When the Senior Men’s National Team take to the court on Thursday to face home-team Argentina in the final window of FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers, Trae Bell-Haynes will be soaking up every moment.

“The pride of putting on that Canada jersey [means everything],” Bell-Haynes said in a phone interview from the team’s hotel in Argentina on Wednesday.

Thursday’s game will kick off the final two games of qualifiers for a Canadian team that has gone a perfect 10-0 through the qualifying windows thus far. After facing Argentina on their home floor, the team will travel to Caracas to close out qualifiers against Venezuela on Sunday.

Canada previously defeated Argentina 99-87 in Victoria, B.C., last August before taking down Venezuela 94-56 in Edmonton, Alberta, this past November. Bell-Haynes is looking forward to getting the sixth and final window of qualifiers underway.

“We’re excited,” he said. “It’s going to mean a lot to Argentina and those games that have high stakes are fun, a lot more intense. I’m ready for that, excited for that atmosphere.”

Bell-Haynes plays professionally in Montenegro for Budućnost VOLI when he isn’t suiting up for Canada. The 27-year-old Toronto native didn’t hesitate to join this sixth FIBA qualifying window when asked.

“We've all been playing for so long, our whole lives, most of us,” Bell-Haynes said. “To get the opportunity to represent your country is something very few guys can say. If we can do it for one game, just that opportunity, for me personally, I try to make the most of it every single time and I'm sure for the rest of the guys it’s the same thing.”

Canada is the only team in the Americas that remains undefeated through qualifiers. Though the program has already booked a ticket to this summer’s FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023, the Canadians have maintained that their approach remains the same, regardless of record.

“We’ve worked so hard, in all the windows, all the guys, to possibly be able to go 12-0 [through qualifiers] is really exciting,” Bell-Haynes said. “It’s a testament to everyone’s hard work and all we’ve put into it. It’s exciting to see that all come to an end and the World Cup come into fruition.”

Prior to the team beginning the two-year process of qualifying for the World Cup (and after that, the 2024 Paris Olympics), Team Canada head coach Nick Nurse laid out the importance of getting a three-year commitment from players to help build chemistry and continuity.  

Bell-Haynes feels the team has already seen the benefits of that commitment.

“I feel like you can just kind of see it in the results,” Bell-Haynes said. “In Edmonton, we played against Venezuela [who was] who was 6-1 at the time and we beat them pretty handedly. That doesn’t happen if you don't have 12 guys on the same page who know where someone is going to be on the court, know what to expect and know what to do with the guys they’re playing with. Without that three-year commitment, that doesn’t happen.”

While Canada’s final two games of qualifiers will be played far from home, against two teams they have already defeated, with their spot in this summer’s Men’s World Cup already secured, putting on that red and white jersey before the game still makes everything mean that much more.

“Every single time it’s special,” Bell-Haynes said. “What’s also really cool is every single time you put on the uniform, the game means something. Whether you’re qualifying for the World Cup, or an Olympic Qualifying tournament or in the AmeriCup in the summer. Every single time Canada steps on the court there’s something on the line whether it be a medal, qualification, the Olympics. To know that you’ve been picked to represent and be a part of something that is bigger than you, it’s always special.”

Bell-Haynes is always ready to suit up for Canada when his name is called. Though he knows it isn’t always guaranteed, he wants to know he’s had a part in helping the team get to where it’s going.

“You just want to be part of a team that leaves something behind,” he said. “I think future Canada teams will look at what we’ve done these past two years of qualifiers and try to emulate that. To be a player on that team and to say I was a part of it was huge.”

Whatever comes next, Bell-Haynes and the rest of the players suiting up on Thursday can know they were part of the blueprint that the Senior Men’s National Team is building.

“I think a lot of us know that in the summer the NBA guys will be coming and playing in the World Cup, so for a lot of us, we want to leave our mark on these windows because we know it will be hard for us to get a spot on that final roster. For us, this is like our World Cup. We want to leave it and do the best that we can.”