TORONTO, Ont. (May 24, 2018) -- As Canada gets set to host the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018 this June in St. Catharines, ON, Team Canada certainly won't be short on talent.

Canada's young prospects were already validated last summer when Canada earned a silver medal in the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2017 as well as a gold medal at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 with a win over the United States along the way.

There's no doubt that the team has the skill and athleticism to succeed come June with many young players looking forward to representing their country for the first time. However, 18-year-old Andrew Nembhard will be aiming to use his maturity and previous FIBA experience to earn himself a leadership role among this talented group of Canadians.

Nembhard earned a silver medal in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in 2015, falling to the United States in the finals, while also helping Canada earn a fifth place finish the following year at the FIBA U17 World Championship. Earlier this year, Nembhard garnered international attention after taking part in the esteemed Jordan Brand Classic as well as the Nike Hoops Summit.

Playing on the big stage can an intimidating experience for anyone, especially for a young player playing in their home country. But Nembhard isn't worried about once again competing under the bright lights or in front of Canada's faithful fans. Nembhard will be playing less than two hours away from his hometown of Aurora, ON, when he travels to St. Catharines for the tournament, an opportunity he hasn't often had since his transfer to Montverde Academy in Florida.

"Playing at home may add some extra pressure to other guys but personally I just see it as a great opportunity to play in front of our fans and show them how much Canada Basketball has improved over the last few years," said Nembhard.

But despite his wealth of talent, notoriety, and experience, Nembhard isn't going to be the one to tell you just how important he is to Canada's roster. He prefers to play the role of a silent leader, leading by example rather than dominating the locker room.

"I think for him, he's always going to try and lead by example," said Michael Meeks, Manager of Men's Youth Player Development and U18 Assistant Coach.  "His body of work on the court has allowed him to lead and be more vocal with guys his age. He's not going to walk in and be the loudest, most assertive guy in the room, but he's going to do what the team needs and show players how to build a winning culture."

"We'll have a couple of younger guys on this team that he's going to have to help lead. They're experiencing this stage for the first time and I'm sure his peers are going to be looking to him for guidance," Meeks continued.

It isn't in Nembhard's nature to revel in the attention or to hide from it, he simply goes out and does whatever his team needs of him night in and night out. He's a figure of consistency and composure that will be looked upon this summer to help spread those traits to the rest of the team.

"I love having the opportunity to be able to come in, be one of the more experienced guys on the team and take on a leadership role to help us win as many games as possible,
said Nembhard.  "I just try not to force things and let my game speak for me. I want to win as many games as possible for my country this year."

Leading by example both on and off-the-court, Nembhard has learned through international play and winning the GEICO High School Nationals Boys Championship at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy to not only survive under a bright spotlight, but to thrive.

"Going to Montverde and playing against elite high school competition these last couple of years definitely boosted my confidence and prepared me to play for the U18 team this summer and take on a bigger stage. It's something I look forward to now." said Nembhard.

Canada's point guard position is deep, and the talent pool is large, but when it comes to adding value to a roster, Nembhard isn't just a great athlete or a prolific slasher, he's so much more.

"He doesn't collapse under the pressure. He has the ability to give the team exactly what it needs; he can go out and score, he's had big scoring nights for Montverde and for us, but the thing is, he can impact the game outside of just scoring the ball and that's a lot harder to find in a player," added Meeks.

Nembhard, who's committed to the University of Florida and will play for the Gators next season, is currently ranked No. 26 on ESPN's list of the top 100 recruits in 2018 and sits as the No. 3 Canadian in the rankings.

When you think of great leaders, you might think of a loud, almost dominant presence, but that's just not who Nembhard is. He might not be the loudest voice in the locker room, but if you ask those who've played with him or seen him play for years, he'll do whatever he can to help the team succeed.

That's a different kind of leader, one who doesn't even need to say a word, but leads by example.

Canada is in Group B along with Chile, Ecuador and Argentina and will open the tournament with a "Family Day" game against Argentina on Sunday, June 10 at 2:15 p.m. ET.  Canada Tournament Passes as well as single session tickets for all games are on sale now.

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