TORONTO, Ont. (March 25, 2019) – Jay Triano announced Sunday that he has stepped down as head coach of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team.

“I can’t thank Jay enough for all he has done for basketball in Canada,” said Glen Grunwald, President & CEO.  “As both a coach and player, Jay is a Canadian icon and has played a major role in the development of basketball within our country and we will forever be grateful for his contributions.  After speaking with Jay, I’m hopeful we can find a role where he can continue to contribute to Canada Basketball in the future.”

Triano, 60, was the 10th head coach of the Senior Men’s National Team since 1954. A native of the Niagara region, Triano is one of Canada’s most recognizable and accomplished coaches, as well as being a talented player and three-time Olympian.

After beginning his coaching career with Canada as an assistant, Triano became head coach in 1998, a position he held until 2004. During this time, Triano led the national team to international success, highlighted by a 5-2 record and seventh place finish at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.

Triano returned to the program as head coach in 2012 and last summer led Canada to a pair of victories during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers.

Triano became the first Canadian born and Canadian trained coach in the NBA when he joined the Raptors in 2002 as an assistant coach. He then was promoted to head coach during the 2008-2009 season and held the position until the end of the 2010-2011 season.  

Currently, Triano is the lead assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets.

As a player, Triano was a member of Canada’s national team for eleven years (1977-88) and was team captain from 1981-88. He represented Canada in three Olympic Games (1980, 1984 and 1988), serving as team captain in the last two.  Triano was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China (Aug. 31-Sept. 15, 2019) will be the biggest edition of FIBA's flagship event with a record 32 participating teams playing 92 games over 16 days.

For the first time, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will qualify seven teams directly for the following year's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Canada must finish either first or second in the Americas zone to earn a direct berth.

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