| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Soviet Union 2. U.S.A. 3. China 4. Korea 5. Brazil 6. Bulgaria 7. Poland 8. Yugoslavia 9. CANADA 10. Cuba 11. Australia 12. Japan 13. Peru 14. Zaire | CANADIANS Tracie McAra (Victoria, B.C.) Carol Turney-Loos (Cornwall, Ont.) Anna Pendergast (Kensington, P.E.I.) Debbie Huband (Ottawa, Ont.) Carole Sealey (Montreal, Que.) Alison Long Heidi Bauer Sylvia Sweeney (Montreal, Que.) Candice Lohr (Hamilton, Ont.) Toni Kordic Andrea Blackwell (Calgary, Alta.) Wendy Verrechia Don McCrae – coach |
| POOL A | KOR | BUL | CUB | PER | Record | ||||||
| Korea | —– | 59-55 | 77-67 | 89-46 | (3-0) | ||||||
| Bulgaria | 55-59 | —– | 76-60 | 90-44 | (2-1) | ||||||
| Cuba | 67-77 | 60-76 | —– | 92-55 | (1-2) | ||||||
| Peru | 46-89 | 44-90 | 55-92 | —– | (0-3) | ||||||
| POOL B | POL | YUG | AUS | JPN | Record | ||||||
| Poland | —– | 58-50 | 73-66 | 73-60 | (3-0) | ||||||
| Yugoslavia | 50-58 | —– | 87-71 | 90-58 | (2-1) | ||||||
| Australia | 66-73 | 71-87 | —– | 84-58 | (1-2) | ||||||
| Japan | 60-73 | 58-90 | 58-84 | —– | (0-3) | ||||||
| POOL C | SOV | CHN | CAN | ZAI | Record | ||||||
| U.S.S.R. | —– | 85-64 | 85-62 | 117-40 | (3-0) | ||||||
| China | 64-85 | —– | 74-66 | 90-47 | (2-1) | ||||||
| Canada | 62-85 | 66-74 | —– | 76-43 | (1-2) | ||||||
| Zaire | 40-117 | 47-90 | 43-76 | —– | (0-3) | ||||||
| CLASSIFICATION POOL | CAN | CUB | AUS | JPN | PER | ZAI | Record | ||||
| Canada | —– | 73-72 | 56-53 | 71-52 | 58-32 | 76-43 | (5-0) | ||||
| Cuba | 72-73 | —– | 76-63 | 85-67 | 92-55 | 93-52 | (4-1) | ||||
| Australia | 53-56 | 63-76 | —– | 84-58 | 92-66 | 86-63 | (3-2) | ||||
| Japan | 52-71 | 67-85 | 58-84 | —– | 67-54 | 56-48 | (2-3) | ||||
| Peru | 32-58 | 55-92 | 66-92 | 54-67 | —– | 74-58 | (1-4) | ||||
| Zaire | 43-76 | 52-93 | 63-86 | 48-56 | 58-74 | —– | (0-5) | ||||
| MEDALS POOL | SOV | USA | CHN | KOR | BRZ | BUL | POL | YUG | Record | ||
| U.S.S.R. | —– | 85-84 | 85-64 | 95-54 | 99-75 | 94-63 | 70-44 | 98-64 | (7-0) | ||
| United States | 84-85 | —– | 101-91 | 82-66 | 109-78 | 99-77 | 82-63 | 92-49 | (6-1) | ||
| China | 64-85 | 91-101 | —– | 72-69 | 72-71 | 64-73 | 75-83 | 76-58 | (3-4) | ||
| Korea | 54-95 | 66-82 | 69-72 | —– | 80-79 | 59-55 | 70-62 | 57-70 | (3-4) | ||
| Brazil | 75-99 | 78-109 | 71-72 | 79-80 | —– | 81-78 | 84-72 | 74-60 | (3-4) | ||
| Bulgaria | 63-94 | 77-99 | 73-64 | 55-59 | 78-81 | —– | 71-57 | 78-73 | (3-4) | ||
| Poland | 44-70 | 63-82 | 83-75 | 62-70 | 72-84 | 57-71 | —– | 58-50 | (2-5) | ||
| Yugoslavia | 64-98 | 49-92 | 58-76 | 70-57 | 60-74 | 73-78 | 50-58 | —– | (1-6) | ||
| Bronze | China 71 Korea 63 | |
| Final | U.S.S.R. 84 United States 82 | |
In June/83, Bev Smith, Sylvia Sweeney, Debbie Huband and Andrea Blackwell walked away from the national team when former coach Don McCrae was fired for bucking Basketball Canada’s authority and seeking to make personnel and budget decisions to benefit players. Eight players, including four starters, refused to play for assistant Wayne Hussey at the FISU Games. “Athletes were getting the short end of the stick and not getting support from the basketball federation,” Sylvia Sweeney said. “Most athletes are trained to take whatever orders are given them. Team sport is not a great arena for civil disobedience. We voiced objections to his methods and finally realized we were being totally ignored by our federation. If we had been waffling about retiring, when he was hired, we weren’t waffling anymore.”
