Canada confident heading into quarterfinals

PARIS – Andrew Nembhard and nan remainder of nan Canadian men’s hoops squad expected to beryllium here.

It’s been 24 years since Canada played Olympic basketball, but nan squad competing successful Paris believes it’s tin of greatness.

“I can’t opportunity I didn’t consciousness for illustration this was going to happen,” Nembhard said aft Canada went 3-0 successful preliminary information play. “We person a really talented group and we should beryllium successful this position. But it’s bully to spot it benignant of travel to fruition. And seeing really galore years it took america to get backmost to this point, it’s bully for nan country.”

Now comes nan difficult portion — nan knockout stage.

Canada will proceed its quest for golden Tuesday erstwhile it faces big France successful nan quarterfinals.

“We cognize what nan adjacent information entails,” said constituent defender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “You cognize it’ll beryllium a bully squad connected nan different extremity of it, nary matter who it is. Nobody to beryllium taken lightly. That’s why we came, to play nan champion successful nan world and effort and hit them.”

The Canadians chalked up wins complete Greece, Australia and Spain successful nan preliminary information and vanished astatine nan apical of Group A, averaging 89 points-per game.

Facing stiff title to commencement nan tourney will use nan squad going forward, said Canada caput coach Jordi Fernandez.

“I deliberation we’ve played pinch a Game 7 mentality because we’ve played successful nan toughest excavation successful nan Olympics. Even though it was not genuinely Game 7 … we besides knew that these teams are truthful bully that we cannot relax,” he said.

“I deliberation we are much prepared than different teams that had large leads. We haven’t had those large leads and moreover if astatine times we had it, those teams were truthful competitory that they came back. I for illustration wherever we’re at. I judge that this group of death, for illustration tons of group (called it), will thief america beryllium much prepared.”

There are things Canada needs to amended connected arsenic it moves forward, Fernandez said, including being “better arsenic a group” and closing retired games.

His squad was up 49-38 astatine halftime successful its last preliminary information game, but allowed Spain backmost successful midway done nan 3rd and hung connected for an 88-85 victory.

“When you don’t person acquisition successful this type of crippled and you don’t cognize what this type of games mean, nan only measurement that you tin get knowledgeable is going done it,” Fernandez said. “Now we person a group of guys that person gone done a World Cup, now they’re going done nan Olympics and I deliberation correct now our acquisition is taking america to nan adjacent level.”

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Canada’s adjacent force won’t beryllium an easy out.

France hit Japan and Brazil successful preliminary play, but fell to Germany and vanished 2nd successful Group B aft putting up an mean of 81.0 points-per game.

Canada will look to its beardown defence to incorporate French stars Victor Wembanyama — who led nan tourney successful steals (eight) successful nan preliminary round, and collected nan second-most rebounds (32) — and Rudy Gobert.

The Canadians person threats of their own. Heading into nan knockout phase, R.J. Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., has 63 points, third-most successful nan tournament, while Hamilton’s Gilgeous-Alexander is adjacent down pinch 55.

The squad is besides making nan astir of its opponents mistakes, starring nan title successful points from turnovers pinch an mean of 22.3 per game.

Canada’s players simply conscionable request to beryllium themselves arsenic nan Olympics continue, Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“We’re a really bully team,” he said. “We person a batch of ways we tin wounded you. We conscionable person to support getting better.”

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2024.