Canada’s golden generation of basketball has yet to shine, or even show a sheen.
Enter Connor Morgan to attempt a rescue. Victoria’s Morgan has played for Canada at the World University Games, Commonwealth Games and in World Cup qualifying.
He wasn’t expecting the call from Canada for the 2019 World Cup tournament in China, however, because of the plethora of Canadian performers in the NBA.
But with most of Canada’s NBA players begging off, either with injuries or for other reasons, the call has gone out to the Canadian pro players in European leagues. Morgan wasn’t initially on that list, but got the nod when Canada’s run of bad luck continued with forward Oshae Brissett going down with injury in a pre-World Cup game in Australia. NBA forward Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops had earlier fallen to injury in a pre-World Cup game against Nigeria played in Winnipeg.
Cory Joseph and Khem Birch are the lone NBA players on a Canadian World Cup roster that will be missing the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Murray, Tristan Thompson and R.J. Barrett.
So it’s European pros Morgan, Kyle Wiltjer, Brady Heslip and a prayer. Wiltjer is the son of former Parkland Secondary great Greg Wiltjer, a national champion with the University of Victoria, who played in the Olympics for Canada.
The Mount Douglas Secondary Rams-graduate Morgan, a seamless inside-outside threat, was two-time Canada West MVP with the UBC Thunderbirds. He completed his rookie season with Divina Seguros Joventut of the Spanish Premiership, considered the best league in the world outside the NBA. So the Islander is more than ready for his World Cup moment.
Seven of the 12 Olympic berths for Tokyo 2020 will be awarded to the top finishers in the World Cup. Host Japan is automatically in to make it eight. The final four spots will go to the winners of next year’s regional qualifiers. Those tournaments will be held just before the Tokyo Olympics, so it’s hoped Canada’s best NBA players will play in those because it’s less of a time commitment.
Canada has not qualified for the Olympics in men’s basketball since being captained at Sydney 2000 by two-time NBA MVP and basketball hall-of-famer Steve Nash of Victoria.
Canada played Australia in its opening pool game in the wee hours this morning. The Aussies are missing Philadelphia 76ers standout Ben Simmons, but have Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Canada continues pool play Tuesday at 4:30 a.m. PT against Lithuania and Thursday at 12:30 a.m. PT against Senegal.
The missing NBA players are the talk of the basketball community.
“It’s unfortunate but it’s the reality,” said former University of Victoria national-champion Gerald Kazanowski, who played for Canada in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics.
“The sport is a business for these guys.”
But Kazanowski noted he played against an “unselfish” Michael Jordan, who did not hesitate to don U.S. national team colours.
“The players who are there should be the focus,” said Kazanowski, who had two top-six finishes with Canada in the Olympics.
Two-time Olympian Howard Kelsey, head of the national team alumni association, concurred: “We’re not focusing on who’s not there, but who is there. Your heart has to be into it.”
Former UVic and national team coach Ken Shields noted that Canada Basketball structured the build-up with a 45-day commitment from training camp in Toronto, through the exhibition games tour in Australia, then to the World Cup.
“The NBA players are being pilloried for being selfish,” he said.
“But this is always going to be an issue with NBA players, who play 82 regular-season games.”
The big question will be: If the players in the World Cup qualify Canada for the 2020 Olympics, will the NBA players parachute in and represent Canada next year in Tokyo?
The answer will probably be yes.
“The players on the team now in the World Cup all know that,” Shields said.