In his seven years as national coach, McCrae had brought Canada from nowhere to third place in the world rankings. Sport Minister Ray Perrault reacted to public indignation by appointing a one-man judicial inquiry to examine whether there was just cause for the dismissal. Justice Keith Flanigan of the Ottawa-Carleton County Court had ruled that McCrae had been fired without just cause. Basketball Canada had cited “incompatibility” as the reason. Basketball Canada re-hired McCrae while issuing a statement that “In a series of motions dealing with the issue, the membership of Basketball Canada reaffirmed the autonomy of a national sport governing body in such matters and made their decision with the best interests of the athletes and Canadian taxpayers in mind.”
Tom Kendall, vice president in charge of national teams, told reporters that McCrae was rehired after Perreault threatened to yank all funding from Basketball Canada. “If you’ve got the feds ear, you win. What makes me ill is the fact that we’ve violated all the principles of corporate management for the sake of political expediency. … Basketball Canada and Don McCrae couldn’t function together. McCrae wouldn’t acknowledge Basketball Canada’s right to manage. He wanted control of budgets and the right to select heads of delegations. We couldn’t come to terms on a contract and there was conflict over management policies and procedures. He also had personality conflicts with members of the board of directors.” Kendall added that the problems started when members of the team griped that they should have consulted before McCrae was fired. “They wanted to know all the details as to why we fired him but we had agreed that those reasons were between Don and ourselves.”
At the world championships, Canada first defeated Zaire 76-43.
Canada then lost 74-66 to China despite 23 points from Sylvia Sweeney.
Canada closed out round robin pool play by dropping an 85-62 decision to the Soviet Union. The Soviets took a 17-point lead in the first five minutes and were never threatened. Olga Barel, who only played in the first half, led the Soviets with 23 points. Sylvia Sweeney and Andrea Blackwell each scored 18 to lead Canada. Alison Lang added 15. “We were playing good defence early in the game but this girls of theirs (Barel) was … making all her shots,” said coach Don McCrae. “In the second half, we went with a jump-and-run defence all over the court and we broke them down. They threw the ball behind their ears, made 10-second violations, double-dribbled and dribbled out of bounds. They only beat us by one point in the second half. I’m not sure there are many countries in the world that can stay with them the way we did.” McCrae added that Sweeney was outstanding. “I think she’s been the player of the tournament so far.”
Canada fails to qualify for medals pool.
Canada dropped to the classification pool, which they won with a (5-0) record to finish ninth.
1984
Wayne Hussey is appointed the first full-time head coach of the women’s program, replacing Don McCrae, who’d held a part-time appointment for eight years. Hussey coached at John Abbott from 1974-77 and then at Bishop’s for seven years, where he guided the Gaiters to a pair of national titles.