| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Yugoslavia 2. Argentina 3. Germany 4. New Zealand 5. Spain 6. United States 7. Puerto Rico 8. Brazil 9. Turkey 10. Russia 11. Angola 12. China 13. CANADA 14. Venezuela 15. Algeria 16. Lebanon | CANADIANS Richard Anderson (Ottawa, Ont.) Rowan Barrett (Scarborough, Ont.) Titus Channer (Kinross, Mich.) Sherman Hamilton (Toronto, Ont.) Kevin Jobity (Toronto, Ont.) Prosper Karangwa (Bujumbura, Burundi) Andrew Kwiatkowski (Cambridge, Ont.) Michael Meeks (Patrick City, Jamaica) Greg Meldrum (West Vancouver, B.C.) Shawn Swords (Ottawa, Ont.) David Thomas (Toronto, Ont.) Novell Thomas (Richmond, B.C.) Steve Ross (Kamloops, B.C.) Jay Triano – Coach Gordie Herbert – Assistant Mike Katz – Assistant Gary Schmidt – Video scout |
| POOL A | SPN | YUG | ANG | CAN | Record | ||||
| Spain | —– | 71-69 | 88-55 | 85-54 | (3-0) | ||||
| Yugoslavia | 69-71 | —– | 113-63 | 87-71 | (2-1) | ||||
| Angola | 55-88 | 63-113 | —– | 84-74 | (1-2) | ||||
| Canada | 54-85 | 71-87 | 74-84 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL B | BRA | PUR | TUR | LEB | Record | ||||
| Brazil | —– | 90-86 | 88-86 | 102-73 | (3-0) | ||||
| Puerto Rico | 86-90 | —– | 78-75 | 99-77 | (2-1) | ||||
| Turkey | 86-88 | 75-78 | —– | 107-80 | (1-2) | ||||
| Lebanon | 73-102 | 77-99 | 80-107 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL C | USA | GER | CHN | ALG | Record | ||||
| United States | —– | 104-87 | 84-65 | 110-60 | (3-0) | ||||
| Germany | 87-104 | —– | 88-76 | 102-70 | (2-1) | ||||
| China | 65-84 | 76-88 | —– | 96-82 | (1-2) | ||||
| Algeria | 60-110 | 70-102 | 82-96 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL D | ARG | NZL | RUS | VEN | Record | ||||
| Argentina | —– | 112-85 | 100-81 | 107-72 | (3-0) | ||||
| New Zealand | 85-112 | —– | 90-81 | 98-85 | (2-1) | ||||
| Russia | 81-100 | 81-90 | —– | 86-69 | (1-2) | ||||
| Venezuela | 72-107 | 85-98 | 69-86 | —– | (0-3) | ||||
| POOL E | PUR | SPN | YUG | BRA | TUR | ANG | Record | ||
| Puerto Rico | —– | 73-65 | 85-83 | 86-90 | 78-75 | 89-87 | (4-1) | ||
| Spain | 65-73 | —– | 71-69 | 84-67 | 87-64 | 88-55 | (4-1) | ||
| Yugoslavia | 83-85 | 69-71 | —– | 90-69 | 110-78 | 113-63 | (3-2) | ||
| Brazil | 90-86 | 67-84 | 69-90 | —– | 88-86 | 86-83 | (3-2) | ||
| Turkey | 75-78 | 64-87 | 78-110 | 86-88 | —– | 86-66 | (1-4) | ||
| Angola | 87-89 | 55-88 | 63-113 | 83-86 | 66-86 | —– | (0-5) | ||
| POOL F | ARG | USA | GER | NZL | RUS | CHN | Record | ||
| Argentina | —– | 87-80 | 86-77 | 112-85 | 106-82 | 95-71 | (5-0) | ||
| United States | 80-87 | —– | 104-87 | 110-62 | 106-82 | 84-65 | (4-1) | ||
| Germany | 77-86 | 87-104 | —– | 85-64 | 103-85 | 88-76 | (3-2) | ||
| New Zealand | 85-112 | 61-110 | 64-84 | —– | 90-81 | 94-88 | (2-3) | ||
| Russia | 82-106 | 82-106 | 85-103 | 81-90 | —– | 95-68 | (1-4) | ||
| China | 71-95 | 65-84 | 76-88 | 88-94 | 68-95 | —– | (0-5) | ||
| QFs | Argentina 78 Brazil 67 | |
| QFs | Yugoslavia 81 United States 78 | |
| QFs | Germany 70 Spain 62 | |
| QFs | New Zealand 65 Puerto Rico 63 | |
