CANADA BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES 2008 SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
Last Updated: July 05, 2008
TORONTO — Canada Basketball announced Sunday the 12 members of the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team who will represent Canada at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Greece from July 14-20. At stake is a berth in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, which will be granted to the top three finishers in the Athens tournament.
Named to the 2008 Canadian Senior Men’s National team are: Joel Anthony (Quebec), Jermaine Anderson (Ontario), Rowan Barrett (Ontario), Samuel Dalembert (Quebec), Carl English (Newfoundland and Labador), Olu Famutimi (Ontario), Levon Kendall (British Columbia), Tyler Kepkay (British Columbia), Juan Mendez (Quebec), Andy Rautins (Ontario), Dave Thomas (Ontario), and Jesse Young (Ontario).
Former Canadian National Team member Leo Rautins will serve as the head coach for the 2008 Canadian National Team. The assistant coaches are Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Mike Malone, Carleton University head coach Dave Smart and Dawson College head coach Wayne Yearwood.
“We’re very excited about this team,” said Rautins. “The guys have all been working extremely hard and we’re just looking forward to getting things started.”
Canada has not qualified for an Olympic games since 2000, when two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash led an upstart Canadian squad to a surprising seventh-place finish.
For many of the 12 members of this year’s Senior Men’s National Team, this summer’s opportunity to return to the Olympic stage has been a dream three years in the making.
“It’s huge, especially talking to my friends back home… I just try to step back and realize the magnitude of the situation,” explained B.C. forward Levon Kendall. “We’re trying to make the Olympics. No matter how many times you watch the Olympics on TV, just the opening ceremonies and everything … it’s just an amazing feeling to be able to play for your country. A lot of the guys in the program, I think it can be easy for us to sometimes lose sight and we don’t realize how lucky we are and how many people dream about representing Canada.”
“We’re really excited to get out there and show the country what we’ve got,” added Dave Thomas, a veteran forward from Brampton, Ont. “Every time we huddle up at practice, we break with ‘1-2-3 Olympics.’ That’s the only thing we’re here for, to make the Olympics. That’s our main goal and we’re focused and ready to go.
Canadian fans will get their first chance to see the Senior Men’s Team in action June 30-July 5, when Canada will face the national teams of Lebanon and New Zealand during the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC), a three-team exhibition series hosted in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont.
Tickets for the JDIC are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.ca (keyword: Canada Basketball) or by visiting the Ricoh Coliseum and McMaster University box offices.
Named to the 2008 Canadian Senior Men’s National team are: Joel Anthony (Quebec), Jermaine Anderson (Ontario), Rowan Barrett (Ontario), Samuel Dalembert (Quebec), Carl English (Newfoundland and Labador), Olu Famutimi (Ontario), Levon Kendall (British Columbia), Tyler Kepkay (British Columbia), Juan Mendez (Quebec), Andy Rautins (Ontario), Dave Thomas (Ontario), and Jesse Young (Ontario).
Former Canadian National Team member Leo Rautins will serve as the head coach for the 2008 Canadian National Team. The assistant coaches are Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Mike Malone, Carleton University head coach Dave Smart and Dawson College head coach Wayne Yearwood.
“We’re very excited about this team,” said Rautins. “The guys have all been working extremely hard and we’re just looking forward to getting things started.”
Canada has not qualified for an Olympic games since 2000, when two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash led an upstart Canadian squad to a surprising seventh-place finish.
For many of the 12 members of this year’s Senior Men’s National Team, this summer’s opportunity to return to the Olympic stage has been a dream three years in the making.
“It’s huge, especially talking to my friends back home… I just try to step back and realize the magnitude of the situation,” explained B.C. forward Levon Kendall. “We’re trying to make the Olympics. No matter how many times you watch the Olympics on TV, just the opening ceremonies and everything … it’s just an amazing feeling to be able to play for your country. A lot of the guys in the program, I think it can be easy for us to sometimes lose sight and we don’t realize how lucky we are and how many people dream about representing Canada.”
“We’re really excited to get out there and show the country what we’ve got,” added Dave Thomas, a veteran forward from Brampton, Ont. “Every time we huddle up at practice, we break with ‘1-2-3 Olympics.’ That’s the only thing we’re here for, to make the Olympics. That’s our main goal and we’re focused and ready to go.
Canadian fans will get their first chance to see the Senior Men’s Team in action June 30-July 5, when Canada will face the national teams of Lebanon and New Zealand during the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC), a three-team exhibition series hosted in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont.
Tickets for the JDIC are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.ca (keyword: Canada Basketball) or by visiting the Ricoh Coliseum and McMaster University box offices.
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