Canada National Team

[dreamwalker]

Canada beat China in worlds warm-up

August 10, 2010 Vancouver - Canada cruised to an 86-62 victory over China in a warm-up for the FIBA World Championship in Vancouver.

Andy Rautins, son of coach Leo, helped out his dad in a big way with a game-high 19 points, 12 of them coming from three-pointers.

Jevohn Shepherd added 16 and Joel Anthony had eight points and eight rebounds.

Canada dominated throughout, leading 41-16 at half-time and enjoying a 44-25 advantage in rebounding.

"We go deep," Leo Rautins said. "We will continue to go deep to make sure people stay fresh.

"Everybody that I call on, there is a lot of trust. I'm not afraid to put different guys in at different times. The depth is a positive factor for us."

Anthony added: "It felt really good, the way we did it, just playing together," he said. "Defensively we played really well in terms of doing things we wanted to do by taking them out of their sets and being really aggressive and helping each other.
"Offensively, we were able to get some great looks. We weren't rushing things."

Liu Wei led China with 19 points, while Yi Jianlian had 15 points.

China coach Robert Donewald blamed a poor start for his team’s heavy defeat.

"They just took us out of everything we wanted to get into early," he said. "I thought we were a deer in the headlights early.

"In the second half we picked it up and tried to pressure them a little more. We were just too far behind to make any type of move."

[dreamwalker]

TORONTO - August 12, 2010 - Jermaine Bucknor is proving his worth to the Canadian men's basketball team ahead of the FIBA world championships.

Bucknor scored 15 points as Canada beat France 69-58 in an international exhibition game Thursday.

"Buck can start a game, close a game," said head coach Leo Rautins.

"He's been great. He's one of those guys you can use him at different positions. He's confident with his shot, he'll defend, he'll rebound, he'll play physical and I can sit there and say, 'Be ready, I'm looking at this and I'll come to you."

Denham Brown added 10 points, while Andy Rautins scored nine for the Canadians. Yannick Bokolo replied with 14 points for the French, while Boris Diaw chipped in 12 before a crowd of 2,652 at Air Canada Centre.

Tied 49-49 in the fourth, Aaron Doornekamp nailed a three-pointer to spark a 12-0 Canadian run.

"I thought we started to defend," said Leo Rautins. "The other thing, we had fresh legs, I put the fresh legs in and said, 'Let's finish this game."'

Bucknor, of Toronto, scored 11 of his points in the second half.

The game was the second of three played by the Canadian team in the Jack Donohue International Classic. The tournament is being used to prepare for the world championships, which run from Aug. 26 to Sept. 12 in Turkey.

Canada led 18-11 after the first quarter and 34-31 at the half.

Rautins led Canadian scorers with nine points at the half. Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony had eight.

Canada shot 11-for-31 (35 per cent) from the field in the first half, while France was 12-for-33 (36 per cent).

"That was a pretty tough game tonight, that was a real test," said Diaw said. "Canada played more aggressive than us. . . . I think we've got to respond to players that play physical because that's the way it's going to be in the world championship. Right now we're being too nice."

After a week of training camp at Air Canada Centre, the Canadian team defeated China 86-62 in Vancouver on Tuesday, led by 19 points from Andy Rautins, Leo Rautins' son. Andy Rautins was drafted by the New York Knicks after playing in the NCAA at Syracuse.

Canada, which hasn't played at the world championships since finishing 13th in Indianapolis in 2002, failed to qualify for both the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 world championships in Japan.

Canada qualified for the world championships with a fourth-place finish last year at the America's tournament in Puerto Rico.

Leo Rautins said one of the surprising aspects of the camp was the focus shown by the players, adding the chemistry built from last year has carried over to the preparations this time around.

"We may not be the most talented team but there's a lot of balance," Rautins said. "I trust the guys I put in."

The Canadian team then goes to the Acropolis Eurobank International Tournament in Athens from Aug. 17-19. ... Canada is at the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Ankara, Turkey from Aug. 21-23 in a final stop before the world championships.

