Canadians answer the call in World Cup men’s basketball qualifying

Canada laid waste to the Bahamas in FIBA men’s World Cup qualifying on Monday afternoon, hardly a surprise and not the most significant of accomplishments.

But what the 113-77 victory in the Dominican Republic did was once again emphasize not only the depth of talent Canada Basketball can summon, but the willingness of players from around the globe to answer the call of their country.

And whatever happens at the 2023 World Cup — or, if things to alarmingly right, the 2024 Paris Olympics — the men who paused their careers and seasons to play for Canada should not be forgotten.

Kyle Wiltjer had 25 points and Kassius Robertson 15 for Canada, which routed the Bahamas for the second straight day in the FIBA Americas bubble in Santo Domingo.

For the Canadians, it was a typical trip: a group of kind of familiar players, who get together every now and then, met for a week and quickly figured things out.

The roster was built from European pros who were able to get releases from their teams to take a week off, North American-based players who have been integral to the program for years, and players such as Kyle Alexander who were making their senior team debut.

It’s what Canadian players do.

Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren was the head coach for Canada, handling the responsibilities on an interim basis for Nick Nurse. He had about three full practices with the team in Houston before a couple in Santo Domingo ahead of the games.

“In the week we spent together we were really focused,” he said. “Our overall team focus was very, very elite every day.”

Canada is now 2-0 in the first round of the long process of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in Asia. They have two windows of games left in this stage — in February and July against Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands — and three of the four teams advance to a second group stage that begins in late 2022.

Eventually, seven teams from FIBA Americas will qualify for the World Cup, which is the most direct path to getting a berth in the Olympics, something that has eluded Canada since Sydney 2000.