| 13-16th | Canada 91 Lebanon 67 | |
| 13-16th | Venezuela 98 Algeria 83 | |
| 9-12th | Russia 77 Angola 66 | |
| 9-12th | Turkey 94 China 86 | |
| 5-8th | United States 84 Puerto Rico 74 | |
| 5-8th | Spain 105 Brazil 89 | |
| Semi | Argentina 86 Germany 80 | |
| Semi | Yugoslavia 89 New Zealand 78 | |
| 15th | Algeria 100 Lebanon 70 | |
| 13th | Canada 98 Venezuela 97 | |
| 11th | Angola 96 China 84 | |
| 9th | Turkey 91 Russia 86 | |
| 7th | Puerto Rico 91 Brazil 84 | |
| 5th | Spain 81 United States 75 | |
| Bronze | Germany 117 New Zealand 94 | |
| Final | Yugoslavia 84 Argentina 77 ot | |
Just prior to the Worlds, starting point guard Steve Nash announced that he would not compete because he needed a rest for the coming NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks. Days earlier, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had complained that insurance costs to cover Nash’s play in the world championships were exorbitant. Nash says “I have decided not to play this summer. I am not mentally or physically ready to play this summer. It’s a hard decision to leave my team and not represent my country at the world championships. However, in the best interest of my career and playing in the Olympics, playing this summer could seriously jeopardize my availability.” Mavericks owners Mark Cuban expresses concerns over insurance policies, saying the NBA’s and Canada’s insurance scheme (a complex arrangement in which costs are shared by all parties, Basketball Canada says it costs in excess of $50,000U.S. to insurance Nash and Todd MacCulloch annually) is inadequate to compensate him should Nash be injured. “Mark is the boss and I have to think serious about adhering to his wishes,” says Nash. “I want to play for my country and I always have. This is my 10th summer with the national team. At some point, I also have to look out for my career and look out for what my owner wants me to do.” Nash is in the fourth year of a $36-million-6-yr contract with the Mavericks. “I fully support Steve’s decision,” said Triano. “Watching him in practice this week, I could see he wasn’t able to give 100% mentally or physically. We value what he’s done for the program over the past 10 years and what he hopes to do in the future. But for him the best decision is to take time and be ready for the NBA season.”
Meanwhile, Todd MacCulloch, centre with the NBA’s New Jersey Nets is sidelined by an inflamed tendon in his left foot. Similarly, Jamal Magliore of the New Orleans Hornets says he has a back injury and will not play because he is awaiting the results of an MRI.
In the final exhibition game against China before the event, forward Andy Kwiatkowski broke a wrist. Ex Santa Clara player Steve Ross, a 6-8 forward, is summoned to Indianapolis to replace Kwiatkowski on the roster. “The key to our success in Indiana will be our rebounding and our team defence,” said head coach Jay Triano heading into the tournament. “We had a very successful exhibition series last week and we’re looking forward to playing against Spain on Thursday.”
