? What are your thoughts on that? [00:16:44] Speaker B: Well, he was in a Canadian Tire commercial this year. Right. Like he's getting his nil money. Yeah, he, he. It's really tough because he could stay at Florida. They have great like abilities for him to make a lot of money. And there's a, the nil system at a high major school is so much more advanced than a mid major school. Like for 10 extra minutes a game. I don't, I would stay at Florida. I would stay Selkin in, you know, being the tallest teenager in the world. Like, like do that, have your, have your time and then kind of go from there. But I would stay. [00:17:18] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a trick because I get asked a lot people like, what about Olivier Ryu? And I'm like, I don't think he's a player. I don't think he's, he's a guy that's going to be a factor at all. I'm kind of shocked at times when I'm watching the Fiber U19 and Canada Basketball starting him. I'm like, I don't think he should be starting. There's a high school player that's ranked that's went on a visit to Duke, Maxie Meyer, just recently. I think he might be the next best young talent in high school basketball, his size right now. So. And I don't know, I just. And he was playing better than Ryu. I heard more stuff about Max than I heard about Olivier. So it's like I'm trying to figure out. I don't, It's a tricky situation because you hear all this hype. But yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to say much about Livia Ryu. I just wanted to get Your thoughts? Obviously another Florida guy that'll be there. I think a lot of people have questions about him, but from what I'm gauging from your thoughts, he's not really a player that people should be expecting much from. Right? [00:18:17] Speaker B: Yeah. No, I would say that at least this year, maybe one day because he will still have four years of eligibility. So maybe one day, but it won't be this year. [00:18:26] Speaker A: Yeah, let's move on. We kind of talked about him, mentioned him for a second. Elijah Mahi, Santa Clara, a guy that I watched at Global Jam this past year and I'll be honest, not the greatest performance compared to what he looked like two years prior at Global Jam where he kind of shocked everybody. Coming from juco, I believe he played at Utah Valley. And Bobby, honest, watching his games at Santa Clara, I see his mold, his prototype, his build. An NBA type of build that I think teams look for. What are your thoughts on Elijah Mahi? Is he a name that could get drafted? What are your impressions on him? [00:19:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, listen, last year he came into college basketball. Not a ton of expectations. He was a really highly ranked juco player, but not every highly ranked juco player really hands out, especially in year one. It can take time and he was awesome. But it's worth mentioning, you know, he started a third of their team's games. He wasn't even. He wasn't one of the main options. He was not the wing that opponents were scouting. That was Adama Ball, who was, you know, an NBA draft prospect prior to the year. And this had been Herb Sendak, the coach at Santa Clara's thing for a while. He had Jalen Williams who obviously has gone on to do unbelievable things in the NBA. He kind of revitalized Brandon Pajemski's career and he was known. And Metadama Ball went from being nothing at Arizona to star Santa Clara. So he's been known as this like wing guard. You know, he's going to develop you and make you an NBA player. And this year that person is Elijah Mahi. He is going to be the most scouted against player on Santa clara in the WCC where St. Mary's and Gonzaga play. And he was just voted today first team all WCC in the preseason. Interesting to lead the team in shot attempts. He's probably not going to shoot 43% from three again because there's going to be way more defensive coverage on him if he has as efficient of a year and as successful of a year, both as a rebounder as a passer all the different things he did with all the attention on him, with a higher usage rate, playing and starting every game then now you're talking about someone who can easily be at minimum a second round pick. But you saw like a lot more expectations on him in Global Jam year two than year one and the efficiency went way down. So there's no way to know for sure whether he's going to be able to actually produce with so much more attention on him. [00:20:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good point. It'll be interesting to see because Global Jam, I honestly sometimes I don't put much weight to it because then we watched a guy like Lena Miller play at Global Jam and I think a lot of people were like questioning if he could, if he could get to the NBA at that point after that Global Jam run. But he ended up getting drafted by Minnesota. Um, just to go through Mahi's stats at Global Jam, 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists. Against Japan, that was probably his best game. And Then against Georgetown, 3 points, 1 of 7 shooting, 7 points, 2 of 9 shooting against Brazil compared to the year prior, scored in double figures in three of the forward games, shot about 51%. This year he was shooting 26.9%. I say that I take it with a grain of salt. Global Jam stats. I've said it before but, but it's interesting just to see because I'll be honest, I've talked to teams and I said, hey, what do you think about Elijah Mahi? Some teams like you mentioned, he wasn't scouted much. Teams, scouts didn't really know much about him. So I don't know. I think he needs to improve the handle. I think that's probably the biggest thing I know he's been in the gym with guys like in Humber College. I think he's been in workouts with Nemhard, those guys. So he's a, he's around NBA talent, he's seeing what the day to day process is like. So Elijah Mahi, to me, if there's two guys that I think maybe three probably mention another name, if things go amazingly correct, I think they could get drafted. But Mahi is a name just the size. I had someone that I know guarded him this summer and he's just like man, this guy is. It's an NBA body. That's what they were talking, telling me about. So yeah. Any last thoughts on Mahi? [00:22:29] Speaker B: Yeah, no NBA body. And like Santa Clara is going to let him play. Make like he was a very good passer last year at least for a wing and. And you're saying he's working on his handle like he's going to pro ch. He's going to be put in the Jalen Williams mold, obviously coming out of Santa Clara and they have a very similar physical profile. Like if he can put up similar stats, like scouts are going to see that comparison and they're going to run with it. [00:22:52] Speaker A: Is there a returning Canadian in your eyes that you could see have a breakout year that outside of like the top names that we're obviously discussing, is there a name that you're like, people should be keeping an eye on this guy. [00:23:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Someone that you know, we haven't