HEADLINE‍

Canada claimed seventh-place at the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023, closing their time in Debrecen, Hungary on a winning note with a 107-58 victory over Japan on Sunday.

HOW IT HAPPENED‍

- Canada opened the game on a 7-0 run, before Japan levelled with seven-straight. In a back and forth first quarter, Canada took a 24-18 lead. 

- But the second was a different story — all Canada from the jump. They outscored Japan 29-13 in the frame, taking a 23-point lead into halftime. Jordann Dumont led the way for Canada in the quarter, connecting on a pair of triples to go along with a lay-in as he established himself as a presence in the opening half.

- Canada kept pouring it on in the third. Dumont connected on two more from downtown, while Canada’s defence made a statement. They outscored Japan 20-3 to begin the quarter, holding Japan to just three points in the second half until the 4:07 mark of the third. While Japan was able to find some rhythm, it was simply too little too late for Japan’s comeback hopes.

- Canada was able to coast in the fourth quarter, outscoring Japan 25-10 en route to the 49-point victory, as they ended off their World Cup with a win.

CANADA HIGHLIGHTS

- Dumont finished with a team-high 21 points on 8-18 shooting, including 5-12 from beyond-the-arc. He also hauled in eight rebounds, which was tied for the most amongst Canadians alongside Jaion Pitt.

- Five other Canadians joined Dumont in double figures, including Cyril Martynov and Xaivian Lee. Martynov’s 15 points came via an efficient 7-10 shooting, to go along with seven boards. Lee chipped in 15 of his own, while recording five rebounds and three assists. 

- Michael Evbagharu (12), Elijah Fisher (11) and Olivier Rioux joined Dumont, Martynov and Lee in double figures.

- Canada outpaced Japan in points off turnover, fast break points, second chance points, points in the paint and points from the bench.

- Led by the likes of Martynov’s 70 per cent clip, as well as Rioux’s 5-6 day from the field, Canada had one of their most efficient outings shooting the ball. They shot 51.2 per cent in the win, including 28.5 per cent from beyond-the-arc, buoyed by Dumont’s five makes from distance.‍

QUOTABLES

“It was a great feeling to have the guys bounce back after a quarterfinal defeat to Turkey, then a tough loss yesterday to Argentina. The players had a goal to compete for a medal, and when we came up short vs. Turkey and then again vs. Argentina, they took it upon themselves to really come out vs. Japan and make a statement. They wanted to win one last game in the Canada uniform. I’m very happy that this group came together.” -Canada head coach Patrick Tatham on closing the World Cup with a win.

"The message was to approach their next phase in basketball with consistency to get where they want to go. Representing a National Team is coveted opportunity. If they want to continue to represent Canada they need to carry with them consistency and cultivate many of the relationships they’ve been able to forge over the last 30 days.” -Tatham on his message to the team after the game.‍

“Not the result we wanted, but I’m so happy with our players commitment to this entire process. We committed to a 37-day process. Sometimes it can be hard to get a bunch of young men on the same page to play for each other and represent your country, but this group did an amazing job representing Canada and developing relationships that will last a life time. The guys learned and adapted to the European style of play from Croatia to Hungary. Long term, it’s going to help them all when/if they decide to play professionally after their university careers.” -Tatham on his view as the World Cup as a while and the commitment he received from his players.

HISTORY FILE

- Dumont’s 21-point performance is his highest scoring game in the Team Canada uniform, dating back to the FIBA U18 Men’s Americas 2022. He bested his 16-point night in a quarter-final win over Puerto Rico.

- With a seventh-place finish in 2023, Canada has now finished in the top eight at the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 for the fifth-straight tournament dating back to 2013.

- Canada moved to 3-0 all-time at the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 against Japan with the win. The 49-point win was the largest margin of victory between the two countries at the tournament. 

- In a 2017, Japan and Canada met in Group C action, where RJ Barrett squared off against now Los Angeles Laker Rui Hachimura. Canada prevailed with a 100-75 victory, thanks to 20 points from Barrett, before he eventually helped lead Canada to the 2017 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup title — Canada’s first-ever international FIBA tournament win.

NEXT UP

- With the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 and FIBA U16 Men’s Americas 2023 now both behind us, attention shifts towards 2024. Canada is set to star both in the FIBA U17 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2024 in Turkey, as well as the FIBA U18 Men’s Americas 2024 at a host country TBD.