Bennett, Anthony top Canada’s list for FIBA

Anthony Bennett and Joel Anthony headline the preliminary roster for Canada’s pair of FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying games this month. “This group of young men embody the passion and sacrifice needed to be successful in international competition,” head coach Roy Rana said. “I admire their commitment to Canada, and I hope all Canadians will support us loudly in Halifax and across the country.” Canada will open World Cup qualifying versus the Bahamas on Nov. 24 in Halifax. They’ll then travel to face the Dominican Republic on Nov. 27 in Santiago de los Caballeros. FIBA’s new qualifying format poses a challenge because of a lack of player availability at this time of the year. Canada has 11 players in the NBA, but Bennett and Anthony aren’t currently on an NBA roster.