CANADIAN MEN DEFEAT LEBANON IN OPENER OF JACK DONOHUE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC
Last Updated: July 05, 2008
By Simon Yau, basketball.ca
HAMILTON — With the clock winding down at the end of the first quarter, Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team found themselves in exactly the type of situation that has proved problematic in the past –- trying to find a way to score.
This time, however, the ball made its way into the hands of a familiar face, who calmly broke his man down off the dribble and stroked a jumper that fell perfectly through the net, just as the buzzer sounded.
Rowan Barrett returned to the Canadian men’s basketball team to bring experience and poise to a relatively young squad. Despite a five-year hiatus, the Toronto native didn’t seem to miss a step Monday, making a triumphant return by keying Canada to a convincing 89-67 victory over Lebanon in the first game of the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC).
Barrett, who was named player of the game, finished with 16 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Carl English led Canada with 18 points in a balanced attack that saw Samuel Dalembert collect 10 points and 11 rebounds while fellow NBA centre Joel Anthony had 9 points and 9 rebounds for the host team.
"I was happy with the effort," said Canadian head coach Leo Rautins. "We made mistakes, but the first game you're going to make mistakes. I thought there were too many fouls at the defensive end, but everybody was trying to make the extra pass, trying to move the ball. I thought we had spurts where we were trying to get after people.
"You're not going to be perfect right now but I was happy with the effort the first game."
A raucous crowd of 1,200 fans, including a particularly enthusiastic Lebanese contingent, took in the match within the cozy confines of McMaster University’s Burridge Gym.
Canada led for all but 17 seconds of the game, finishing the first quarter up by three before stretching that to a comfortable 15-point margin by halftime.
Fadi El Khatib led all scorers with 20 points for Lebanon in the losing cause. The recently crowned West Asian Champions found themselves manhandled both inside and out by Canada, as the front-court duo of Dalembert and Anthony provided a 41-28 rebounding edge for the Canadians, while the hosts also shot a sizzling 14-of-26 from three-point range.
"It's fun, it was a great feeling, the national anthem, all those eerie feelings keep coming back," Barrett said after the game. "This is a team on a mission, we're focused on [the Olympics].
"We have a lot of things to clean up, and as the level of competition rises, our margin for error is going to be less and less,” said the 35-year-old national team veteran. “These games are the ones we can take to clean stuff up.”
The three JDIC teams will all be competing in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament later this month, where the top three finishers will earn a berth in the 2008 Olympic Summer games.
Canada will return to McMaster on Tuesday to face New Zealand in the second game of the domestic exhibition series, then have two days off before the trio of teams make a trip to Toronto for a second round of matches at Ricoh Coliseum, July 4-5.
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.
BOXSCORE
HAMILTON — With the clock winding down at the end of the first quarter, Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team found themselves in exactly the type of situation that has proved problematic in the past –- trying to find a way to score.
This time, however, the ball made its way into the hands of a familiar face, who calmly broke his man down off the dribble and stroked a jumper that fell perfectly through the net, just as the buzzer sounded.
Rowan Barrett returned to the Canadian men’s basketball team to bring experience and poise to a relatively young squad. Despite a five-year hiatus, the Toronto native didn’t seem to miss a step Monday, making a triumphant return by keying Canada to a convincing 89-67 victory over Lebanon in the first game of the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC).
Barrett, who was named player of the game, finished with 16 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Carl English led Canada with 18 points in a balanced attack that saw Samuel Dalembert collect 10 points and 11 rebounds while fellow NBA centre Joel Anthony had 9 points and 9 rebounds for the host team.
"I was happy with the effort," said Canadian head coach Leo Rautins. "We made mistakes, but the first game you're going to make mistakes. I thought there were too many fouls at the defensive end, but everybody was trying to make the extra pass, trying to move the ball. I thought we had spurts where we were trying to get after people.
"You're not going to be perfect right now but I was happy with the effort the first game."
A raucous crowd of 1,200 fans, including a particularly enthusiastic Lebanese contingent, took in the match within the cozy confines of McMaster University’s Burridge Gym.
Canada led for all but 17 seconds of the game, finishing the first quarter up by three before stretching that to a comfortable 15-point margin by halftime.
Fadi El Khatib led all scorers with 20 points for Lebanon in the losing cause. The recently crowned West Asian Champions found themselves manhandled both inside and out by Canada, as the front-court duo of Dalembert and Anthony provided a 41-28 rebounding edge for the Canadians, while the hosts also shot a sizzling 14-of-26 from three-point range.
"It's fun, it was a great feeling, the national anthem, all those eerie feelings keep coming back," Barrett said after the game. "This is a team on a mission, we're focused on [the Olympics].
"We have a lot of things to clean up, and as the level of competition rises, our margin for error is going to be less and less,” said the 35-year-old national team veteran. “These games are the ones we can take to clean stuff up.”
The three JDIC teams will all be competing in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament later this month, where the top three finishers will earn a berth in the 2008 Olympic Summer games.
Canada will return to McMaster on Tuesday to face New Zealand in the second game of the domestic exhibition series, then have two days off before the trio of teams make a trip to Toronto for a second round of matches at Ricoh Coliseum, July 4-5.
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.
BOXSCORE
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