‍TORONTO (November 6, 2024) – Canada Basketball announced today that Nathaniel Mitchell has been named Head Coach for the upcoming November window of the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers.

“It’s an honour to return to the Canadian bench and lead our Senior Men’s National Team later this month in the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers,” said Mitchell. “As a team, we’re looking to build on our two wins from the first window in February and take another step towards qualifying for next summer’s FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025.”

Mitchell previously served as the Senior Men’s National Team head coach at the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2022 in Brazil, where the team finished fourth, tied for their highest finish in the tournament since the FIBA Americas Championship for Men in 2009.  He also coached Canada’s U23 Men’s National Team at GLOBL JAM in 2022 and 2023.

Mitchell is the head coach of Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Originally from Toronto, he has coached with the Senior Men’s National Team since 2016 and was most recently an assistant coach at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 as Canada captured a historic bronze medal and the first medal at a Men’s World Cup in team history.

He has also spent time coaching in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, and four seasons at the G League level as an assistant with the Raptors 905 and the Maine Red Claws.  During his coaching career, he has also been involved in Giants of Africa and Basketball Without Borders initiatives, helping the game grow internationally.

Joining Mitchell on the bench for the November FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers window will be assistant coaches Jon Goodwillie, Michael Meeks, and Phil Jevtovic. Goodwillie, Meeks, and Jevtovic return after coaching Canada during the first window in February.

Canada will take on the Dominican Republic on Thursday, November 21 (7:10 p.m. CT / 8:10 p.m. ET) before facing Mexico on Sunday, November 24 (2:10 p.m. CT / 3:10 p.m. ET) in the second window of FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers this November in Saskatoon.

Both games will take place at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon with single-game tickets, and Team Canada 2-Packs are on sale now via Ticketmaster, starting at $20 (plus applicable fees).  Tickets can also be purchased by contacting the Saskatchewan Rattlers by email at tickets@therattlers.ca, by phone at 306-244-2182, or by visiting their head office at 2-183 2nd Ave South, Saskatoon.

Following the November window, Canada will head on the road for rematches with the Dominican Republic and Mexico as they look to secure their spot in next summer’s FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025.

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.