SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (November 21, 2024) - The Canadian Senior Men’s National Team will look to book their spot in the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup following the second window of qualifiers this week in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Of 16 teams playing in qualifiers, 12 will qualify for the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025. There are four total groups with four countries each, and the top three teams following all three windows of play (February 2024, November 2024, and February 2025) will secure their spot in the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025.

Canada is at the top of Group C after going 2-0 against Nicaragua in the first qualifying window earlier this year. Trae Bell-Haynes, Aaron Best, and Jackson Rowe are among the several returning players from the first window. However, since Nicaragua has automatically qualified as the host, Canada must finish as the top two teams from Group C in order to qualify for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup.

Canada will begin their quest to qualify for next summer's FIBA AmeriCup tournament against the Dominican Republic on Thursday, November 21 (7:00 p.m. CT / 8:00 p.m. ET). They will conclude the window by facing Mexico on Sunday, November 24 (2:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 p.m. ET). Both games will take place at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, and fans can catch all the action live on Sportsnet.

The Dominican Republic is led by veterans Andres Feliz and Victor Liz, who led their team in scoring through the first window of qualifiers. Meanwhile, Mexico is led by Gabriel Giron and Fabian Jaimes. Both teams split their games against each other, giving them each a 1-1 record. 

Trae Bell-Haynes, who headlines Canada’s roster, says they know the Dominican Republic will be a tough first matchup, especially on the rebounding side. 

“We know both these teams, and they're going to be two tough games, so we have to put our best foot forward and respect the competition,” said Bell-Haynes. “Especially against the Dominican, is super tough. Those guys rebound well, play hard, and we just got to be ready to play on all fronts.”

If Canada goes undefeated again this week, they will be 4-0, and in a good spot to qualify for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Nicaragua next August. If they go undefeated, they will also need either the Dominican Republic or Mexico to go 0-2 this week in order to qualify for the tournament.

Nathaniel Mitchell is at the helm for Canada, serving previously as head coach at the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2022 in Brazil, where the team finished fourth. The team had a 1-0 record against Mexico in that tournament, and they are hoping to continue that this week.

Canada is currently ranked fifth in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike. The rankings were updated following the Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where they finished fifth.

Fans can follow along with Canada Basketball socials and basketball.ca for the latest updates during the second window of play.