Team Canada announces FIBA World Cup roster
Canada Basketball has officially announced its final roster for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China, which runs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 15.
The 12-man roster is notably light on NBA talent, which leaves an opportunity for new stars to shine.
Team Canada will be led by head coach Nick Nurse, who is proud and encouraged by the group of players selected for the upcoming tournament.
“Playing for your country is one of the greatest honours in sport and the players are fully committed to giving everything they have for Canada. I’m proud of the group of players we’ve selected to represent Canada at the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup.” Nurse said in the Canada Basketball press release.
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Canada, ranked 23rd, will be in Group H, arguably one of the toughest divisions. They will face off against Australia, ranked 11th, Lithuania, ranked 6th, and Senegal, ranked 37th in the first round.
Canada will need to place either first or second in the Americas zone to earn a direct berth to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the first time in tournament history that seven teams will qualify directly.
This is Canada’s first appearance at the World Cup since 2010, and their 14th appearance of all time. Their highest placement was back-to-back sixth place finishes in 1978 and 1982.
Canada will tip off against Australia on Sept. 1 at 3:30 AM ET.
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