[dreamwalker]

Canada Dominated France for the 2nd Time (85-63)

Canada Basketball: August 16, 2010 TORONTO - The Canadian Senior Men remained undefeated in the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC) as they blew out France 85-63 at the Air Canada Centre on Friday. Andy Rautins (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored 19 points to lead Canada. Toronto natives Jevohn Shepherd and Denham Brown added 12 points and 10 points respectively.

Florent Pietrus paced the French national team with 16 points. Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trailblazers added 11 points and five rebounds.

“We just didn’t play a full game,” Batum said. “[Canada] played hard for 40 minutes and we did not. That is why we lost.”

For the second straight night, following a 69-58 win on Thursday, Canada dominated France. The Canadians led 24-12 after the first quarter and 47-25 at the half on the strength of 14 points from Rautins.

The Canadian team let up in the third quarter when France outscored them 20-13. But Canada regained control in the fourth for a comfortable win.

"The third quarter was a little frustrating," said senior men's head coach Leo Rautins. "We kind of had the same thing against China [an 86-62 win for Canada in Vancouver on Tuesday], the third quarter we came out a little lax. But they found a way to get out of it -- that's the key."

It was the third and final game played by the Canadian team in the JDIC, all wins, as preparation for the world championships in Turkey that run Aug. 28-Sept. 12.

Next stop for the senior men is Athens, Greece, where they play in the Acropolis Eurobank International Tournament from Aug. 17-19.

[dreamwalker]

Greece Too Much for the Canadian SMNT (123-49)

CANADA'S SENIOR MEN DROP EXHIBITION GAME TO GREECE
Last Updated: August 17, 2010ATHENS, Greece

The Greek National Team proved to be too much for the Canadian Senior Men as they fell 123-49 on Tuesday in their first exhibition game of the Acropolis Eurobank Tournament in Athens.

Toronto natives Jevohn Shepherd with 12 points and Denham Brown with 10 led the Canadians.

"It was a tough game against a very strong Greece team, after a long day of travel." said Leo Rautins, Head Coach for the Senior Men's National Team.

Joel Anthony (Montreal) of the Miami Heat grabbed a game high eight rebounds while chipping in five points.

The Greeks had six players score in double figures, including Georgios Printezis, whose rights are held by the Toronto Raptors.

Former L.A. Clipper Sofoklis Schortsanitis led Greece with a game high 24 points while Kostas Vasileiadis added 14.

"We have to put this behind us and prepare for Serbia tomorrow night, keeping our focus on being ready for the World Championship," added Rautins.

Canada was down 27-6 after the first quarter and 58-20 at halftime. The hole got deeper in the second half.

Team Canada hopes to put up a better effort when they face Serbia, which edged Slovenia 82-81 in the tournament's other game on Tuesday.

The Canada-Serbia game is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

[dreamwalker]

Canada SMNT beats Serbia

Basketball Canada - Last Updated: August 19, 2010ATHENS, Greece - The Canadian Senior Men bounced back from Tuesday's loss to Greece with a 62-58 win over the Serbian national team on day two of the Acropolis-Eurobank tournament.

Canada (1-1) went into halftime of Wednesday's game with a 34-27 lead against Serbia, a basketball powerhouse currently ranked fifth in the world, according to the FIBA ranking of 213 nations. Canada then held their opponents to one basket during the next eight minutes to build a 53-29 lead.

Serbia gave the Canadians a scare as they went on a run late in the third and continuing into the final quarter, but the senior men held on to preserve the victory.

“It was a good bounce back for our team to win after yesterday's game,” said senior men's head coach Leo Rautins. “We had our legs back today and played with much more aggression. The results of that intensity showed on the defensive end.

"Denham [Brown] gave us nice lift with his scoring, getting to the basket consistently and being aggressive.”

Toronto native Brown scored a game high 22 points, 17 of which came in the first half. He finished the game shooting 11-of-19 from the floor.

