TORONTO (April 18, 2024)—Canada Basketball announced on Thursday, April 18, that Ramón Díaz has been named head coach of Canada’s U18 Men’s National Team for the upcoming FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup 2024, which will be held this summer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from June 3 to 9.

“I am truly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be part of this project,” Díaz said. “Working at one of the best institutions worldwide is a dream come true for me, and I consider it an honour and a privilege.” 

“The rise of the success of Canadian youth in this country is very exciting,” said Díaz. I cannot wait to coach this U18 team and hopefully lead them back to the podium. I want to express my deepest gratitude for this incredible opportunity.”

Díaz is the head coach of the Mexico City Capitanes, a role he’s held for the past five seasons since the club's inception in 2017.  The Capitanes went 19-15 this season, narrowly missing the NBA G-League playoffs.  In his first two seasons with the team, and before Mexico City joined the G-League, the Capitanes made it to the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) finals twice in Mexico. Díaz began his coaching career in the 2010-11 season with Ciudad de Guadix in Spain's Liga Española de Baloncesto Aficionado. Díaz also has national coaching experience as an assistant coach with Mexico’s Men’s National Team, including helping to lead the team back to the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup in 2014 for the first time in 40 years.

Nathan Grant, Charles Hantoumakos, and Kyle Landry will join Díaz's staff as assistant coaches for the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup 2024. 

In just his fifth season with the team, Nathan Grant led the University of Laval Rouge et Or to their first U SPORTS Men's Basketball Championship in program history last month.  Before taking over at Laval, Grant was an assistant coach with the Concordia Stingers for two seasons (2016-2017).  Grant previously coached with Canada as an assistant at the FIBA Men’s U19 Basketball World Cup 2023 after making his national debut a year before at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022.  Grant has been involved provincially with Basketball Quebec from 2017-19 and led the U17 team to a Canada Basketball 17U National Championship silver (2018) and a Canada Games bronze medal (2017). Grant is both NCCP Train to Compete and Learn to Train certified, as well as Train to Train certified.

Hantoumakos will return to the Canadian bench this summer, last appearing as an assistant coach with the U17 Men’s National Team at the FIBA U17 Men’s Americas Championship 2022. Before the 2022 tournament, Hantoumakos was an assistant coach at the FIBA U16 Men’s Americas Championship 2021. He has been the head coach at Fort Erie International Academy since the 2021-22 season when he led the team to an Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) title in his first season. This past season, Hantoumakos was named the 2023-24 Men’s OSBA/Trillium Coaches of the Year after Fort Erie went undefeated 16-0 during the regular season. Originally from Tottenham, Ont., Hantoumakos was also involved with Canada as a Team Manager for the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019. Hantoumakos has completed his NCCP Learn to Train and Train to Train certifications.

A former player on the Canadian Senior Men’s and the 3x3 national teams and professionally overseas, Landry’s long playing career transitioned to coaching in 2021, when he was promoted to Lead Assistant Coach with the Dinos Men’s basketball team. He will make his coaching debut with Canada Basketball at this event after most recently participating as a player in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers in 2021 with the SMNT. Landry graduated from Bishop Grandin High School in Calgary and was a Team Alberta member in 2001 and 2003. After high school, Landry went south of the border to Northern Arizona University, where he played from 2004 to 2008. He was named First Team All-Big Sky and Northern Arizona University male athlete of the year in his final season.

The FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup 2024 will run from June 3-9, 2024, and the top four teams from this event will qualify for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025.

Canada is currently ranked 9th overall in the FIBA boy’s age-group rankings, presented by Nike, following the conclusion of the FIBA 2023 Youth Events.