Barrett ‘electric’ in senior men debut
Teen scores game-high 21 points as Canada sweeps China in Pacific Rim classic
VICTORIA — R.J. Barrett had a game-high 21 points as the Canadian senior men’s basketball team beat China 108-72 Sunday in the back half of the Pacific Rim Basketball Classic.
The 18-year-old Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., made his national senior team debut Friday when Canada beat China 97-62 in Vancouver.
Canada had four players score in double digits by the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s rout.
The two-game series was a warm-up as Canada prepares for FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying matches against the Dominican Republic Friday at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum and the U.S. Virgin Islands July 2 at Ottawa’s TD Place.
Head coach Jay Triano liked what Barrett showed.
“I thought he was great,” said Triano. “Defensively there are a few things he has to get better at as far as his awareness off the basketball.
“He’s electric when he’s got the basketball. He’s got a great feel for the game, he knows how to get to the basket. He can make shots, he made plays for other people.”
Canada has a 3-1 record in Group D of the Americas Qualifiers, which also consists of the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each team faces the other three teams on a home-and-away basis with the top three teams from each group advancing to the second round.
Canada can secure first place in the group by beating the Dominican Republic by at least 12 points and scoring a win over the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The next round of qualifying continues with games in September and November as well as February 2019.
The last time the Canadian men qualified for the World Cup was 2010.