Makeshift mix keeps Canada rolling

Blowout boosts record to 7-1 in FIBA World Cup qualifying, Anthony and Heslip lead way

It was a time when many teams would fold. A big lead had shrunk to four points in a hostile gym in a faraway land after a 20-hour travel odyssey, and with a group of unfamiliar players trying to make things work for one night only.

But somehow a disparate group of Canadians shrugged off all that could have gone wrong and went on to post an 84-61 win over Chile on Monday night to move one step closer to qualifying for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

With a double-digit lead down to six points about midway through the third quarter, Canada finished the period on a 16-2 run to erase any chance of a monumental and costly upset loss.

Aaron Best had his first five points of the game in that pivotal third-quarter stretch — a three-pointer to make it a nine-point game was one of the biggest baskets of the night — as Canada moved into a first-place tie in its group.

Canada and Venezuela share the group lead with 7-1 records. Brazil is second at 6-2 and Dominican Republic third at 5-3. The top three teams qualify automatically for the World Cup, and the fourth-place team could grab one remaining spot for FIBA Americas.

The U.S. Virgin Islands has a 2-6 record and Chile is 1-7, both all but eliminated from World Cup contention.

Canada does face more stern tests in the next two qualification windows, with a two-game road trip to Brazil and Venezuela in late November before home games against Venezuela and Chile in February.

Using a roster that included no one with an NBA contract and minus some of its best European-based players, Canada got stalwart games from two of its most experienced players. Joel Anthony, the seemingly ageless centre who has played for Canada for more than a decade, had 17 points, three blocked shots and five rebounds, while Brady Heslip, who seems to always answer his country’s call, made a trio of three-pointers on a 12-point night. Justin Jackson added 10 for Canada.

But as much as Anthony and Best and Heslip and Melvin Ejim are recognizable names to devout Canadian national team fans, the win was as much about a lesser-known group who had no issues filling in for more famous teammates.

Duane Notice, Joel Friesen, Trae BellHaynes, Manny Diressa, Justin Jackson, Kyle Landry and Dyshawn Pierre are unlikely to suit up for Canada if it qualifies for the World Cup next year in China, yet each endured a 40-hour round trip to play for Canada in Valdivia, Chile. They are the “depth” players that Canada Basketball officials have been crowing about since the long qualification process was first announced, a reason why Canada could withstand the absence of its NBA players and still get back to the world championship for the first time since 2010.

And with the next two rounds of qualification games coming during the NBA regular season, many of the same players are likely to be used again.