Summer Recap: Ontario athletes impress with Canadian National Team programs
Ontario athletes made their mark on the international stage this summer. A grand total of 39 Ontario athletes have worn the Canada jersey this summer, invited to join Canadian National Team basketball programs and attend summer tournaments across the globe. Below is a summary of National Team events and the Ontario players who were chosen to compete.
FIBA U16 Men’s Americas Championship
- Name: FIBA U16 Men’s Americas Championship 2019
- Location: Belem, Brazil
- Date: June 3-9
- Number of Ontario players: 9
| Name | Height | Hometown | Current School/Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enoch Boakye | 6’9" | Brampton | Brampton Centennial S.S. |
| Jaden Clayton | 5’11" | Whitby | Andrews Osbourne Academy |
| Josiah Davis | 6’1" | Kitchener | Huron Heights S.S. |
| Caleb Houstan | 6’9" | Mississauga | Montverde Academy |
| Dorile (DJ) Jackson | 6’3" | Mississauga | St. Martin S.S |
| Dylan Kalambay | 6’7" | Brampton | St. Edmund Campion C.S.S |
| Leonard Miller | 6’5" | Scarborough | Thornlea S.S |
| Ryan Nembhard | 5’11" | Aurora | Montverde Academy |
| Shaedon Sharpe | 6’3" | London | H.B. Beal S.S |
Team Canada beat the Dominican Republic in the semis, 97-81, but dropped the gold medal game to the USA, 94-77. They return home with the silver medal, continuing the streak of having won a medal in each year since they began participating in the tournament in 2009.
Caleb Houstan averaged 22.8 points per game and scored 137 points total. Ryan Nembhard and Shaedon Sharpe also had an impressive tournament.
Sharpe, DJ Jackson and Dylan Kalambay also attended U17 Canada Basketball National Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick later this summer, where they earned the silver medal.
FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship
- Name: FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship 2019
- Location: Aysen, Chile
- Date: June 16-22
- Number of Ontario players: 4
| Name | Height | Hometown | Club/School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaline Alexander | 6’2” | Keswick | Bill Crothers S.S. (OSBA) |
| Lauren Audino | 6’1” | Welland | Caledon Basketball Academy (OSBA) |
| Teah Stupar | 6’0” | Etobicoke | Kings Christian Collegiate (OSBA) |
| Izabella Zingaro | 6’2” | Bolton | Caledon Basketball Academy (OSBA) |
Isaline Alexander impressed throughout, averaging 7.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, & 2.5 APG.
Alexander, Lauren Audino and Izabella Zingaro also attended U17 Canada Basketball National Championships in Victoria, British Columbia later this summer, marking a busy few months.
FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup
- Name: FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup
- Location: Heraklion, Greece
- Date: June 29 – July 7
- Number of Ontario players: 9
| Name | Height | Hometown | Current School Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe | 6'6" | Lakeshore | Orangeville Prep (OSBA) |
| Keon Ambrose-Hylton | 6'8" | Whitby | Andrews Osborne Academy |
| Charles Bediako | 6'11" | Brampton | Andrews Osborne Academy |
| Jaden Bediako | 6'10" | Brampton | Ridley College (OSBA) |
| Joel Brown | 6'2" | Brampton | Brewster Academy |
| Thomas Kennedy | 6'9" | Windsor | University of Windsor |
| AJ Lawson | 6'6" | Toronto | University of South Carolina |
| Jahcobi Neath | 6'4" | Toronto | Crestwood Prep |
| Josh Primo | 6'4.5" | Mississauga | Huntington Prep |
A.J. Lawson impressed despite the team struggling, averaging 16.7 PPG, 39.6 3P%, and 117 points total.
FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup
- Name: FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup
- Location: Bangkok, Thailand
- Date: July 20-28
- Number of Ontario players: 5
| Name | Height | Hometown | Current school team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Dennis | 5'9" | Toronto | Capital Courts (OSBA) |
| Aaliyah Edwards | 6'3" | Kingston | Crestwood Prep (OSBA) |
| Justina King | 5'8" | Scarborough | Long Beach State University |
| Christina Morra | 6'2" | Mississauga | Wake Forest University |
| Merissah Russell | 5'11" | Ottawa | Capital Courts (OSBA) |
Aaliyah Edwards made her mark on the tournament, finishing with 11.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and playing close to 30 minutes per game versus Argentina and Japan.
2019 Pan American Games
- Name: 2019 Pan Am Games
- Location: Lima, Peru
- Date: July 26 – August 11
- Number of Ontario players: 6
| Name | Position | Hometown | Current Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hailey Brown | Forward | Hamilton | Michigan (NCAA) |
| Hanna Hall | Point Guard | Hamilton | Buffalo (NCAA) |
| Samantha Hill | Guard | Toronto | Donau-Ries (GER) |
| Alyssa Jerome | Forward | Toronto | Stanford (NCAA) |
| Ceejay Nofuente | Guard | Toronto | SISU (DEN) |
| Shaina Pellington | Guard | Pickering | Oklahoma (NCAA) |
Shaina Pellington led the way in stats, finishing with 16.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 64 points total. The team finished in sixth place, going 1-3 and losing to Argentina in the 5th place qualifying game.
The Senior Women’s National Team will next attend the 2019 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in San Juan, Puerto Rico from September 22-29.
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup
- Name: FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 China
- Location: Multiple venue cities in China
- Date: August 31 – September 15
- Number of Ontario players: 7
| Name | Position | Hometown | Current Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Best | Guard | Scarborough | Riesen Ludwigsburg (GER) |
| Oshae Brissett | Small Forward | Toronto | Toronto Raptors |
| Melvin Ejim | Small Forward | Toronto | Unicaja (ESP) |
| Kaza Kajami-Keane | Guard | Ajax | Mitteldeutscher (GER) |
| Cory Joseph | Point Guard | Pickering | Sacramento Kings |
| Andrew Nembhard | Guard | Aurora | Florida Gators (NCAA) |
| Kevin Pangos | Point Guard | Holland Landing | FC Barcelona (ESP) |
Team Canada recently competed in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. To prepare for the tournament, the team played two exhibition games in Toronto and Winnipeg, and a five game exhibition tour in Australia.
Team Canada started off the World Cup in Group H with Australia, Lithuania and Senegal and finished with one win and two losses after the group stage, defeating Senegal and falling to Lithuania and Australia. Canada entered the classification rounds following the group stage where they beat Jordan and finished off the tournament with a loss to Germany.
The Senior Men’s National Team will continue their push to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by participating in a qualification tournament in June of 2020. Canada will be placed in one of four qualifying tournaments consisting of six teams each and the winner of each tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Photos in this article sourced from FIBA and Canada Basketball.