Canada was humiliated in its opener against Spain by an 85-54 count. Canada looked totally confused, running an offense that didn’t seemed suited to its personnel. Without Nash to beat opponents off the dribble and drive and dish for uncontested shots, the Canadian attack seemed altogether stagnant. They fumbled their way to 26 turnovers and were only in the game early because Spain started slowly. Although they took an 8-2 lead, Canada quickly got in foul trouble and Spain rallied to a 17-15 lead at the quarter and then fell behind by 40-29 at the break as they repeatedly coughed up the ball under pressure. It was all over when Spain turned to a full-court press in the third quarter, holding Canada to a mere six points in the frame, as they hit 3-13 shots and committed eight turnovers. Spain jumped on them outscoring Canada 21-6 in the quarter to take a 61-35 lead into the final frame. “We knew it was going to be tough. Spain’s a very good team and they showed it today,” said Triano. “Defensively, they were very, very strong. They held us to 35% shooting, they out-rebounded us. They took us out of everything we tried to run.” Triano added that the Canadian defense was particularly disappointing. “That’s one of the things we try to pride ourselves on, is being a good defensive team. But I think we wore down and when we lacked the confidence of being able to score points, that hurt us. We have to be able to find someone to be able to step up and score points.” Triano also noted that 25 turnovers wasn’t going to put Canada in the game. “Especially shooting as poorly as we did. You turn it over like that, you don’t even get a chance to score. Obviously 54 points isn’t going to get it done in the international game.” No one scored in double figures for Canada. Kevin Jobity paced Canada with 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Rowan Barrett added 9 on 3-6 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Richard Anderson added 8 on 2-4 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 blocks. Novell Thomas added 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals. David Thomas added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 5 boards. Titus Channer added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Michael Meeks notched 3 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 4 boards. Prosper Karangwa added 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Sherman Hamilton added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-3 from the line. Steve Ross added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards, while Shawn Swords and Greg Meldrum were scoreless. Swords dished 2 assists. Canada hit 16-40 (.400) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc, and 16-26 (.615) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 27 fouls, a staggering 24 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Pau Gasol led Spain with 19 on 7-10 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Carlos Marco added 15 on 0-3 from the floor and 5-7 from the arc. Jose Antonio Paraiso added 15 on 4-5 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-8 from the line and 3 steals. Juan Carlos Navarro notched 14 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-6 from the line and 2 assists. Jorge Garbajosa added 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Carlos Jimenez scored 5 on 0-3 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Lucio Angulo added 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 3 boards. Jose Manuel Calderon added 3, along with 2 assists, and Felipe Reyes 1, along with 3 boards, while Oriol Junyent and Ignacio Rodriguez were scoreless. Spain hit 18-41 (.439) from the floor, 10-19 (.526) from the arc and 19-34 (.559) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 23 fouls, 21 turnovers, 10 steals and 5 blocks. “I certainly hope it’s not what’s expected of us,” said Triano. “We wore down and lost the confidence to score points. Nobody could score tonight. …I thought the fouls hurt us in the first quarter. Our attempt to play good defence got us in foul trouble. Our focus is the same, whether we win by 30 or lose by 30.” Still Triano, was hopeful about Canada’s remaining games. “I told them the same thing I would have told them had we won by 30 points, that our focus now turns to Angola. This is a long tournament. You have to play games one at a time and we’re going to change our focus right now and focus on our next game. That’s what we have to do throughout the tournament.” Point guard Titus Channer said the Canadians were entirely aware of the importance of the next game. “If we don’t come out strong, that’s it. We might go home early. And we’re not ready to go home yet.”
Playing almost no perimeter defence and shooting the ball like something typically found in a pasture, Canada was then stunned 84-74 by Angola. Playing almost perimeter defence and unable to hit anything from outside, Canada pounded the ball inside and outscored Angola 26-18 in the paint. But Valter Monteiro hit four uncontested threes, including one at the buzzer at the end of the first quarter that gave Angola a lead it never relinquished.
Hitting 9-13 from the arc in the first half, Angola took a 45-34 lead into the break, despite 11 points from Kevin Jobity. “They shot the ball extremely well and put us in a hole early,” said Triano. “And we haven’t shot the ball well here. We couldn’t match them offensively. It’s tough to win games if you don’t defend and Angola beat us off the dribble.” Canada briefly rallied to within seven in the third quarter but another Monteiro three that set up a 10-0 Angola run effectively sealed Canada’s fate. Forward Shawn Swords said Canada was playing a trifle too cocky. “We still have a lot of good players here (even in Nash’s absence). “I think that might have hurt us a bit. We thought that maybe we were better than we actually were and we tried to rely on our skill instead of relying on hard work and tough defence and grinding. Maybe we just got a little too high on ourselves.” Triano said he had to shoulder some of the blame. “We put together the best team that we could. Maybe I didn’t do a good enough job in the selection. Maybe I didn’t do a good enough job putting this team together. I can’t work with the guys who aren’t here. We brought a team here of good basketball players and unfortunately, we didn’t play up to our capabilities.” Rowan Barrett led Canada with 20 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Jobity added 18 on 7-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-7 from the line and 7 boards. Michael Meeks notched 13 on 1-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. David Thomas added 10 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5 boards and 5 steals. Sherman Hamilton added 5 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Novell Thomas added 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 assists. Titus Channer scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Prosper Karangwa added 2 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Richard Anderson added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Shawn Swords, Greg Meldrum and Steve Ross were scoreless. Canada hit 16-45 (.356) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 24-28 (.857) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 21 fouls, 14 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block. Miguel Lutonda led Angola with 22 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Valter Monteiro added 14 on 0-2 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Victor Muzadi notched 12 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Carlos Almeida added 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Joaquim Gomes added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 2 steals. Eduardo Mingas scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 steals. Walter Costa added 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 2 assists. Angelo Victoriano added 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Antonio Carvalho added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, while Edmar Victoriano, Belarmino Chipongue and Afonso Silva were scoreless. Angola hit 14-31 (.452) from the floor, 13-28 (.464) from the arc and 17-26 (.654) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 28 fouls, 14 turnovers, 10 steals and 5 blocks.