talked about yet and I don't think we'll get to. If I don't bring him up now is in a much smaller Division 1 school. You said I like to go deep. Liu, they have a lot of Canadians. Their three best players are probably Canadian, but they have a guy, Malachi Davis, one of the most, one of the highest usage players in the country last year had some speed bumps up and down. Not the most efficient. But he is a bucket getter and he's going to have the keys to the car. At liu, a team that is very highly favored to win their conference and make a visit to March Madness. He might average 20 points per game and that's going to be very notable. He's someone that whether it's the NBA or whether it's the CEBL or whatever it might be like he is going to be a fixture in Canadian hoops for a long time to come because he's an elite scorer. He did it at the JUCO level. He got his way to Arizona State where it didn't quite work out. But I think he's gonna have an awesome year and he's going to make. He's probably going to be the highest scoring Canadian in college basketball this year. [00:24:04] Speaker A: Yep. Ally, you shot. We had Dial more Ally on the podcast talked about him a lot, amped up his guys. Malachi Davis, big year potential NCAA tournament team. And yeah, Malachi Davis, I remember watching that kid in high school Central Tech days and to see that he's become a scorer like he was a guy that used to just jump out the gym, athleticism through the roof. But the way he's just adapted his game, man, is beautiful to see. Obviously didn't have the greatest experience, I believe at Arizona State, but now goes to LIU and I think teams are poaching him. Teams wanted him at to go to a high higher major, but he stuck he believes with in Rod Strickland's vision for him and the team. That's his team. So a name that I'm glad you mentioned because we probably wouldn't have gotten to it, but I want to shout out Liu, a team I'll probably be trying to tune into. I'm gonna have some people I don't know. Where do you find the links for games like this? For especially these. [00:24:57] Speaker B: You're in luck. LIU is in the nec, which has their own free network. It's called NEC Front Row. You can watch every single conference game for free. [00:25:05] Speaker A: Oh, is this illegal streaming? Because I want to promote that. [00:25:08] Speaker B: Front row is that. That is their own conference. They have it on their own website. It's not paywalled. You can watch all their conference games. Once January rolls around, you can get every single Malachi Davis game for free. [00:25:19] Speaker A: You guys tap in. I'm going to be tapping in to Dalmore on that team. A good name to mention. Next question that I have for you. Canadian freshman in college basketball. Last year we had Will Riley, a guy that ends up going the first round, drafted by the Washington Wizards, elite scorer. Is there any freshman coming into college basketball this season? They. That could surprise people? [00:25:47] Speaker B: Yeah, listen, I, I've always been, you know, tuning into these Canada U16, U17 games over the years and, and someone who, I think his, his development may have stagnated a little bit. Someone who I was really high on in the youth process was. Is Faosa Oyogu, someone who is starting out his college career at Butler, someone who was probably ranked a little bit higher a couple years ago, ended off as like a lower four star guy. And maybe his name kind of fell through the cracks for some Canadian basketball fans that weren't paying attention when he was more hyped up as a prospect, you know, in his younger high school days. But he has the chance on a Butler team that doesn't have a ton in terms of guards and wings to make a real impact. He has a college basketball ready body. He, he's a lot stronger, more physically present than most freshmen and they just played their first exhibition game. Obviously you take those with a grain of salt. They don't actually matter. He was their second leading scorer in the game. He got to the free throw line 10 times, 7 for 10 from the free throw line, had 12 points, 4 assists, 2 offensive boards. He's someone that that physicality, even if the skill level may have not quite developed at the level that you were hoping over the past couple of years. He's going to play real minutes in the Big east and he's going to have the chance to lay a foundation for a really good career. [00:27:05] Speaker A: Yeah, you mentioned it. Obviously a Boller team. They just lost Montreal's Jamil Telfer, a guy that just signed a two way contract. Congrats to him. We had him on the podcast at summer league, signed a two way with the Clippers. But yeah, this team is gonna. I feel like IFOS is gonna have a lot of chance opportunity just to run kind of a young team. And yeah, he was a guy, I think and I hate to put this label but like you know, there's, there's always like the okay, who's the next Wiggins? Who's the next Jamal Murray out of Canada, right? And I think he got that label just like what Pobby talked about. Elijah Fiser got that label. Right. And I don't know if it helped him out. [00:27:45] Speaker B: Right. [00:27:45] Speaker A: But I think he was still like, he still put up numbers in high school basketball. Played at ot, spent a year there, I think looked pretty solid too. FIBA U19 with Canada basketball. I always just question and I think it's been a question for the last few years is how does the shot look? I think that's been. Everyone was wondering that. I know he's an elite downhill attacker. I believe he's a very underrated passer. I at ot, I think they were honing in on that for him. And I think this past year too at. I think it was William Academy, that's where he was at. So I think, honestly I think Afosa, like you said, he has the body, he has the body. The biggest thing. And NBA teams are always going to wonder this is can you, can, can you shoot at the NBA level? The line is deeper. Can you translate that to the next level? And that's my biggest question with Ifosa. But yeah, I'm excited just to watch him. Freakish athlete. He had a dunk in the FIBA U19 where he caught it like he was like levitating like it was man, insane. I'm excited to watch. It might go out. I don't know how far Butler is from, from Toronto. I might want to go check out a game just to tap in. Do you go out to much college games? [00:28:55] Speaker B: I'm not going to go a little bit more often this year, but it's, it's. No, it's. That's one of the best environments in all of college hoops too. So I mean it's probably like 2/3, 3/4 of the way to Chicago. So you add those in. Find a way to go to reason to go to Chicago. Then find your way to Hinkle Field House and watch a game of Butler. [00:29:13] Speaker A: Yeah, E fosa a name go tapping Butler. Another name I really wanted to mention. Nathan George from Syracuse, just transferred from Georgia Tech. A point guard I feel like was probably under the radar and a lot of Canadians eyes a few years back but plays for Raptors legend Damon Stoudemire, excels and now is headed to Syracuse