When it comes to Olympic sports for Canada, they have often had underachievement after underachievement. The only exceptions to that would be Curling, Speed Skating and Hockey in the Winter Olympics, and Rowing and Athletics in the Summer Olympics.
When it comes to the Canadian Men’s Basketball team, underachievement is a major understatement. They have failed to qualify for the past five out of the six Olympics, haven’t had a top ten finish at the World Championships since they hosted them in 1994 and haven’t won a medal at the FIBA AMERICANS in over a decade.
The team is currently ranked 24th in the world. For those who aren’t familiar with the FIBA World Rankings, 24th is nothing to smile about. Teams such as Iran, Lebanon and Nigeria are ahead of them. No offence to those countries but Canada has no place to be mentioned in the same sentence. Its not like Iran is a basketball power or Nigeria has an amazing team. Part of the reason Canadian Basketball hasn’t had the greatest success is because top players like Steve Nash have opted not to participate in at an international level. The last time Nash played was in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Canada placed 7th and had a bittersweet 4-2 record. The reason it was bittersweet is because the team had a 4-1 record in round robin play but lost a heartbreaker to France in the Quarter Finals. To this date that game was the last Olympic game Canada has played.
On Monday it was announced that Steve Nash was appointed GM of the Canadian Basketball team. The Men’s basketball team is coming off a disappointing sixth place finish in the 2011 FIBA AMERICANS in Argentina. The Canadians goal was at least to place in the top five where they would get a second opportunity this July to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in a back door tournament. Team Canada finished one game back of fifth and one more game back of fourth. That put into account they lost two games they shouldn’t have lost. One was to Venezuela in overtime and the other was to Panama.
Steve Nash has a lot of work to do in the aftermath in Argentina. Following the 2011 FIBA AMERICANS Canada decided to fire head coach Leo Rautins. Nash’s first job will be to name a new head coach. He has over a year until the 2013 FIBA AMERICANS however; I’m assuming he will be naming one sooner rather then later.
As of now, it is anyone’s guess who Steve Nash will hire. TEAM 1040 through out the name Jay Triano today however I will believe that hiring when it happens. If your going to hire Triano back then why did Canada fire/let go of him in the first place? I could throw out any basketball coaches’ name that plays an up-tempo style of play but what it comes down to is, who wants to put in the extra time to coach Canada.
Canada is a very young and athletic team. I believe Nash needs to hire a coach who plays an up-tempo style that the players can fit into quickly. This team is so young that if Canada changes the way this team plays it would be the wrong idea.
After Nash finds a coach, he can work on the biggest thing (and toughest) that is building a winning culture. It is the toughest thing to do because it is easier said then done. Canada in the past few years have lacked winning close games that are winnable. Those games are the type that can get a team over the top or help the teams’ confidence in future close games. It might take a couple of years but before Canada can get where it needs to be, they have to prove to this country that the team has a winning environment.
Realistically, Canada will likely miss the 2014 World Championships. It will take a while for this team to jell with the new coach. It’s a long ways away but that is what I see when I look through my crystal ball. However, I see an opening for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The way Qualifying works, the winner of the 2014 World Championship and the host (Brazil) qualify for the Olympics. If USA or any country in North or South America can win the 2014 World Championship, it would free up two extra spots to FIBA AMERICA that they would not usually get. This would give Canada that much more of a chance to qualify for the Olympics.
As Steve Buffery notes in the The Toronto Sun this hiring is a "slam dunk". For the first time in a few years, it feels that there is a little bit of air under Canadian Basketball. It is a chance to rebuild this program so that it can start competing with a higher tier teams that they have in the past lost to. Hopefully, May 8, 2012 is a day Canadian Basketball fans look back on for years to come.
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