“We showed how tough we are, getting blown out yesterday and coming back to beat a strong Serbian team,” said Brown. “Tonight we showed what our team is all about.”

Guard Jevohn Shepherd, also a Toronto native, reached double figures in scoring for the second straight game as he posted 12 points.

Canada's final game in the Acropolis-Eurobank tournament is against Slovenia. It's scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) Thursday, the last day of the event.

[dreamwalker]

Canada SMNT Ends Greek Tournament With Loss To Slovenia

Basketball Canada - Last Updated: August 19, 2010ATHENS, Greece - Canada's Senior Men's National Team (SMNT) ended the Arcopolis-Eurobank Tournament on Thursday with an 86-71 loss to Slovenia.

"Tonight was a great example of how you need to come focused every night with the right energy level and trust each other on the court," said SMNT head coach Leo Rautins.

Toronto native Jevohn Shepherd led the Canadians with 13 points. Montreal native Joel Anthony added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Team Canada dug itself into an early hole, trailing the Slovenian squad by seven points at the end of the opening quarter. That lead grew larger in the second half after Slovenia outscored Canada 23-15 in the third quarter.

The Canadians outscored Slovenia 24-20 in the final quarter but it wasn't enough to overcome the big lead.

"Tonight we didn't play a full 40 minutes and didn't match their aggression, which cost us in the end," said Shepherd. "Now we have a few practices and three games left to make the adjustments before heading into the world championship."

Point guard Jaka Lakovic led Slovenia with a game high 19 points while Beno Udrih of the Sacramento Kings added 13 points.

The Canadian Senior Men's National Team now travels to Turkey for the Efes Pilsen Cup Tournament from
Aug. 21-23 in Ankara. Team Canada will face off against Argentina, Turkey and Lebanon in their final preparation for the FIBA World Championship.

"We need to refocus now and use this experience in Greece to help us as we head into the Efes Pilsen Cup and face strong competition," added Rautins. "Our goal is to use these games to prepare our team to peak as the world championship begins on Aug. 28."

Canada's opening match is against Argentina on Saturday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). Game summaries will be posted on www.basketball.ca.

[dreamwalker]

Canada drops hard-fought game to argentina in efes pilsen opener

Canada - Basketball Last Updated: August 21, 2010 ANKARA, Turkey - The Senior Men's National Team got off to a good start but fell to top ranked Argentina 79-64 on Saturday in Canada's opening match of the Efes Pilsen World Cup.

"We did a lot of good things for about 35 minutes versus Argentina," said Leo Rautins, Head Coach of the SMNT. "We just have to finish the game. Our defence has to be our staple and I thought for the most part our "D" was solid. Every pre-world game is an opportunity to improve and come together as a team."

Toronto natives Jevohn Shepherd and Denham Brown were the leading scorers for Team Canada with 13 points and 12 points respectively.

Starting centre Joel Anthony (Montreal) grabbed a game high 12 rebounds while chipping in eight points and two blocks.

Canada led throughout the first half, outscoring Argentina 20-16 in the first quarter and 15-13 in the second. The second half was a different story as the South Americans outscored the SMNT 22-14 in the third to take a two-point lead going into the final quarter.

Argentina closed out Canada in the fourth, outscoring them 28-15. The Argentines face Lebanon on Sunday and conclude their tournament action with a match against host nation Turkey.

Carlos Delfino of the Milwaukee Bucks led everyone in scoring with 26 points and a team high seven rebounds.

Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets added 12 points for Argentina while Andres Nocioni of the Philadephia 76ers had 10.

Canada's next opponent in this exhibition tournament will be Turkey. The game tips off Sunday at 8:15 p.m. local time (1:15 p.m. ET) and game summaries will be posted on www.basketball.ca.

[Bury Please]

Canadian NT Losses

August 1 2010

Spain 84 : 38 Canada


August 17 2010
Greece 123 : 49 Canada


August 22 2010
Turkey 69 Canada 33 in third quarter


Is Canada tanking? or they are this bad?