playing with Kion Anthony over there. But I believe Nathan George is going to be a primary focus. He's going to have the ball a lot in his hands at Syracuse. What's what was your impressions of like Nate George transferring over to Syracuse? [00:29:56] Speaker B: I'll be honest, I wish that Nate George stayed. I'm a big Nate George fan. I think he has awesome passing vision and the good thing with him and with Damon Stoudemire at Georgia Tech is Damon, you know, former point guard himself, loves to run pick and roll over and over and over again. He had an awesome pick and roll partner in big men Babe Ndongo who might be an NBA draft pick one day and now he's going to a team in Syracuse where there's a lot of ISO scores and that's not, that's something that, you know, head coach Red Autry. They haven't ran as much pick and roll as Georgia Tech did and I think that that might not be the best for Nate George to be able to, you know, show what he can do on the college basketball court. His shot percentage went way up as a sophomore and it made him a little bit more inefficient from the field. I think what would have been best for him is for him to continue to showcase that passing skill that he did better than, you know, any Canadian college hoops last year that wasn't named Ryan Nemhard and you know, show that the three pointer is going to stay more consistent, that he's going to be able to finish at the rim stronger. Now I feel like he's not going to be as much of an on ball presence at Syracuse. Just name along some other guys, you know, some higher paid guys, let's say. So it'll be up to him, you know, he'll have to be able to make, you know, do with the touches that he has and if he's able to, maybe he'll be, look, maybe he'll be more efficient because he's not going to have the ball as much and it'll end up being better for him. But he really had an offensive system that worked for his skill set with Stoudemire and Georgia Tech. And obviously he chose to go to perhaps a higher profile school in exchange. [00:31:31] Speaker A: Yeah, Nathan George averaged 12.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds in his sophomore season at Georgia Tech. I don't know too much behind the move to Syracuse. Um, but from what I know, there's a lot of pressure on that Syracuse program to deliver to win games. So Syracuse is a team I'm going to be watching a lot. Like I said, George, we talked about elite passer. I would say now that Ryan Himars has left college basketball, probably the best passer among Canadians in college basketball. Average, like I said, 6.5. Probably deserves more credit. Like you said, just a wizard in the pick and roll, navigating ball screens. Just I, I want to track you probably, you probably track this later this season. I feel like he might be throwing the most lobs in college basketball last year. At least that he did so. But like you mentioned, like, when I talk to scouts, it's always about the efficiency as a scorer, as a shooter. He's six' three. He shot 31.4% from three in his first year, 33.9% in his second year. We'll give him 34%. A lot better at the line, 78.9% this past year from 69% his first year. So I think when I talk to people, it's like, hey, can he get Daniel, can he create his own shot? And then also can he shoot the basketball? That's the biggest question for a lot of Canadians. That's why Will Riley gets drafted, because he should. He didn't have the greatest percentage. But the way that that guy can be able to create his own shot just like, and, and the shooting, like, it's weird that Will Riley was a better off ball creator than he was just like a standstill shooter. But that, that, that translates, you know, that translates to the NBA and that's what teams are looking for. So the biggest question I feel like for Nathan George is the shooting. I want to get your thoughts on this. We're going through a lot of names. We went through Xavier Lee, we went through Nathan George, forgetting some other guys we mentioned, we mentioned Malachi Davis. A lot of guys transfer. What do you make of now, players transferring so many times? Do you hold it against them? Or like, does that bring your stock down to you? Because now we're looking at a college basketball system where a record number are entering the port. A thousand plus. So I don't know how much I put much weight into that because I'm like, yo, go. Go get your bag. To be honest, if the program's not giving you money and you think you can get a higher role, higher payment, go do your thing. What are your thoughts on. Because we're gonna. We're talking a lot of names, and we're gonna talk about some more names that have transferred quite a bit. What are your thoughts on the players just transferring in general? Does that bring your. Their stock in your eyes? [00:34:04] Speaker B: I mean, it doesn't really change a ton for me. I also just, like, understand the space well enough to almost always be able to tell you why someone transferred. It's very clear if they transferred for money or if they transferred for opportunity or if they transferred for, you know, a level that's more appropriate for them. Like, it's. It's almost always explainable now. I mean, there are a couple of guys that we haven't gotten into, and I'm sure we'll talk about Elijah Fisher and Boo Boo Benjamin, who kind of did opposites. Like, they both transferred up from a lower level to a high level. I think one made an outstanding choice, and one made a poor choice. So I can. I can judge their choices. I. I can say maybe you didn't go to a place that is best for you. And as someone who follows the game so closely, I have a decent idea of what will make sense for someone, but. And he talked to an NBA scout. If you're talking about, you know, potential future, like, they love players that transfer because they know that it's. Especially these days, it's rarely, oh, it was a problem. Like, his coach wanted him to leave. Coaches don't really want these guys to leave. NBA scouts love when players transfer because they get to see them in different situations. And it's just like you get two, three years to get eyeballs on someone, but you learn so much more about a player when you see them in three years on three teams, because now you really get their makeup better than you could with one team. