Canada Announces 15-man Roster For FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Summary

• Canada Basketball confirms 15 member squad for FIBA World Cup qualifiers
• Top players includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dwight Powell
• Canada will play Argentina and Panama on Aug 25 and 29 respectively 

Basketball fans in Canada have mixed opinions over the 15 member squad that Canada Basketball selected to represent the country for the next stage of the qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup.

While most of the names on the 15 member squad were expected, some fans feel that a few of the players who were left out should have been instead. However, you cannot always please everyone when you select a limited squad and we think Canada Basketball has done a good job.

Canada Slotted Into Group E For Qualifiers 

Canada did really well in the first round of the qualifiers and finished with a 6-0 record, being the only team in the Americas to not be defeated. They are now slotted into Group E along with Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. 

Canada will take on Argentina (5-1) on Aug 25, followed by a game against Panama (2-4) on Aug 29. The two toughest tests for Canada will be their game against Argentina and the game against Venezuela (5-1). On paper, live bettors will see Canada definitely has the strongest team in this group and should be able to run through all of them, provided they don’t have any injuries and their players maintain their form.

Canada is currently ranked in 18^th place on the FIBA rankings and is pushing to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The World Cup will take place in 2023 from Aug 25 to Sep 10 in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines where Spain will be looking to defend their title they won in 2019. 

Canada – 15 Member Squad For Fourth Window

Trae Bell-Haynes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zach Edey, Oshae Brissett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Melvin Ejim, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Kevin Pangos, Cory Joseph, Kassius Robertson, Thomas Scrubb, Phil Scrubb, Kalif Young and Kyle Wiltjer.

Some of the players that missed out includes Khem Birch, RJ Barrett, Luguentz Dort, Jamal Murray and Dillon Brooks. These players will not be a part of the fourth window but they will be a part of the training camp. 

The top players to watch out for in this squad are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who plays as a guard for Oklahoma City and Dwight Powell who plays as a forward for the Dallas Mavericks.