Published: July 1, 2008
Relax Canada, the fate of your Olympic basketball bid is in good hands. At least that’s the impression fans of this year’s men’s national team walked away with after an impressive, albeit probably expected, victory over Lebanon on Monday.
Having never trailed over the course of the scrimmage, the Canadians put together a number of streaks in both halves to pull away, pull away again and eventually pull away for good. In other words, the Lebanese were admirable foes but this particular game was not without legitimately dominant spurts highlighting both Canada’s talent and potential.
Ultimately Canada prevailed to the tune of 89-67.
For fans of fast-paced transition basketball, this latest reincarnation of the national program may very well be an admirable fix for your offseason doldrums. For those of you looking for more of an emphasis on confidence-shattering low-post defense, well, you, too, need look no further.
With a formidable front court anchored by NBA bigs Sam Dalembert and Joel Anthony, it’s no surprise that whole hosts of Lebanese shots in and around a key were empathically and voraciously returned to sender.
The two, who hadn’t even played alongside each other in practice before Monday, complemented each other and an underappreciated fleet of Canada wingers well enough to warrant speculation that come Olympic time, Canadian basketball may very well still be alive and ticking.
“I’m very comfortable with our depth and with the talent we can mix,” said head coach Leo Rautins to the media following the first of four Canadian exhibitions at this year’s Jack Donohue Classic. “We’re going to do different things, different games. I told our guys I don’t want anybody thinking about minutes, stats or starting. I don’t care about any of that. We’re going to go with matchups, we’re going to go with the flow. Whatever we feel is working, we’re going to stay with, and the guys have bought into that and I think it makes us tough to guard.”
Despite the glut of reasons to get excited about Canada’s chances on the defensive end or in the paint, it’s imperative to not lose sight of just how effective the incredibly deep crop of snipers and slashers can be in international play.
With veterans Rowen Barrett and Carl English stepping up and hitting more than their share of long range offerings and the incredible play of 24-year-old Olu Famutimi in just his second appearance on the national squad, any concerns over a lack of front court offense were quickly erased.
English led all scorers on the night with 18 points off the bench while 35-year-old Barrett added 16 of his own and a leadership presence that played a critical role in calming the younger Canadians down when Lebanon threatened.
“You have so much ability,” Barrett recalls of his youngest days on the national stage. “You’re young, proud and bold. You just want to take it to the other team whenever you get the chance.”
The calming influence must have had an effect as just when Lebanon narrowed an early lead down to three at the beginning of the second, 21-year-old Andy Rautins netted a run-thwarting dagger. In the second half Rautins responded once again to another Lebanese streak with a pair of triples that ultimately paved the way for a Canada blowout.
The game marked the first Canadian performance by the men’s national club in Canada in six years and the advantage was identifiable from the onset.
“It felt great to be on home soil playing in front of Canadian fans,” said Anthony who finished the match with nine points, nine rebounds and a handful of violent rejections that helped spell Lebanon’s defeat.
Unfortunately however, it’s not an advantage this team can become accustomed to and Rowen Barrett feels they haven’t.
“It was a great feeling,” said Barrett, “the national anthem, all those eery feelings coming back… but this team was on a mission.”
That mission? Gearing up for the 2008 Olympic Qualifiers in Athens, Greece starting July 14.
One Comment on "Canada Dominant In Exhibition Debut"
Hoops Addict » Montreal, Miami and More: The Basketball Life of Joel Anthony on Fri, 4th Jul 2008 10:12 am
[...] was a pleasure for Hoops Addict to catch up with the 25-year-old forward/center before he and his Canadian teammates disposed of a Lebanese national club in exhibition play earlier this week. Be sure to catch Anthony and the rest of Team Canada at the [...]