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Yeah, information like these scouts get, there's a lot like they're. They're CIA when it comes to information gathering. Like, they'll find out everything. But why, like you mentioned, like, the reason why you transferred. Scouts will know why. And. Yeah, I agree with that. I think transferring especially, like, for a guy like Xavier, if you want to be considered seriously for the NBA draft, how do you perform at Florida compared to Princeton? That's the biggest question, right? I. You, you mentioned you loved one transfer decision, you hated it. I don't want to jump the gun, but is there a transfer decision by Canadian you loved and you hated? You kind of talked. Which one was it? Let's hear it. [00:35:55] Speaker B: I loved the move that Boobo Benjamin made. I did not like the move that Elijah Fischer made for Booba Benjamin. I think it was just getting out of Tarleton State. That's the situation. And obviously, you know, they believed in him coming out of high school. Someone who, you know, popped for me in a couple of spots in terms of Team Canada, where I was really impressed with some of the stuff he did because he wasn't in the Toronto, Ontario ish area. He's not someone I was familiar of, you know, back in high school. But he showed some stuff for Team Canada and Tarleton gave him a chance and, you know, you got to respect that. But that's an organized. It's a program where, you know, there's issues with coaches, there's issues with rotations, there's issues with personnel. And he's going to go to a program at George Washington and a coach with Chris Caputo who are going to put him in a very good position. They value, you know, NBA style analytics, issued a lot of threes or rim attempts. They're not going to do a lot of mid range clutter that Tarleton did a ton of. And it's going to let Booboo Benjamin's game be hit the open threes, which he's done effectively. He's been less efficient because of the dribble shots and the contested shots and the mid range shots and get to the basket where he can use his length and finish at the rim. And I think that he's going to open a lot of eyes with what he's able to do in a more analytically advanced situation. I think he's super skilled and I think he'll have a great year at George Washington with two years to play too. [00:37:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know if he was injured this summer with Canada basketball Global Jam, but he didn't play much, was sitting on the bench. I would love to know why. If anybody listens to this podcast, knows much about that situation, I want to know why. Hit me up. Elijah Fisher, though, you're saying you, you didn't like that decision, obviously. Now this is his fourth new team. Started off at Texas Tech, went to DePaul, just wrapped up at Pacific and is now headed to Seton Hall. What do you make? Obviously you're Saying you don't like that decision, what do you make of. Just like his NCAA career was once, obviously the guy that was the most popping out of Canada. The name that, if you thought about the next best talent coming out of Canada, it was. People talked about Elijah Fisher. Tell me about the move to seeing hall, why you didn't like it. [00:38:05] Speaker B: All right, let's break this down. So he starts his career at Texas Tech. I remember the day he announced it on tsn. It was a really big deal. He obviously skill wise and we could have been able to tell you this from his last couple of years in Canada basketball, like his skill level was not there as a freshman to be a big contributor, that's fine. And in this day and age, that's enough of a reason to leave sometime. And I get that. But the problem with him was never the physicality. It was never with never the natural athleticism. It was always going to a place where he can work on skill development. He chose to go to a DePaul team. I'm going to. I'm just going to put. I'm going to put words into his mouth. Obviously, I wasn't part of decision making. He probably didn't get a ton of high major looks after barely playing at Texas Tech. DePaul was coming off a year where they were one of the worst teams in the Big east. And they're probably one of the few high major teams that were like, come in and we'll play you. He went there. Obviously, they had a historically bad year. They went 3, 29. They're one of the worst offenses in all of the country, let alone power conference hoops. And he's inefficient again. He's good at the basket once again because he's super athletic and finishes strong when he gets there. The jumper's still not there, the passing still not there. So now there are no more high major offers because he gives up that opportunity. Dave's smart and Pacific and they're obviously going to be higher on Canadians and they believe in his ability. They bring him in at Pacific and finally you see some of that ability now. It wasn't perfect. He still only made 18 threes. He still wasn't really showcasing the passing, but he had that high usage. He got to the free throw line a ton. He had some big scoring games. You're finally starting to see it. And so now it's like, okay, fine, maybe you want to make more money than what Pacific is offering. I get that. Maybe you want a bigger stage for your Final year of basketball. But Seton hall is coming off a year where they were the worst offensive power conference team in the country. They were 315th in offensive efficiency. There's only 365 teams. So he did it again. Like at Texas Tech, he goes, he wants to play high major basketball, so he goes to the worst team. And now after Pacific, he wants his last year in high major basketball and he goes to the worst team. Like for someone who needs to get to the rim and is not that great of a shooter for a wing, he picked a team with no spacing, with no offensive flow and it's going to look like the DePaul year. He's going to have some, some highlight dunks, he's going to get to the basket. But unless he magically, you know, improved his skill level greatly in his between his junior and senior seasons, it's just going to be the same old couple of seasons. And it would have been awesome to see him on a team with more spacing, with more offensive direction like Boo Boo Benjamin did at George Washington. Not worry about the high major marking. Go to an offense that will make his skill set shine. And over his four years in college, he just never really did that. [00:40:50] Speaker A: Yeah, not much you talk about it. Not much of a shooter at this rate. Hasn't shot above 30% from three throughout his three years in college basketball. I. He went through the job process this year. I didn't hear much about that. I'm rooting for the kid. You know, obviously he's like a, it's a tough situation because like he's a guy that tools wise you thought he'd have it but just couldn't put it all together yet. Maybe, maybe he does this year, who knows. I think a lot of it too is sometimes he has tunnel vision. Not much of a creator, I don't think. He's averaged like above 1.6 assists throughout his time in college basketball. And at times I feel like at Pacific he wasn't even looking like the best player when he probably should have. And I remember instances watching their games where he's sitting out in crucial moments. So I don't know. It's tough. Obviously not going to a higher level like you mentioned at C Hall, more expectations even now. I don't know. It's tough. Elijah Fisher, I'm rooting for the guy. Like I said, his situation has made me kind of tame. Relax with putting expectations on kids at such a young age. He was a freak though in high school basketball. If you watched him, man, Just like the stuff he was able to do. But, yeah, I don't know. [00:42:11] Speaker B: Just. [00:42:11] Speaker A: Just tough situation. Any last thoughts on Elijah