[Bury Please]

They have good NBA players tho.Like Joel Anthony.He is respectable player for the miami heat.
Then they got rautins..

wassup with them?

[dreamwalker]

Efes pilsen cup game 2 recap: Canada 53 - turkey 84

Canada Basketball - Last Updated: August 22, 2010ANKARA, Turkey - Team Canada lost an exhibition match to host Turkey 84-53 on the second day of the 2010 Efes Pilsen World Cup. Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, B.C) of the Gonzaga Bulldogs was the leading scorer for Canada with nine points in his first start for the Senior Men's National Team.

Robert Sacre (North Vancouver, B.C.) and Olu Famutumi (Toronto, Ont.) each added seven points a piece while Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) grabbed a game high 10 rebounds.

Omer Onan was the leading scorer for Turkey with a game high 17 points. Omer Asik of the Chicago Bulls added 14 points and six rebounds.

Canada faces Lebanon tomorrow in their final match of this exhibition tournament. The game tips off Monday at 7:00 p.m. local time (12:00 p.m. ET) and game summaries will be posted on www.basketball.ca.

[dreamwalker]

August 1 2010

Spain 84 : 38 Canada


August 17 2010
Greece 123 : 49 Canada


August 22 2010
Turkey 69 Canada 33 in third quarter


Is Canada tanking? or they are this bad?

They have good NBA players tho.Like Joel Anthony.He is respectable player for the miami heat.
Then they got rautins..

wassup with them?

Our goal is to use these games to prepare our team to peak as the world championship begins on Aug. 28 when each game really matters to advance from Group D. We played friendlies against national teams above our current FIBA ranking and we expect losses and learn from that experience and be able to adjust.

It was a tough game against a very strong Greece team, after a long day of travel, we just take it as a good learning experience. It’s been eight long years since Canada’s men’s basketball team has played on the world stage.

So you can be sure that when this year’s version of the squad steps on the court at the world championships in Turkey, the players don’t plan to take a minute of it for granted. There’s obviously a sense of urgency to come out and compete, especially for Canada basketball, it’s been a long time coming for us. It’s definitely proving time for us. Canada is not really a basketball nation but one thing is for sure, we beat some and get some from the world's very best.

It will be interesting to watch our game against Lebanon, don't you agree ? .....

[daniab]

Guys where is Andy Rautins? why isn't he playing in Efes Pilsen?

[dreamwalker]

Efes pilsen cup final game recap: Canada 76 - lebanon 88

Canada Basketball - Last Updated: August 23, 2010ANKARA, Turkey - Canada's Senior Men lost to Lebanon 88-76 despite Olu Famutumi's 20 points as they conluded their European tour in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The Toronto native was leading scorer in the game and shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, B.C.) added 12 points while Denham Brown (Toronto) nearly had a triple double as he posted nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes for Canada.

Canada fell behind after the first half however got to within 4 at 61-57 in the third quarter. However a 10-3 Lebanese run restored a double digit lead and Canada could not get back into the game.

The Canadians, who have been battling recent injuries, were without Andy Rautins (Syracuse, NY), Jermaine Bucknor (Edmonton, Alb.) and 6'7" Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, Ont.) for today's match.

Jackson Vroman led the Lebanese squad with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Matthew Freije and Fadi El Khatib added 16 points and 15 points respectively.

The two countries meet again this weekend when the FIBA 2010 World Championship kicks off on Saturday. Game time is 6:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. ET) and can be watched live on the TSN2 network.

[LaNaranjaBasket]

Its the official roster known yet?

[all_about]

Team Canada Official Roster:

Jermaine ANDERSON
Joel ANTHONY
Ryan BELL
Denham BROWN
Jermaine BUCKNOR
Aaron DOORNEKAMP
Olu FAMUTIMI
Levon KENDALL
Kyle LANDRY
Kelly OLYNYK
Andy RAUTINS
Robert SACRE
Jevohn SHEPHERD