Jamal Murray 22pts in Q4 and OT

[JtotheIzzo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLNv6SYzofU

Kentucky is f*ckin lucky.

This kid looks like Brandon Roy with some Paul Pierce in him (crazy moves) and Kobe's killer instinct and knack for being present in the moment.

Clutch gene - check
shot - check
handles - check
defense - check
passing - check
moves - check

Real deal right here.

[Giaodollo]

Serious question, what is up with Canada? producing NBA player after NBA player last few years.

Last decade there was like 2 Canadians that I remember, Magloire and Fox.

Today you have
Bennett
Wiggins
Thompson
Stauskas
Ennis
Olynyk
Joseph
Nicholson

And all these player came in after 2012 I think. Plus back to back first picks. Also seems like they have a lot of future prospects.

[Giaodollo]

Just watched the highlights, have to say I am impressed. It is not top tier competition he is playing against but, if he is destroying former NBA players which means top tier college players back in the days at age 18 you have to be good. I will defintely keep checking him out, seems to be the best guard prospect in the upcoming draft.

[midatlantic09]

Reminds me of a 6'5 Cory Joseph with a bit more athleticism.

[BurningHammer]

Serious question, what is up with Canada? producing NBA player after NBA player last few years.

Last decade there was like 2 Canadians that I remember, Magloire and Fox.

Today you have
Bennett
Wiggins
Thompson
Stauskas
Ennis
Olynyk
Joseph
Nicholson

And all these player came in after 2012 I think. Plus back to back first picks. Also seems like they have a lot of future prospects.

You forgot the best one, Steve Nash.

It's Vince Carter Effect. The guy is probably the main reason why Canadian basketball has produced great talents since. Kinda like Michael Jordan and the Dream Team to international basketball.

[ralph_i_el]

Serious question, what is up with Canada? producing NBA player after NBA player last few years.

Last decade there was like 2 Canadians that I remember, Magloire and Fox.

Today you have
Bennett
Wiggins
Thompson
Stauskas
Ennis
Olynyk
Joseph
Nicholson

And all these player came in after 2012 I think. Plus back to back first picks. Also seems like they have a lot of future prospects.

The game has become more popular in Canada. The Raptors were created in 1995. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but all of these young guys have grown up in an era where Canada is seen as a place where pro-ballers can play and come from. It makes a difference.

edit: As another poster said, Steve Nash and VC also contribute to this.

I'd venture to guess that in a decade Team Canada will be right up there with Spain and France on the second-tier of international basketball.

[Nash]

or maybe it has something to do with how they develop basketball players over in Canada? I mean, even Thon Maker and his brother left the US to go play ball in Canada.

What is up with that? Guess Canada getting a good rep of developing young ballers.

[BurningHammer]

or maybe it has something to do with how they develop basketball players over in Canada? I mean, even Thon Maker and his brother left the US to go play ball in Canada.

What is up with that? Guess Canada getting a good rep of developing young ballers.

Thon's brother enrolled the school that Edge & Christian are alumni.

[Lebron23]

The inventor of basketball was Canadian. Nice Game from Jamal. He looks good against these former NBA Players.

[JtotheIzzo]

Serious question, what is up with Canada? producing NBA player after NBA player last few years.

Last decade there was like 2 Canadians that I remember, Magloire and Fox.

Today you have
Bennett
Wiggins
Thompson
Stauskas
Ennis
Olynyk
Joseph
Nicholson

And all these player came in after 2012 I think. Plus back to back first picks. Also seems like they have a lot of future prospects.

There were a number of things that happened over the last 40 years that have lead to this:

Political violence and unrest in the Carribean in the late 70s started a migration of Afro-Carribean people to Toronto.

Canada Basketball was beginning to peak in the mid-eighties with teams like University of Victoria regularly beating NCAA teams, but the national team program suffered under the stewardship of assumed racist Jack Donahue.

Then it was taken over by Ken Shields, and while improved, Ken was from BC (West Coast) and opted for his 'type' of player (big and white and west coast) as oppose to your typical Toronto guy (black and athletic), again there was a divide in the national team.

During this era (1980 to 2000) Canada produce a few NBAers: Mike Smrek, Bill Wennington, Rick Fox, Leo Rautins, and several others had great careers in Europe, but Canada was only a mid level country internationally despite sending more players abroad to play professionally than any country other than the US.

Talent was there, but it wasn't being groomed at the highest levels.

In the late 90s US colleges began to recruit much more heavily in Canada and the NCAA quickly filled up with Canadian talent.

The 2000 Men's team (Nash etc.) was a sign that the future would again improve.

Unfortunately though, Canada never (from 2001-2014) put its best 12 on the floor at the same time, and most pros wanted little or nothing to do with the national team and it sank like a rock, losing to countries where Canada sends its players to play as high priced imports (total embarassment).

But during that time Vince Carter was the most electric player on the planet and had the youth of Toronto and Canada on the edge of their seat. Seeing him defy gravity night in and night out made the most impossible elements of basketball seem completely doable.

In the late oughts AAU team in Toronto started organising more precisely and within a few years there were a couple of teams (Thompson, Joseph, Bennett, Wiggins etc era) that were the best in North America. Canadian kids were now on level with the best in the world (American players).

Now, following the mold of Wane Gretzky running Hockey Canada, Steve Nash is in charge and working to take the national team to the next level. Talent in Canada can now finally get in the right channels to maximize opportunity.

It is an exciting time.

[UK2K]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLNv6SYzofU

Kentucky is f*ckin lucky.

This kid looks like Brandon Roy with some Paul Pierce in him (crazy moves) and Kobe's killer instinct and knack for being present in the moment.

Clutch gene - check
shot - check
handles - check
defense - check
passing - check
moves - check

Real deal right here.

Kentucky isn't lucky. It's what they do.

I've seen article after article on him this week. Nash saying he's one of the best talents he's seen.

He's the future of the NBA.

[kennethgriffin]

vince carter is a big reason canada basketball took off

him and kobe with the internet exposure from 1999-2000 going forward

that and new tv deals

i remember canada used to only have tsn before that... there was maybe 15 basketball games on a year.

then the score came in

then sportsnet

then tsn 2

then the nba network

then league pass

now you can stream for free


then when you have access to 100's of games a year you can get more inspired at a young age




kobe/vince/tmac/iverson and media/tv/internet are basically are the reason canada has a legit basketball program now

[PacerRaptor]

Serious question, what is up with Canada? producing NBA player after NBA player last few years.

Last decade there was like 2 Canadians that I remember, Magloire and Fox.

Today you have
Bennett
Wiggins
Thompson
Stauskas
Ennis
Olynyk
Joseph
Nicholson

And all these player came in after 2012 I think. Plus back to back first picks. Also seems like they have a lot of future prospects.

It's mainly the Toronto area

[BurningHammer]

It's mainly the Toronto area

Interestingly yes. All top guys are all from Southern Ontario. Only few of this gen are from somewhere else. Sacre is from the West Coast and maybe Trey Lyle who was born in Saskatoon.

[UK2K]