Fisher? You kind of. You kind of went off there a. [00:42:15] Speaker B: Little bit, that last point. No, no, I just. I wanted to give the context because I don't want to, you know, sit up here and say, well, he made a bad decision. Like, I want to explain what that process lead to this point. But I think the last point you made is really key. Like when he was at Crestwood Prep in his early high school days, that's when I was, you know, getting started in the media space. I was in sport media at TMU at the time, so. So, like, I interviewed Roe Russell. I had done stuff with osba. Like, I had been in those games and like, the expectations that were put on him were unfair. There he had come right after a couple of really awesome, you know, players. Right after RJ Barrett had made the NBA was when his high school tape was really starting to pop. And, like, the expectations were unfair. And perhaps some of the decisions he's made in the future were kind of clinging on or holding onto the pedestal he was put on early on. And I think it's. It's a good test case for the type of player where it's like, let's not anoint someone to be something before they get to at least a certain level. And I think that kind of happened. [00:43:13] Speaker A: Yeah. Isaiah Hamilton getting that right now in Canada basketball, I think I see I'll put pressure on kids. I don't. I hate doing that. But he looked good. Fever U16. I think mentally he just needs to get it all together. But that's a young kid that's, you know, he's like, man, I can't imagine in the social media age when. When you're putting up dunks like that at that age through the legs, I would. I don't know how I would handle it, but I don't know, man. I think I would handle it worse than Isaiah Hamilton is. I'm not saying he's handling bad, but I think he's like, at a young age, it's so tough to pressure on you. What I will say is what he has that I don't think Elijah Fisher had is he has a shot. He can shoot. He can shoot the ball. The handle needs to get a lot better. Just like not looking down when you're dribbling, that kind of stuff. That will come time. Crestwood, I heard, obviously. Just. I don't know if I said this on. On record before, but I heard a lot of schools, some top schools in the states where we're obviously trying to get in the mix. Talk with him. He decided to stay at Crestwood. Maybe he transfers out, who knows? But yeah, I think it's probably a good, good place. Maybe just to stay for another year. He's still young, you know, just not. It's not a rush right now for him. But any thoughts on Isaiah Hamilton before we get back to some college basketball? I hate putting expectations on these guys, you know, I just hate it. [00:44:34] Speaker B: He made the U16s, like the most watchable thing ever. Because I just wanted to see what Isaiah Hamilton was gonna do next. And then he just like, somehow found a way to top himself, like every quarter, every half, like he did something. I was like, oh, my goodness, this is insane. The athleticism, shooting combo is like college basketball. Ready now. Like with the way that he hits open threes, the way he hits tough threes, like he hit a couple of threes in that tournament. I can remember one, like, fade away in the corner three that he hit in one of those games, which is absolutely insane. The handle will come in time, but at his size, especially if he grows a couple inches, like, you don't need an elite handle to be an effective player. With the shooting, size, athleticism, combo, I'm high on him. I hope that he does not take the path of some of the guys that have been in his position in the last five years. [00:45:22] Speaker A: Yeah, I was in the gym at Fort Erie. I'll be honest, I got blown out. He didn't look too great in that game. Still young and that for Erie team is quite experienced. So the Crestwood seems pretty young, but Syracuse was in the building talking to him. So, yeah, guy I gotta watch out for, man. Isaiah Hamilton. We'll get back to some college basketball talk. Another guy that was at Global Jam, Aiden Holloway, Alabama. He was originally at Auburn. I remember watching him for the first time. I didn't know he was Canadian until obviously he ends up playing for Canada at the Nike Hoop Summit. And I was there watching him and I'm like, wow, this guy, he can shoot the hell out of the ball. Really good shooter. And yeah, just obviously a lot of the other stuff kind of size wise, kind of an issue. But a good college basketball player and probably one of the top guys. Like we're talking, we're talking about Xavier Lee, we're talking about Nathan George, Elijah Mahi. Aiden Holloway is right in that mix. What are your thoughts on Aiden Holloway and just obviously heading to Another year with Alabama. A lot of expectations that Alabama team has competed in, in the NCAA tournament. Has competed. And Nate Oats, I love the way they run things over there. Just like a fun, fun offense over there. And, and there's a lot. He's going to get a lot of looks because there's a lot of NBA talent on that, on that Alabama roster. [00:46:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Like you talk about guys in a good fit for the way that they play. Aiden Holloway is in a great system with Nate Oates, who's the most analytically savvy head coach, at least amongst the top ones in the country. Like you sit in a press conference with Nate Oates and it did a couple years ago. Alabama played Zach Edie in Purdue, in Toronto. He's the only coach I've ever been in a conference with that references points per possession, not points per game. Like it's that type of small thing. But with Aiden Holloway, unbelievable shooter. We talked about the SEC being the best league in all of college basketball, which is where Holloway played at Alabama. 46% from three in SEC plays. Unbelievable. Absolute sniper. Sharpshooter. Can play on ball, can play off ball. He's not the predominant point guard. But with Mark Sears off in the NBA now, LeBaron Filon will take that main role. Aiden Holloway will be the secondary playmaker. He'll start every game for Alabama. He'll shoot a ton of threes, a bunch of rim attempts and floaters and not a lot of that mid range clutter. If he tops 40% from three ups, the assist percentage up the ups, the assist numbers, like he'll at least put himself on draft radars for his senior season. Being nationally ranked, McDonald's All American is going to immediately have you remain on scouts radars. Obviously the size is a big factor, not overly athletic. But if you can continue to shoot the lights out and shoot an NBA shot diet, improve that playmaking, which you did show a little bit more as a freshman at Auburn where he struggled a little bit with his shooting efficiency. You combine those two, now you really have something. [00:48:05] Speaker A: Yeah, Aiden Holloway, a name I enjoy watching, especially Alabama. So a name to watch, especially with that program. Are they. I'm gonna ask you, what Canadian player do you feel like is the most when you think about way ahead to March Madness for