TORONTO – Aaliyah Edwards made a big five fan and posed for photos as she left the Mattamy Athletic Center track with her teammates on Sunday, with her tournament MVP trophy.
Canada had easily defeated France 78-60 moments earlier in the inaugural Globl Jam tournament.
Presented as a bridge between national youth and senior programs, as well as a rare opportunity for Canadians to play basketball at home, the under-23 tournament was also a sort of starting party for Edwards and the female stars. rising Merissah Russell, Shaina Pellington and Shy Day-Wilson.
“It was amazing,” Edwards said. “It was great to have a lot of community … going out just to watch women’s basketball. Women’s basketball is growing here in Canada, and it’s great for people to come out to see what we have, we can be dominant and we can be aggressive. .
“I’ve been talking to (friends and family) about how good I am, for them to really see how good I am in person, it’s great,” he added laughing.
Day-Wilson had 19 points and nine assists, while Edwards, a Connecticut Huskies striker, added 13 points and seven rebounds. Russell, a Louisville striker, participated with 11 points, while Arizona baseman Pellington finished with 10.
“For us college players, being able to really play at home is great for us because people are used to trying to find a stream (broadcast) or a link to see us in the States,” said Edwards, who 20 years a day before. . “So it’s great to have a real edge on the local track and feel the love.”
Baylor University, representing the United States, lost 77-73 against Brazil in the men’s final Sunday night, after defeating Canada 93-87 on Saturday.
Yago Dos Santos led Brazil with 30 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in the gold medal final, while Caio Pacheco scored 12 points and Marcio Santos participated with 11.
Jalen Bridges scored 13 points for the United States, with teammate Keyonte George adding 12. Jordan Turner and Dantwan Grimes scored 11 each for the Americans, who lost 42-38 at halftime.
The Canadians went 3-0 in the preliminary round, beating Belgium, France and the US, represented by Virginia Commonwealth. They crushed the Americans by 85-60 in Saturday’s semifinal.
“I think it’s amazing,” said Russell, a 20-year-old from Ottawa. “Most importantly for me, I was very excited to play in front of my parents, because it’s been a long time because of COVID. They haven’t seen me play and a lot of people can’t see us playing at (university) network.It is difficult to do.
“We’ve talked about it: none of us have ever played on the home court with Canada, right? So it’s amazing, we’re very proud and we’ve got the ‘dub’ and I’m very excited.”
Canada led 19-16 after a quarter, but Yvonne Ejim’s tray at the end of the second crowned the Canadians ’13-3 run that put them up by 13 points. They came into the break with a 37-25 lead.
Canada continued to dump it in the second half. Leading 58-43 with a quarter to go, Pellington’s tray with 8:25 to play put the Canadians by 22 and it was all over.
Edwards, Russell, a Louisville striker, and Arizona baseman Pellington were part of Canada’s team at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, and will be at Canada’s senior camp in late July in New York. Canada will play two exhibition matches against Australia, in preparation for this autumn’s World Cup.
They expect his performance this week to make a statement about his future roles on the senior team.
“Absolutely,” Edwards said. “It’s just a vision of what the next generation will be like. It’s under-23, so it can be a big step towards the national selection of senior roles. I think it showed that we can be dominant at this level and at the senior women’s level.” .
Canada’s new senior coach Victor Lapena sat next to the court during all of Canada’s matches.
“I’m very excited about the future of women’s basketball in Canada because that’s just the beginning,” Russell said.
Carly Clarke, head coach of the under-23 women and assistant to the senior team, said the tournament was fantastic for the continued growth of Edwards & Co., ahead of the World Cup and beyond. 2024 Paris Olympics.
“There’s a lot to handle when you play at home at a big event like this,” Clarke said. “There are distractions everywhere, there is pressure to act and they managed it.
“Putting all these pieces together is something you have to do on a World Cup stage or an Olympic stage. You have to be able to bring out the best in yourself when there are a lot of things around you. I think the our team handled it very, very well. ”
Clarke gave great pleasure to the opening ceremony in general.
“It’s been amazing. It’s felt world class all week,” Clarke said.
Canada Basketball CEO Mike Bartlett said the event, which will return to Toronto next summer, is a great way to connect with future game stars.
“I think this will drive this program, the domino effect of that for the next 10 or 15 years … when some of them will have to make decisions sometimes to play for us or not,” Bartlett said. “We’re at a point where we’re building a (strong) relationship with them.”
Canada Basketball dreams of Globl Jam becoming the basketball version of the World Youth Hockey Championship, as a money generator and platform to grow the game’s audience in Canada.
Perhaps the tournament would not have attracted the crowds the organizers expected: most of Canada’s matches saw the Mattamy Athletic Center less than half full. But Bartlett said the basketball community accepted it. Tournament spectators include Toronto Raptors NBA rookie of the year Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Raptors executives Masai Ujiri and senior team member Bobby Webster women’s basketball and Olympic swimming star Penny Oleksiak.
Bartlett said FIBA was pleased with the event, and visiting teams said they would love to return next summer.
The Canadian 3×3 Championships, held in conjunction with Globl Jam, drew large crowds to nearby Yonge-Dundas Square.
TIPS: Canada Basketball honored its 2021 and 2022 Hall of Fame class members during halftime, including players Stewart Granger, Angela Straub and Tony Simms, coach Michele Belanger and builder John Bitove. Retired NBA stars Steve Nash and Rick Fox, who did not attend, were also among the nominees.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 10, 2022.