NCAA keen on Canadian hoops talent

Coaches for some of the NCAA’s best basketball teams had the chance to perform a couple of key duties this week.

Not only did they guide their women’s and men’s teams in outof-conference games at the inaugural Vancouver Showcase, they also got to spend time in a country that is becoming a recruiting hot spot.

“They’ve got some unbelievable talent, some great coaches,” said University of Washington men’s coach Mike Hopkins.

Just look at R.J. Barrett, he said. The 18-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native is lighting up the court as a freshman forward at Duke University, averaging 22.8 points in his first six games. He’s expected to be a high pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

“It’s one of the top countries in terms of basketball,” said Hopkins, who knows a thing or two about Canadian products from his time as an assistant at Syracuse, the college home of former Canuck NBAers like Andy Rautins, Kris Joseph and Tyler Ennis.

One Canadian player sticks out in the mind of Muffet McGraw, the coach of the top-ranked Notre Dame women’s team since 1987.

Natalie Achonwa is from Guelph, Ont., and played for McGraw from 2010 to 2014, leading the Fighting Irish to four consecutive Final Four appearances.

“She’s one of my all-time favourites,” the coach said. “She left her name in the record books and I think she’s going to be a great coach one day, too.”

Since leaving Notre Dame, Achonwa has played three seasons with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and helped the national team capture gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.

Several schools vied to sign one of the country’s newest emerging stars.

Laeticia Amihere of Milton, Ont., drew awe from around the internet after a clip of her dunking in a game went viral in 2017.

The 17-year-old announced earlier this month that she has committed to the University of South Carolina.

Mael Gilles, who’s from Montreal and plays forward at Rutgers University, said playing in the NCAA offers a higher level of competition than what’s available at many Canadian schools.

“It’s a completely different game, basketball in Canada and basketball in the United States. It’s faster, there’s more skill,” she said.

“I feel like in Canada, the sports, it’s more about football and hockey.”

The Vancouver Showcase women’s final is tonight.