their team to actually accomplish something this year? What Canadian player do you feel like needs to have the most impact? [00:48:28] Speaker B: All right, I'll drop a name that we haven't talked about yet. I'll go with someone who's been on Your show in recent days. [00:48:37] Speaker A: Okay. [00:48:38] Speaker B: Frank Mitchell at. Okay, yeah. [00:48:41] Speaker A: I love the shout out. [00:48:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I was, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Saint Bonaventures pro day put on by Adrian Wojnarowski in New York City where I'm currently living. And he was a beast. Obviously he's had a little bit of an interesting career where he went from, you know, Canadian college basketball to Canisius where he was an unbelievable rebounder. Got his way up to Minnesota where he was not. It was a mix of things. I don't think he was in a great situation. He wasn't in the greatest of shape. The way that he plays is more of a ground bound. Big is not always going to translate up to the high major level. But I saw him this offseason just a couple of weeks ago in fantastic shape. They love him at St. Bonaventure. He's going to be their starting center. He's going to play a lot. He'll probably average a double double in the A10 which is the sixth or seventh best league in all of college basketball. And that will jumpstart his pro career whether it's, you know, in the G League on a two way, starting in the cebl, blowing in Europe, whatever it might be. This he will create a pro career out of this season where he will put on real rebounding and scoring numbers around the basket and his conditioning way better than it has been in the past couple years. [00:49:53] Speaker A: Yeah, guy I honestly really enjoyed having on the podcast. Went out to Saint Bonaventure, chatted with him for I think over like an hour plus. An hour, like 20, 20 plus minutes. Go listen to that podcast if you have. His journey is insane. You mentioned obviously like Minnesota didn't have the greatest year. He was, he talked about on the podcast. He was also. I don't know if you mentioned on the podcast we mentioned on the side. To me, I don't know if I should mention this but he was dealing with an injury. To be honest, he was dealing with injury early on in that time. So obviously not the greatest here. Woj and them speak very highly of him. They had a practice out here in Toronto at Humber College and I think he's a very sneaky pastor, obviously undersized, can't really can't shoot the ball. Let's be real. 6 8. But does all the dirty work. Like he, he, that's his, that's his game and he loves it. He knows that. What did Kawhi say, man? Even though it's a Bad time to mention Kawhi this time of year, especially with all the stuff that's going on. Allegations wise. But Boar man get paid and. And he. That that's basically what he is. Right. So his, his journey's crazy. His journey's crazy. [00:50:49] Speaker B: I saw him get at this practice. Three offensive rebounds in one possession right in front of Tom Thibodeau who was sitting right on on. [00:50:56] Speaker A: Oh, he loved that. Yeah. [00:50:57] Speaker B: If you're gonna get three offensive boards, that's the guy. You're odd. Even though he's currently unemployed, Tom Thibodeau, I'm sure he'll figure something out that you're. You're gonna get into coach's good book. But just by doing that in front of him. [00:51:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Frank Mitchell, a name I feel like people should know. I probably might be the best. One of the top Canadian big men's in college basketball. Another name probably Mike Nooko. What are your thoughts on him? He's headed to lsu, was at Florida. No Miami originally and then went to Mississippi State in that situation. He was kind of starting off the starting and then sometimes off the off on the bench in terms of crucial minutes when I was watching. Now goes to lsu, a new spot play that global jam was kind of dealing with the injury. He's kind of like a lob threat big played at the Nike Huge summit too. Any thoughts on Michael nco? [00:51:46] Speaker B: Yeah, he's someone that I would have loved to see rather than kind of recycle his way through backup big man on on high major team which he's been doing like I would have loved him to see him drop a little bit of a level a 10American WCC like some of the guys we've been talking about, Buba Benjamin and Elijah Mahi and so forth because he dominate that league athletically. He's athletically superior to you know, a high mid major big man. But when you're playing at this level in the power conferences, you're going to get guys. He's probably the most athletic big in nearly any game he plays in. But when you have guys that are, you know, 75%, 80% the athlete that you are, which everyone in the power conferences are, you have to have a certain level of skill that just. He has never developed in his college career. You drop down the level, you just develop confidence like you're able to dunk on guys that you weren't able to dunk on before. You can push guys around, it can really jump start your career. We looked at like another Canadian, Javante Brown. Who was kind of going around from high major to high major, goes down to Rhode island and has a really good, you know, productive season. He could have done that and I think that would have been really good. He still has two years of eligibility. He could have got dropped down, showed off athleticism and found his way back up at lsu. They're not a very good team and they're playing in that loaded sec. So I expect more of the same from last year. Like he'll play some minutes, he'll start some games, he'll sit some games, he'll finish around the rim with some dunks and not provide a lot of other elements to his game outside of that and rebounding. [00:53:15] Speaker A: Any other names that you like college basketball? I have a list of guys. I'm kind of biased. Obviously some guys have had on the podcast. I'll give a shout to let's go wrap it. Ishan Sharma shooter. He was at Virginia. I don't know if he shot the greatest percentage at Virginia. St. Louis. He's going over there. Analytic driven team coaching staff. I just think for a guy that can shoot lights out, shot lights out in high school, basketball was the high school play of the year in Canada. Was a great podcast guest too, I'll give him that. One of my favorites, to be honest too, that shooting to me, like what many Canadians are missing is transferable. I think everything else in terms of defense, that kind of stuff and he understands it needs to obviously catch up to the at the NCAA level. But what are your thoughts on any thoughts on Eastern Sharma? [00:54:07] Speaker B: He made an amazing transfer decision to go to St. Louis with a program that's going to, you know, let him take those shots from three. And then Robbie Abila, nicknamed Kareem Abdul Jabbar, like he's, he's the best big man passer in the country. So he's going to get attention at the high post and he's going to find Sharma and Sharma is going to have 10, 15 