Canada played marginally better against Yugoslavia but were eventually outclassed 87-71 against a team with a roster featuring five NBA players. Canada came out fired up. Rowan Barrett hit a three to open the affair and Canada hit the boards hard as they took a 21-16 lead after the first quarter. Controlling the tempo of the game, Canada built up a 10-point lead, 31-21, by the 7:25 mark when Mike Meeks made two free throws. But Yugoslavia began to cut into the spread. Midway through the second, Triano was hit with a technical foul after a controversial play when the shot clock was not re-set. A steal by Dejan Koturovic, which led to a fast break lay-up, gave them the lead with 16 seconds remaining in the half. The score at the break was 42-41 for Yugoslavia. Jobity and Anderson had difficulty containing Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic early in the second half, while the offence went sour. Canada didn’t score for over five minutes until Meeks hit two free throws. They finally hit a field goal when Karangwa nailed a three with 3:24 to play in the quarter. Yugoslavia built its lead to 14 before Canada rallied to within 63-53 after three quarters. Playing a zone, Canada held Yugoslavia to 3-13 from the arc in the second half and controlled the boards. But the outcome was never really in doubt after Yugoslavia opened the second half with a 12-0 run. “I liked our effort,” said Triano. “But we have to learn to play with these guys. With Yugoslavia losing yesterday, it opened the door for us (to advance). It’s easier for us to defend Yugoslavia than Angola. Our perimeter guys are quicker than the Yugoslavians.” Yugoslavian head coach Svetislav Pesic said his team’s ability to control the tempo was the difference. “We were able to keep control of the game at our pace. Considering the game and the defense played, it was a good result for us.” Rowan Barrett and Michael Meeks each scored 18 for Canada. Barrett scored 18 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 3 boards. Meeks scored 18 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 12-14 from the line and 5 boards. Prosper Karangwa added 10 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Novell Thomas notched 8 on 2-3 from the floor, 4-7 from the line and 2 assists. Sherman Hamilton scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Kevin Jobity added 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Titus Channer added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. David Thomas added 2 on 0-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Richard Anderson added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 boards, while Shawn Swords, Greg Meldrum and Steve Ross were scoreless. Swords nabbed 4 boards. Canada hit 16-39 (.410) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 30-36 (.833) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 30 fouls, 16 turnovers and 5 steals. Pedrag Stojakovic led Yugoslavia with 23 on 5-8 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 10 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Dejan Bodiroga added 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Milan Gurovic scored 10 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Vlade Divac scored 8 on 2-2 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Milos Vujanic added 8 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 4-6 from the line. Dejan Tomasevic added 7 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 3 boards. Marko Jaric added 7 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 steals. Dejan Korturovic scored 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Predrag Drobnjak added 4 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc, while Zarko Cabarkapa, Igor Rakocevic and Vladimir Radmanovic were scoreless. Yugoslavia shot 21-32 (.656) from the floor, 5-23 (.217) from the arc and 30-38 (.789) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 31 fouls, 11 turnovers and 7 steals.
For the first time in 12 world championships, Canada failed to qualify for the second round and fell to the 13-16th qualification round. “Maybe this is what we need to open our eyes as to where we are as a team and where we are as a basketball nation,” said Triano. “Am I disappointed? Absolutely. But at the same time, it gives us time to re-evaluate and maybe make some changes that are needed.” Triano said Canada needs a domestic league to help develop players. But Canada basketball executive director Leslie Dal Cin said that was unlikely. “The investment from the government just isn’t there like it is for other countries.”
