'High level of excellence' helping Lisa Thomaidis lead Team Canada at Rio

Team Canada is putting up its best Olympics performance in women's basketball at Rio, and it's likely thanks in part to the coach's approach to the game.

"She's a tremendous coach and a tremendous role model for her athletes and her coaching staff," Megan Pinkske said of Lisa Thomaidis.

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Pinkske is an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskie women's basketball team and as such gets to coach alongside Thomaidis. That gives Pinkske a front row seat to Thomaidis's coaching.

"I guess her biggest strength would be her technical and tactical ability. She has a high degree of detail that goes into her coaching."

Before Rio, Team Canada had never won more than two games at an Olympics. Following Friday afternoon's 81-51 loss to Team USA, Canada sat at a winning record of 3 and 1.

Even before the game had begun, Pinkske told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning that much of what makes Thomaidis a great coach is what people don't get to see.

Thomaidis has high expectations of her players, during practices, Pinkske said, adding the coach would spend hours making sure the team is prepared for every game, going over game film and making a plan.

"I think she approaches each game the same," Pinkske said. "Obviously highly competitive, wants to win. But also wants to hold her players to a high level of excellence."

Pinkske said Team Canada has an advantage of going into the tournament with nothing to lose.

"I'm sure everyone assumes that they're going to be the underdog. And I think that that mindset can be pretty amazing if they can capture that."

Team Canada is back on the court Sunday afternoon to face Spain in preliminary action.