times better looks, better looks than he got at Virginia and with someone who can shoot as well as he can, he's proven it over his, you know, youth career. He's going to be shooting 40% from three this year or the next and that's going to play pay off big time in the long run for him. [00:54:40] Speaker A: Yeah, a name I think we should watch out entering a sophomore year. Maybe throw me a name that you like. [00:54:46] Speaker B: Yeah, Nana Owusu Anane played at Brown for a couple of years. Big college basketball reporter John Rothstein made his way out to Grand Canyon practice, which is where Owusu Anane is now after sitting out last year due to injury at Brown. He said he was their most important player. And you know, a team in Grand Canyon doesn't have a lot on the wing. He's probably going to play a lot at three and four, whereas he was playing a lot of four, five in the Ivy League where there weren't as many good athletes. If he can show off a floor game, you know, hit some jumpers, play, you know, off on the ground a little bit with, with his dribbling skills, he'll be able to get himself onto NBA radars whether it's a two way or the summer league, whatever it might be. Grand Canyon's in the, in the Mountain west now, which is one of the best conferences in the sport. He has the chance to really put his name in there as someone to keep an eye out on when it comes to drafts. [00:55:35] Speaker A: He yeah, a guy that has played with Canada basketball on the youth level. He was injured last year, missed out I think on the entire year. But obviously now is headed over there. So a name I know Patrick Tatum who used to coach with Phoebe United team. He loves him. That's his guy. So shout out to now. I'll be watching some, some games over there, watching some GCU basketball. I'm gonna throw you another name. Christian Netu, 611. I believe Washington head over there was a Florida State. I don't know if he played much, but played this summer with Romania basketball. Interesting decision. I think he got probably some good experience there. Any thoughts on him? [00:56:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So he is someone that at 6:11 is trying to be a guard. He's not someone that's going to be like we just talked about Michael Nuoco who's going to like rim run and finish at the hoop. Like Nietzsche's a lot thinner, but he's also not trying to do that. I don't want to compare him to Wemby because he's obviously not Victor Wembanyama. But it's the same concept of yeah, you are center height but you don't play that way. So that's going to have its drawbacks. As someone who, you know, he's not the most skilled guy in, in the universe and and like Washington lost one of their key forwards for this year and their starting center, Frank Kepnang is like unbelievably injury prone and he's probably going to play more than originally expected when he signed there for this year. But I just don't Think he's a big both in terms of size and in terms of his mindset of what he wants to do on the floor. So we'll see sort of the balance between he wants to be more skill based and he's also 7ft tall and should probably get stronger and work on being a big man. [00:57:13] Speaker A: Let me throw you some other names. Tristan Beckford, Felix Caceres. Thoughts on those guys? Felix, entering Colorado, didn't have much of a. He played some minutes. I think it was in a rotation early on. But Tristan Beckford, a guy that I think made probably like I, I like this, these decisions of not going to these high majors, these top schools he's heading to South Florida, probably going to get a lot of minutes potentially. But I think that South Florida team is also good too. I'm forgetting who coaches but I think he should be at Alabama. So. Yeah. So I. They've been stock stacking up on. On Canadians, Onyx, nanny another guy. I like it probably in the long term, the size he has. So yeah, thoughts on those guys. I'll throw another name to Jordan Dumont. Give me your thoughts on Jordan Dumont. Felix, Tristan Beckford. [00:57:59] Speaker B: See, those are. I'm glad you brought up those three guys because this is where context, like, because I follow the sport so closely, like I have every element of context. Whereas, like, if you're just a Canadian basketball fan watching from the side, you might not fully grasp it. They all made very different choices and they're going to have very different roles this year. Like, talk about Felix Casaris on a Colorado team that is almost entirely filled with freshmen. He's a sophomore, but he's one of the more experienced guys on the roster. So he's going to be depended on as like someone to play key minutes versus you look at Tristan Bedford or Beckford or even you go to Onyx, like at South Florida. Brian Hodgson and South Florida loaded up this year with seniors and grad students. And if I were to rank their position on South Florida, they're the 11th and 12th man to start the season. Obviously both really skilled and they have the chance to get past that at some point. But I don't think either are going to play a lot as freshmen. That doesn't mean they're bad, doesn't mean they're, you know, having a bad season or pick the wrong spot. It just means they're going to have a year to develop and get a lot better. And then talk about Jordan Dumont, who really played behind a lot of guys at Villanova last year. What I'VE been hearing from a lot of sources maybe VCU isn't the greatest choice. I think he played 4 or 5 minutes in their exhibition game against Villanova. So he is not a top 8, 9, 10 guy in their rotation either. So you talk about schools like with all these transfer portals like you can get recruited over with with the South Florida guys. I know they came with the guy that was originally at Arkansas State and I think that they'll eventually have a chance to play huge minutes for him, but it might not be this year. [00:59:32] Speaker A: Good point and good insight too. I feel like a lot of these guys like Jordan Dumont, I watched him play, I think was it might have been FIBA U18 a summer a few years ago but I remember watching him just like in camp with that, with that. So I just remember seeing the size and be like okay, I'll keep an eye on this guy. Yeah. And the shooting man, the shooting. To me, if you can shoot, Imma keep an eye on you. I'm gonna keep an eye on if you can shoot another guy that can shoot. I remember watching a game at Baylor last year where they kind of like knocked him saying he's a one trick pony. He that's all he does. Jalen Celestine now headed to Cincinnati. Thoughts on him? He's probably the last gal I'll throw at you and get your thoughts on. [01:00:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I want to talk about one more guy after that. Really? Yeah. For Celestine, like I like him a lot because he knows his role. He's not trying to do too much. He's not trying to do something that like he gets minutes because he has forward size and he can knock down three pointers and that's what he does and he's going to help any team he's on whether