TORONTO, ON (May 11, 2016) –Canada Basketball is pleased to announce the Men’s National Team summer 2016 staff and Olympic qualifying schedule.

“We’re looking forward to getting together in June to begin preparations for Manila,” said Jay Triano, head coach, Men’s National Team. “We have a tough competition ahead and are focusing on gaining as much international game experience as possible for our team.”  

The team will train in Toronto, ON from June 10th -16th, followed by an exhibition tournament in Italy, before heading to Manila, Philippines for the Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) from July 5th-10th.

The team will host a Media Summit on Friday, June 10th at the Intercontinental Hotel (225 Front St.) with photo and interview opportunities. Due to limited space, please RSVP with your requests to Bwilliams@basketball.ca by May 25th, 2016.

After training in Toronto, the team will arrive in Italy on June 17th, where they will train and participate in a 5-game exhibition tournament against 12th-ranked Croatia, 14th-ranked China and 16th-ranked Puerto Rico. China qualified for the Games in 2015, and both Croatia and Puerto Rico will compete in OQTs in July.

In Manila, Canada will play in Group A against 31st-ranked, Senegal and 8th-ranked Turkey. The Philippines, France and New Zealand will play in Group B. The top two teams from each group in the preliminary rounds will move on to the semi-final crossover games. The top two teams will then move on to the finals, with the champion qualifying for Rio. Media accreditation for the OQT is open until June 24, 2016, details here.

Canada will be led by head coach, Jay Triano (Portland Trailblazers), along with assistants Dave Smart, David Vanterpool and Bryan Gates. A full schedule and staff list below. Training camp attendees will be announced in the coming weeks.

2016 SUMMER SCHEDULE

<table border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><p>DATE</p></td><td><p>EVENT</p></td><td><p>LOCATION</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 10-16</p></td><td><p>Training</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 17-29</p></td><td><p>Training &amp; Exhibition</p><ul><li>June 20: Game vs Croatia</li><li>June 23: Game vs Croatia</li><li>June 25: Game vs China</li><li>June 26: Game vs TBC</li><li>June 29: Game vs Puerto Rico</li></ul></td><td><p>Croatia &amp; Italy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 5-10</p></td><td><p><a href="http://www.fiba.com/oqt/philippines/2016">Olympic Qualifying Tournament</a></p></td><td><p>Manila, Philippines</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

2016 SENIOR COACHES & STAFF

<table border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><p>NAME</p></td><td><p>POSITION</p></td><td><p>HOMETOWN</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jay Triano</p></td><td><p>Head Coach</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dave Smart</p></td><td><p>Assistant Coach</p></td><td><p>Ottawa, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>David Vanterpool</p></td><td><p>Assistant Coach</p></td><td><p>Washington, DC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bryan Gates</p></td><td><p>Assistant Coach</p></td><td><p>Minneapolis, MN</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Kade Beard</p></td><td><p>Video Coordinator</p></td><td><p>Houston, TX</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scottie O'Brien</p></td><td><p>Team Statistician</p></td><td><p>Idaho Falls, Idaho</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sam Gibbs</p></td><td><p>Lead IST</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jason Meehan</p></td><td><p>Therapist</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Charlie Weingroff</p></td><td><p>Strength &amp; Conditioning</p></td><td><p>Rumble, NJ</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Marc Bubbs</p></td><td><p>Nutritionist</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>John Philpott</p></td><td><p>Physician</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Joe Raso</p></td><td><p>Scout</p></td><td><p>Hamilton, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mat Yorke</p></td><td><p>Manager, Basketball Operations</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jeremy Cross</p></td><td><p>Team Manager</p></td><td><p>Toronto, ON</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

*Schedule and staffing subject to change.

For more information & media requests, contact:

Bailey Williams, bwilliams@basketball.ca, 647.460.7976

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