VICTORIA, British Columbia (June 29, 2021) - When the ball goes up on Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. local, 7:05 p.m. ET, at Victoria Memorial Arena in Victoria, British Columbia, the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team knows exactly what’s on the line.

With an opportunity to earn the program’s first trip to the Olympics since 2000, the goal at this FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is simple: win and advance to Tokyo. As Canada hosts one of four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, along with Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia, the Canadian Senior Men’s Team is eager to get out on the court and play against actual competition rather than the scrimmages they’ve been having against each other in practice each day. 

“We are excited,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “it’s going to be good, our guys are ready to play against somebody else, that’s for sure. It’s been a long preparation process, with the tournament supposed to be last summer. I think it’s going to be tremendously exciting for everyone involved [and we are] extremely thankful for all of the people that made it happen, to host it in Canada. We’re ready to get going.”

With the coronavirus pandemic upending international competition over the past year, this will be the first time much of this roster has been together since the FIBA Basketball World Cup in August 2019. Despite the layoff, Joseph said the team has gelled quickly during time spent together training in Tampa prior to arriving in Victoria.

“We only had a limited time to prepare for the tournament so it’s very important that we click as fast as we can,” Joseph said. “As a point guard, it’s my job to get everybody in the best position they can. We don't have one guy with a selfish bone in their body so it makes it easier. There are no egos [here].”

As he addressed the media during an availability on Monday afternoon, Joseph reflected on this being his 10th year with the senior team and 15th year of playing for and with Canada Basketball’s various teams. Canada will have six players on the roster in Victoria that played for the program during the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, as well as some fresh faces playing for the Senior Men’s National Team for the first time. Canada will also lead the tournament with eight NBA players on their roster. 

One of those NBA players that Joseph is looking forward to sharing the floor with is RJ Barrett. A sophomore in the NBA after being drafted by the New York Knicks third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Barrett will be showing off his ever-expanding game as he represents Canada in Victoria.

“I’ve known RJ ever since I can remember,” Joseph said. “My dad and his dad are friends and I've gotten to see him from a very young age, when his feet were even bigger than his body. He’s always been a very hard worker, very determined, as you can see from his progress since he became a professional up to now. He’s developed a lot. He’s definitely going to be one of the guys that we look to to put some numbers up for us.”

Along with Joseph and Barrett, Luguentz Dort will make his national team debut following a breakout season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well Nickeil Alexander-Walker, joining Canada following his own sophomore season in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans. Veteran big men Dwight Powell and Trey Lyles are also in Victoria, while this summer also marks the return of Andrew Wiggins suiting up for Canada, along with Golden State Warriors teammate Mychal Mulder.

“We definitely have a good shot here,” Joseph said. “We put together a great group of guys. I’ve been here awhile. I’ve had talented groups before and we couldn’t get the job done. We have to be extremely focused, and put it all together, get out there and play extremely hard. If we play together and we play hard, then our talents can show.”

Nurse has long maintained that defence has to be a priority for a team hoping to be successful, regardless of the league or tournament. With only a few weeks to get everyone up to speed on the playbook in advance of tournament play, Nurse is looking forward to seeing the results of the team’s hard work.

“We do as much as we can to prepare, we go out there with the mindset that we have to meet or exceed their energy,” Nurse said. “Anytime you come off the floor and can say you played as hard or harder than your opponents then you gave yourself a chance to win.”

That chance isn’t something Joseph is going to take for granted.

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” Joseph said. “It would mean a lot for us to make it.  I think it would mean a lot for our country. I think our country is kind of thirsty for it, I'm definitely thirsty for it. It would mean a lot for everybody that’s involved in this whole nation.”