it's you know, at Cincinnati or whatever he moves on to next Cebl, whatever. Like you're going to get him because you know that he is 6 foot 7, has decent athleticism and can knock down threes, isn't going to take bad shots and that's just like a pro mentality in college and you're always going to want someone like that on your team. And the other guy that I wanted to mention really quickly is Dylan Grant at Rutgers. Yep. He did not have the chance to play a lot in his freshman year behind another star, freshman Dylan, Dylan Harper and of course Ace Bailey. But he, you know, raw tools, just like pure athleticism, super elite someone that I think that he's going to have a much bigger role on a Record scene that lost a lot of talent and I would not be surprised if we're talking about him this time next year as someone who can take a serious leap in college basketball. [01:01:21] Speaker A: Dylan Grant, a name that I like, like you mentioned, didn't play. I remember going out to. To Watch Xavian Lee vs Dylan Harper Ace Bailey in New Jersey. I think back in December, he didn't play that game or much at all from what. What I remember. But a bit after that, I think Rucker started playing him more often. So I think he's a guy that the coach loves. I think they have a vision for him. Obviously, it's not just. It wasn't just a one year, like, hey, we're going to get you. And he's a young guy coming in. So. Yeah. Dylan Grant, another name I think you should watch out. We. I feel like we nerded out a bit. We kind of went through a bunch of Canadian names. If you're like a fan of Canadian basketball, like of guys that are in college basketball, I'm trying to think of names that we haven't mentioned, but if you're not mentioned, I'll be honest. This is not like the be all, end all. Like, this is not like you're not gonna, oh, you're not gonna be a player. That kind of stuff. This is just names that we kind of went through. Some of the top names that have made splashes in Canadian basketball in college basketball this past few years and names that kind of. I like obviously a little bit biased. Some guests that I've had on, you know, we got. We got to talk about them, but I want to. Anything you want to say? [01:02:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm just going to say a couple names. I'm not going to give any background. Other really good Canadians. Addison Patterson last year at Eastern Michigan. Baraka Koji, going to have a really good year at Mercer. Tyson Dunn, played at Buffalo last year. Former Youth Sports Guy, UC San Diego starting point guard. T.J. hurley, elite scorer at Vermont, who's going to be really good this year and then half of Pacific. All Canadians be really good. [01:02:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Liu 2. And then I think there's another one. Maine has a bunch of Canadian guys too. J. So watch those rosters over there. What's he gonna say other than that? Matthew? See, this is why I enjoy having a podcast because you named a bunch of guys that I. On some of them I didn't hear of, to be honest with you. I know the top guys, so. And I think this is going to be very educational for a Lot of guys that are trying to get an understanding of Canadian college basketball. Matthew is an amazing follow. Before I let you go, Matthew though, I want to get your starting five of Canadian college players. If I had to give you like, give me your starting five of like if you had to make a roster right now to go compete maybe in the sec, in the acc, what would your roster be? And. Or how about this, Give me your starting five and what conference they would be best at. [01:03:36] Speaker B: Okay, I gotta think about this now. A little bit of team fit. I mean for me I think I'm gonna go Xavian Lee at the one, he's proven that, that he's gonna be able to do that. Aiden Holloway at the two, he's the best scorer in this class. So I'm gonna do those two guys. Pretty simple. I'll go Boo Boo Benjamin at the 3. Just really big fan of his game. I think he's gonna have an awesome year. We'll go Elijah Mahi at the four. Like we kind of said he has that, that Jalen Williams type build where he could, you know, do some guard stuff while still having four forward size. And, and then the five, the five is the tough one. I'll go Frank Mitchell. I, I just, I just hyped him up. So we'll go Xavian Lee, Aiden Holloway, Booba Benjamin, Elijah Mahi, Frank Mitchell. [01:04:15] Speaker A: That's a good starting five. I might go, I might go Nathan George, Xavian Lee Mahi and I'm trying to figure out who would be my. I just named how many people I just been named right there. That's three. I got three. You know what, I might go a little bit. I, I like Boo Boo but I might go with another name just to keep it a bit. I might go Eosa. To be honest, I need. So I need someone that's gonna attack the rim with. But then I need some spacing now with my center. Ah. Or you know what, I might just. Let's do it. Let's do it. Those might be my five right there. Xavian Lee, what I say Xavier Lee. I said Nathan George. I said Elijah Mahi, I said Ifosa and Celestine. Those five. Let me know if you guys. Yeah, maybe message us your guys. Top five Canadians or five guys you guys will be watching. Matthew, I can't thank you enough for coming on this podcast joining me. Where can people find your work, tap in with you and all the stuff that you're doing? Because I feel like you are a must follow on Twitter. I don't know where else you're at, but just. Yeah, let people know where you can find you. [01:05:20] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I appreciate it. Like Twitter is where you want to find me. That's at Matthew Winick. Matthew, first name W, I, N, I C. I put out spreadsheets, I put out rankings, I put out lists, I put out thoughts. Like anything to do with college basketball, you will find that there. And I will always have a bias towards my Canadians because that's where I got my start and that's always where I'm gonna, you know, fall back on. If there's anything. [01:05:43] Speaker A: Matthew, is there a team you're watching? Just forget about Canadians. A team that you're watching. Maybe a sleeper team that you really like this year. [01:05:50] Speaker B: Oh, that. That's a good one. I love Texas Tech and I love Louisville. Those are two teams that are going to be really fun to watch if they're on tv. I'd suggest it on great offenses, great coaches. Texas Tech and Louisville will be a lot of fun. [01:06:03] Speaker A: Big Mikhail Brown Jr. [01:06:04] Speaker B: Fan. Oh, he's awesome. Him and Ryan Conwell, best back court in college basketball outside of Purdue. Because I have to say that. [01:06:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Matthew, can't thank you enough. Again, this has been 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. Give us a like, give us a rating. Tap in. Tap in with Matthew and. And yeah, we'll see you tap into College basketball. Man. November 4th. That's the day I can't wait for. [01:06:30] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.