By REYNALD MAGALLON
Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez believes that there are bigger things ahead for his team especially after its breakthrough bronze medal finish in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The veteran mentor, who steered the Canadians to their very first podium finish and highest placing in the global showpiece after a nail-biting 127-118 overtime victory over the mighty Team USA, said their performance in this edition was only the start of something big for the team.
“This team was amazing, special. It’s the beginning of something that’s gonna last for a long time,” said Fernandez during the post-game presser.
“From the first guy all 12 guys came in and worked everyday since Aug. 1 and they got better at least one percent every day and they built the identity that we just showed,” he added.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had embraced the role of the team’s leader all throughout the tournament but it also helped that the likes of fellow NBA stars RJ Barrett and Dillon Brooks also had their share of the load.
That was particularly evident in the win against USA in the battle for third with Brooks, Gilgeous-Alexander and Barrett all taking turns in powering Canada past the hard-fighting Americans in the overtime period.
Brooks put up his best performance in the World Cup with an all-around effort of 39 points, built on seven triples while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points – including a personal 6-0 run to open the overtime – along with his 12 rebounds.
Barrett added 23 points while Canada got ample support from the rest of the team down to its 12th man.
“What these guys did today, obviously not perfect. We have to learn to box out in the free throw but it’s good to learn when you are winning,” said Fernandez, obviously referring to the play where his wards failed to clear the board off a missed free throw, leading to the overtime-sending triple of Mikal Bridges.
“The resiliency was not perfect as we don’t have a lot of experience in FIBA but I think we’re here showing that we can do great things,” he stressed.
