The preliminary list of players has been revealed for Canada’s senior men’s national team that will participate in the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers.
The list is comprised of mostly Euroleague and NBA G-League players as this first stage qualifier will played while the NBA season is going on, meaning Canada will be without its top talent for the event.
Included on this list are returning members from Canada’s eighth-place FIBA Americup squad from this past summer such as Jermaine Anderson, Joel Anthony and Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Roy Rana will take the reigns as head coach of the team.
“We are excited and honored to begin our journey towards the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China,” said Rana in a statement. “This group of young men embody the passion and sacrifice needed to be successful in international competition.”
Canada kicks off its FIBA World Cup qualifying mission in Halifax against the Bahamas on Nov. 24 and then travels to play the Dominican Republic on Nov. 27 to close out this first window. The second window begins on Feb. 22 in Canada against the U.S. Virgin Islands.
These four teams make up Group D of the Americas region qualifier. The top three teams of this group will advance to the second round of qualification.
For more info on how FIBA World Cup qualification works see this FAQ.
Below is the preliminary list of players:
| Player | Height | Position | Hometown | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Amardi | 6’9″ | F | Toronto, Ont. | Raptors 905 (G-League) |
| Jermaine Anderson | 6’2″ | PG | Toronto, Ont. | Free Agent |
| Joel Anthony | 6’9″ | C | Montreal, Que. | Free Agent |
| Olu Ashaolu | 6’7″ | PF | Toronto, Ont. | Sendai 89ers (Japan) |
| Anthony Bennett | 6’8″ | F | Toronto, Ont. | Northern Arizona Suns (G-League) |
| Aaron Best | 6’4″ | SG | Scarborough, Ont. | Raptors 905 (G-League) |
| Sim Bhullar | 7’5″ | C | Toronto, Ont. | Dacin Tigers (Taiwan) |
| Melvin Ejim | 6’7″ | F | Toronto, Ont. | Unics (Russia) |
| Joel Friesen | 6’4″ | SG | Abbotsford, B.C. | London Lightning (NBL of Can) |
| Grandy Glaze | 6’7″ | C | Toronto, Ont. | St. John’s Edge (NBL of Can) |
| Olivier Hanlan | 6’4″ | SG | Aylmer, Que. | Austin Spurs (G-League) |
| Brady Heslip | 6’2″ | SG | Burlington, Ont. | Trabzonspor (Turkey) |
| Kris Joseph | 6’7″ | SF | Montreal, Que. | Free Agent |
| Kaza Keane | 6’1″ | PG | Ajax, Ont. | Raptors 905 (G-League) |
| Levon Kendall | 6’10” | PF | Vancouver, B.C. | Free Agent |
| Owen Klassen | 6’10” | C | Kingston, Ont. | PAOK (Greece) |
| Duane Notice | 6’2″ | SG | Woodbridge, Ont. | BM Slam Stal (Poland) |
| Adika Peter-McNeilly | 6’3″ | SG | Toronto, Ont. | Ludwigsburg (Germany) |
| Dyshawn Pierre | 6’6″ | SF | Whitby, Ont. | Banco di Srd (Italy) |
| Xavier Rathan-Mayes | 6’3″ | PG | Scarborough, Ont. | Westchester Knicks (G-League) |
| Phil Scrubb | 6’3″ | PG | Richmond, B.C. | Fraport SKY (Germany) |
| Thomas Scrubb | 6’6″ | SF | Richmond, B.C. | Scandone AV (Italy) |
| Marc Trasolini | 6’9″ | C | Vancouver, B.C. | Hokkaido L. (Japan) |
| Warren Ward | 6’6″ | G/F | London, Ont. | Caceres (Spain) |
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