Historic honour for teen hoops champions

Under-19 World Cup titlists first basketball squad voted Canada’s team of the year

It was the perfect mix of talent and togetherness. And over one remarkable week last summer in Cairo, 12 teenagers did something no Canadian team had ever accomplished — claim gold on basketball’s world stage. Canada captured the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup title in July, the country’s first gold in the sport at any world or Olympic event, stunning the mighty Americans in the semifinals before steamrolling Italy in the final.

They were honoured for their historic performance by being voted The Canadian Press team of the year for 2017.

“From one to 12, what an incredible group of young kids we had, who did an incredible job of representing our country,” said coach Roy Rana, also head coach of the Ryerson Rams.

The team picked up 17 of 63 votes (27 per cent) in an online poll of broadcasters and sports editors from across the country. MLS Cup champions Toronto FC and Brad Gushue’s world champion curling rink tied for second with 10 votes (16 per cent).

No one could have predicted how the young basketball team’s dramatic week would unfold, or penned a better storybook ending.

“Came out of nowhere,” said Chris Bury, program director for CJAD 800 in Montreal. “Surprised and inspired the nation.”

Set against a tense backdrop of security concerns in Cairo — sequestered in their hotel, the Canadians ventured out just once, on their day off, in a visit to the pyramids — the Canadians would overpower Mali and Japan by a combined 191-117 in the preliminary round.

But they dropped a 78-73 decision to Spain that slotted them second in Group C of the 16-country tournament, setting up a collision course with the top-ranked Americans.

It was understood at that moment, but never spoken aloud, Rana said, that their path to the gold-medal game would go through the U.S. team. Canada’s kiss of death, many probably thought.

The best they would likely play for was bronze.

But the Canadians defeated France 73-67 in the quarter-finals. And then, in what will go down as a landmark moment in Canada’s basketball history, the team upset an American squad, coached by Kentucky’s John Calipari, 99-87 in the semis.

“After that game we knew we were going to win,” team captain Lindell Wigginton said. “We felt like nobody could stop us after that.”

The 19-year-old from Dartmouth, N.S., was right. The Italians didn’t stand a chance in the final. Canada won 79-60 for gold.

No basketball team had ever won The Canadian Press award in its 51year history.