Canada will dig deep in bid to reach World Cup
TORONTO Joel Anthony rarely turns down a chance to suit up for Canada.
The 35-year-old from Montreal will lead Canada’s men’s basketball team at the FIBA AmeriCup tournament that tips off Sunday in Argentina.
“I really do just love the opportunity to represent my country,” said Anthony, a 10-year NBA veteran. “It’s like coming back home. I’m usually in the States, so to be able to come back and be with everyone, see old friends, it’s kind of like Thanksgiving. I enjoy it.”
FIBA has completely overhauled the qualifying format for both the World Cup and Olympics and the new schedule, with games occurring during the NBA season, calls for some creative personnel moves.
So while Anthony and fellow NBA veteran Andrew Nicholson are on Canada’s roster in Argentina, they know they’re part of a revolving door of Canadian players and there’s no telling what the roster will look like if Canada qualifies for the 2019 World Cup in China.
“It’s a reality,” Anthony said. “It’s something that the guys understand. It’s obviously a different format, something no one’s ever seen before, so it’s hard to say (whether it will benefit Canada or not). With us, honestly, it could be more difficult because of our presence in the NBA now, and them not being able to play during different parts of the tournament season.”
This FIBA AmeriCup has become merely an exhibition tournament, with no qualifying ramifications. Qualifying for the 32-team World Cup now features a two-round tournament of home and away games. The World Cup, in turn, is a major qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Canada is in Group D in the Americas zone for World Cup qualifying, with first-round games against the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. Canada will host the Bahamas Nov. 24 in Halifax in its first qualifier.
Roy Rana, Canada’s head coach for both the FIBA AmeriCup and the Halifax game, said the program’s revolving door of players has bought into the new format.
“They’re going to have to be invested in a different way because we’re going to have such a larger pool of players available, just as there is for coaches,” said Rana, who coached Canada’s U19 team to a world title last month.
Jay Triano remains the men’s head coach, but handed the reins to Rana temporarily because of a conflict with the NBA season. Triano is an assistant with the Phoenix Suns.
Canada’s first-round World Cup qualifying will see them play at the Dominican Republic on Nov. 27. They’ll be back in action in February with games at the Virgin Islands and Bahamas. The next block of games are next summer, with the top three countries after the first round advancing to the second.
Canada tips off the FIBA AmeriCup against the Virgin Islands on Sunday, then plays Argentina Monday and Venezuela Tuesday. The semifinals are Sept. 2 and the final is Sept. 3.