In the 13-16th classification round, Canada whipped hapless Lebanon, which had just fired head coach Johnny Neumann, 91-67. Canada jumped out to an 11-0 lead holding Lebanon off the scoreboard until the 7:23 mark of the first. Canada took a 22-16 lead at the quarter and built their lead to 44-31 at the break on hot shooting by Prosper Karangwa and then romped to the easy win. “It was nice to get a victory today,” said Triano. “And it was good to play everyone. We’re building for the future now.” Prosper Karangwa paced Canada with 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Rowan Barrett added 18 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Steve Ross added 17 on 3-3 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. David Thomas added 9 on 4-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Michael Meeks scored 8 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Richard Anderson notched 7 on 1-6 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Kevin Jobity scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Titus Channer added 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 2 assists. Sherman Hamilton added 3 on 0-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 assists. 3 and 4 assists. Shawn Swords scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals, while Novell Thomas and Greg Meldrum were scoreless. Canada hit 28-52 (.538) from the floor, 5-20 (.250) from the arc and 20-23 (.870) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 19 fouls, 19 turnovers, 12 steals and 5 blocks. Joseph Vogel led Lebanon with 19 on 7-15 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-6 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Elie Mchantaf added 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 assists. Fady El Khatib added 9 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 8 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Rony Fahed scored 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2 assists and 5 steals. Ghazi El Boustani added 8 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-5 from the arc. Roy Samaha added 5 on 1-5 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Yasser El Hage notched 4 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Walid El Domiati added 2, while Charles Bardawil, Badr Makki, Georges Chibani and Paul Khouri were scoreless. Lebanon shot 18-45 (.400) from the floor, 7-26 (.269) from the arc and 10-16 (.556), while garnering 31 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 21 fouls, 18 turnovers, 11 steals and 6 blocks.
Canada nipped Venezuela 98-97 in the battle for 13th place after Michael Meeks scored an 8-footer jumper with 7.3 seconds on the clock. Canada had led by 15 in the third quarter before Venezuela rallied to the lead in the final minutes. With two minutes to play, the Venezuelans moved ahead 93=91. Rowan Barrett hit a free throw to pull Canada within one and then Meeks hit a bucket to give Canada a 94=93 lead with 1:20 to play. The teams traded baskets until pulled out the win. A last second shot by Oscar Torres fell just short at the buzzer after forward Shawn Swords stepped into the lane to prevent him from getting a clear look. “At the end, it came down to who is going to have the ball, and who wanted to win more,” said Swords. Canada had taken a 25-23 lead after the first quarter on hot shooting by Barrett and Channer. They pulled ahead by seven in the second quarter before Yugoslavia rallied to within 51-49 at the break. They opened the second half with a 16-5 run to start the third period and went ahead by 69-54 on a Meeks three-pointer. But Yugoslavia quickly rallied back to within 78-77 after three quarters, setting the stage for the nip-and-tuck final frame. “My feelings range from disappointment to almost ready to get started again,” said Triano. “I’m not going to let this happen again. I appreciate that they worked hard and stuck together. It was really important. We lost the first three games together and won the last two together.” Rowan Barrett and Michael Meeks each scored 20 for Canada. Barrett scored 20 on 7-14 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 5 assists. Meek scored 20 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Prosper Karangwa notched 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Titus Channer noted 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. David Thomas added 8 on 4-11 from the floor, 4 boards and 3 assists. Kevin Jobity notched 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 5 boards. Steve Ross scored 6 on 2-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 2 assists. Richard Anderson added 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Shawn Swords notched 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Sherman Hamilton added 1, along with 2 boards, while Greg Meldrum was scoreless. Canada shot 30-63 (.476) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 17-26 (.654) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 33 fouls, 9 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block. Victor Diaz paced Venezuela with 16 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 2 boards. Hector Romero added 16 on 6-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 5 boards. Richard Lugo notched 15 on 7-12 from the floor, 1-6 from the line and 14 boards. Alejandro Quiroz added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Oscar Torres scored 11 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 10 boards and 7 assists. Carl Herrera added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 2 assists. Pablo Machado scored 10 on 2-5 from the floor, 6-7 from the line and 7 boards. Tomas Aguilera added 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Yumervin Mijares added 4 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 assists, while Diego Guevara, Vladimir Heredia and Carlos Morris were scoreless. Venezuela shot 31-58 (.534) from the floor, 2-17 (.118) from the arc and 29-41 (.707) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 23 fouls, 12 turnovers, 3 steals and 1 block.
