Duke visit illustrates how U Sports basketball is stepping up its game
The benefits of this week’s exhibition tour of the iconic Duke men’s basketball program will be felt for seasons to come and it could be a huge boost for Canada’s university programs.
It has been an eye-opening series of exhibition games, not just because presumptive NBA lottery picks R.J. Barrett and
Zion Williamson made their collegiate debuts at Mississauga’s Paramount Fine Foods Centre, but because of the way the Ryerson Rams and University of Toronto Varsity Blues comported themselves against arguably the best team in American college basketball this year.
While neither of the Canadian teams was ever going to beat Duke, they were far from completely outclassed. For instance, Ryerson lost 87-68 on Wednesday.
And that has to open some eyes of players, high school coaches, club administrators and the ever-helpful “advisers” who might now decide staying home makes some sense.
“I certainly think the athletes are getting more educated, coaches are getting more educated, they’re understanding the benefits of staying home,” Ryerson coach Roy Rana said this week. “You can be a professional coming out of our league, you can be a professional at a very high level, have a successful career, so I think more kids are seeing this as an option.”
There will always be a few outliers who need the more intense competition and attention of a top NCAA school such as Duke. Barrett is seen as a surefire top-5 pick in next June’s draft and he will benefit from a year with the Blue Devils.
“Kids should go where there are opportunities and I think R.J. benefited from going to Monteverde, (a highly-regarded Florida prep school),” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
“The fact is, Canadian basketball keeps getting better and better.”
But for every Barrett there are many Canadian teens who are drawn to the bright lights of the NCAA only to see their careers stall for some reason or another, and who might have had a chance to grow as young men and athletes if they’d remained in the Canadian program.
And, with the way basketball scouting is going now, and with the proliferation of good-paying jobs around the world, if a U Sports kid is good enough to be a professional, a professional team from somewhere will find them.
Brothers Phil and Tommy Scrubb from Carleton, Johnny Berhanemeskel from Ottawa and Ryerson’s Aaron Best are the most recent examples that come quickly to mind.
“We can’t compete with Duke when it comes to recruiting but hopefully we’ll be able to keep some kids at home that either need a new situation or think that his is a better way for them to develop and reach their ultimate dream which is to play professionally,” Rana said.
“Hopefully one day it’s in the NBA or Europe or wherever it is.”
The Duke Canada tour gave fans of the program a chance to see it live but the longer-lasting, more important realization could end up being that U Sports is not to be taken lightly.
“Hopefully, the fans that come here get to appreciate our level a little bit, how talented our kids are, how hard they work,” Rana said. “There’s a few guys on our team where you’d say, ‘Hey, they may not look out of place with Duke.’ And I think that says a ton for where we are as a country and U Sports.”