Canada’s Kelly Olynyk, right, looks to shoot under pressure from Venezuela’s Windi Graterol, during a FIBA Americas Championship basketball game in Mexico City on Sept. 11, 2015.Eduardo Verdugo/The Associated Press
For Canada's men's basketball team, the road to the 2016 Summer Olympics goes through Turkey and possibly France, by way of Manila.
On Monday, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced the locations – Manila, Belgrade and Turin – and schedules for the three last-shot tournaments for 18 countries trying to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The winners of each of the six-team tournaments will secure berths in Rio.
Canada joins No. 5-ranked France and No. 8-ranked Turkey in Manila, two of three top teams that have not yet clinched a spot in Rio. And the location, the Philippines, is the most difficult of the three sites for travel. Canada plays Turkey and Senegal in group stage, and would almost certainly have to face France in the semi-finals or final.
It is a tough draw, but Canadian coach Jay Triano said an alternative – facing No. 6-ranked Serbia in Belgrade – was not appealing either.
"Every side of the draw was going to be tough," Triano said to reporters on Monday afternoon. "It's going to be difficult."
Canada – led by young stars such as Andrew Wiggins – had its best shot to qualify last September in Mexico City, at the FIBA Americas tournament, where the two finalists secured Rio berths. Canada won the round robin, but in the must-win semi-final against Venezuela – a team Canada had defeated earlier in the tournament – the Canadians squandered a late-game lead and lost by one point.
It was a hard blow for a young group that some hope will be a golden generation of basketball here; failing to qualify for the Rio Olympics would be a major setback for Canada Basketball.
"Inexperience was a huge factor in last summer's results," Canada's general manager Steve Nash said Monday in a statement. "It was heartbreaking, but it allowed us to grow as a team."
Looking back at the litany of mistakes, bad luck and questionable calls in those final minutes, Triano several times called it a "perfect storm." But stepping back from the gutting loss, Triano said Canada's performance last summer was statistically top-tier: Of countries playing FIBA basketball last summer, Canada had the fourth-best defence and one of the best offences.
"We've just got to win the game when it comes down to it," said Triano.
The last-shot qualifying events are set for July 4-10. The timing presents complications for the roster, sitting in the middle of a NBA free-agency window. It could mean that several players from last summer's team, such as Dwight Powell, might not be available.
But Canada will likely be buoyed by the return of Tristan Thompson, 24, who did not play last summer because he was in contract limbo with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He would have provided considerable front-court force and leadership as the team's most experienced player. He is currently having another strong season for the Cavs, one of the league's best teams, and is among the NBA's top offensive rebounders.
Thompson, however, could be busy with the Cavs well into June, if they make another run to the NBA final. Canada plans a training camp to start in the middle of June, for at least 10 days, plus some exhibition games.
In Manila, the starting lineup will probably be guards Cory Joseph and Nik Stauskas, and forwards Wiggins and Kelly Olynyk, with Thompson at centre.
Two new additions could be NBA rookie forward Trey Lyles (Utah) and second-year guard Tyler Ennis (Milwaukee). Star collegiate guard Jamal Murray, at Kentucky, is not expected to play – he is likely to be drafted in June and would have NBA commitments.
If Canada wins the Manila tournament, Triano said the Rio roster could be different than the qualifying tournament group, depending on injuries and availability.
Canada's men haven't played in the Olympics since 2000. Canada's women, who qualified for Rio last summer, are returning to another Olympics after reaching the quarter-finals in London in 2012.