Canada's Starting Roster:
The last couple of seasons have seen a large amount of turnover in the national team ranks with the old guard who thrived in the wild west days of non-stop run and gun have been replaced by better developed and more well rounded players who have benefited from a larger Canadian community, a strong u21 programme and the guidance of former NT manager rip88. Players like Joly, Rivard, Tasse, Marini and Romero are now almost entirely out of the NT picture. At the same time, once promising players like Boykin and Mompati who were once expected to carry the team have also fallen out of the picture as the bright lights and big contracts of top flight basketball distracted them. It's a lesson for projected future stars like S. Milot, Abu-Kaleel and Maja - the money and promises of agents and coaches shouldn't distract you from putting time in at the gym.
I'm starting with ten players and a preview of tonight's opening game as well as the full roster is available on the off-site forum:
http://bbcanada.forumotion.com/forum.htm. Please consider signing up and joining the conversation if you haven't already done so.
Guards:*
Stephen Pushkin: Like most of the players on the team, Pushkin is a former u21 star who has continued to get solid training. In the past he has been criticized for being less of a pure point guard and more of a combo-guard but he's refocused his training in the last few seasons and become a legit starter for the national team. He has fully replaced with Milot as the starter but has a few players nipping at his heels for the coveted starting spot. With his owner still committed to training him in the foreseeable future it is possible for him to maintain his national team spot this season, but his limited potential means that this could be his last chance to try to qualify for worlds.
Michel "Jean Luc" Picard: Picard came into training camp third on the PG depth chart but impressed with his stingy defense and ability to run the team well in its half court sets and managed to take G. Milot's spot on the team. Picard may be able to actually challenge Pushkin for his starting spot this season, but both players risk losing their spots on the team to a hard charging group of 21 and 22 year old guards who have come up under the tutelage of The Mogul, including G. Milot's younger brother, Sylvain. Picard is the team's best perimeter defender and if he does dethrone Pushkin it will be on the strength of defensive talents.
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Jabir Issa: A world class SG with a complete skill set and a high ceiling, Issa is the undisputed starting SG for team Canada. He's much more than just a jump shooter and is probably the most complete guard that Canada has ever seen. Issa already has a reputation as a gym rat, and if he stays committed to improving himself he could be a fixture on the NT for years to come.
Robert Lakie: A very solid SG whose potential and young age are tantalizing. He and Issa have become close friends and Issa's legendary workout habbits have rubbed off on Lakie who is rumoured to shoot jumpshots in his sleep. Lakie's biggest challenge will be adapting to a reduced role and higher competition when he suits up for Canada: he plays his club ball in the third division in Italy where he's a local hero and undisputed star on his club team. It is not unheard of for him to take 30 or more shots in a game with A.S.T., but for team Canada he will be asked to come off the bench to play limited minutes.
Last edited by chris902 at 7/12/2010 5:09:04 PM