At the end of the tournament, Triano was entirely ambivalent about the team’s efforts. “We came here expecting to not be playing in this round but the reality is that we lost early. We are happy that it turned out for the best.” Triano added that “I don’t really feel any different now that I did three days ago. I would think my feelings range from disappointment to almost to the point where I’m ready to get started again.” Triano said the early loss to Spain set the team on its heels. “Once we lost our first game, we didn’t really bounce back from it. Basketball is getting better around the world, and after losing to Yugoslavia, I started preparing for next summer.” Assistant coach Gordie Herbert said the early personnel losses were impossible to overcome. “Of course, it is disappointing that we didn’t make it into the top 12 teams, but we are missing eight of our 10 best players. You can’t come to a tournament like this with your ‘B’ team.”
The all-tournament team featured MVP Dirk Nowitzki (Germany); Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia); Emanuel Ginobili (Argentina); Pero Cameron (New Zealand); and Yao Ming (China)
2004
On October 19, 2004, Jay Triano is fired as coach of the national team, citing the lack of time that the Toronto Raptors assistant could commit to the program. The decision drew the ire of Steve Nash, who said he was no longer sure he could play for the national team. Executive director Fred Nykamp said the decision to “part ways” was based on “increased organizational demands” that will be expected from national staff to strengthen the national program. “I guess it’s very safe to say he has responsibilities. And we have a very important relationship with the Raptors. We spoke to them this morning. They were very pleased that they will be able to get more time out of Jay. That was mentioned to me by Tom Anselmi (executive vice president and coo of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors) and Rob Babcock (general manager) as we spoke early on. We have to take that into account. We respect that very much. But at the same time, we have increasing demands going forward as well.” Triano wryly noted that “they said that they thought that it would be better for me to devote my full time to the Raptors and to have a little bit more family time. I appreciate them looking out for me. ……I guess they just decided I couldn’t commit enough time.” Triano earned between $80,000-$100,000 per year from Canada Basketball and the board believed it deserved more. “He was basically fired and it came down to money,” a source told the Toronto Globe & Mail. “For what they were paying, they wanted more of a full-time commitment, and I don’t think he was willing to take less money to do less.” Triano took the high road. “If they fell there’s a better direction to go, then I’m going to encourage them to take that. Whatever happens now, happens. I’m disappointed I’m not going to be a part of it.” Triano winds up his tenure as national coach with a 52-42 record. Somewhat vilified for Canada having failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics. TV analyst Leo Rautins notes that “ultimately, it comes down to winning, losing and qualifying. Not to discredit Jay or the job he did, and there are certainly reasons for everything and everything can be defended. But the reality is, you’ve got to qualify (for the Olympics) and you’ve got to win. I felt bad for him, but that’s the reality of coaching.” During the summer, Triano had fought for Canada Basketball to spend money sending a development team to China. They relented but after Kevin O’Neill was fired as head coach of the Raptors, Triano had a chance to coach the Raptors entry in the NBA summer league and said he couldn’t go to China with the development team. Canada basketball felt they deserved for their $80,000 contract. Triano eventually relented but some became embroiled with manager of men’s elite performance Andrew Cook over the selections to that development team. Having his decisions questioned by Cook rankled Triano. “I think it speaks to the question of who’s making basketball decisions,” said assistant coach Mike Katz. “There are people with input on basketball decisions who haven’t paid their dues.”
2005
In January 2005, Leo Rautins is appointed new coach of the Canadian senior men’s national team. The move surprises some because Rautins has never been a head coach. But has high profile as a television broadcaster for Raptors TV. Other shortlisted candidates included Gord Herbert, first-year coach of Paris Racing Basket and coach of the Opel Skyliners as they swept to the 2004 Bundesliga championship, as well as University of British Columbia head coach Kevin Hanson. Canada Basketball chairman of the board Dr. Robert Gordon said “we were faced with a conundrum but in the final analysis, we opted for the broader picture rather than a proven coach because the idea was that we had to go in a new direction and that Leo would present many, many favourable options, where Gordie was a very good coach but he was living in Europe and had more constraints on his time.” Gordon added that Rautins duties include several off the floor. “I see him doing all kind of things. Let’s face it. While we don’t say this too publicly, the men’s team is the more high profile than the women’s team, so the coach of the men’s team is effectively the face of Canada Basketball. … Obviously (coaching is important), as is recruiting the players and staying in touch. But I would think he would be an excellent addition if we’re close to landing a sponsorship, for example.” On April 4, 2005, Canada Basketball appoints Carleton University head coach Dave Smart and national men’s development coach (since May 2004) Greg Francis as assistants to Rautins.