Canada Basketball's bet on chemistry set to be tested in today's Olympic quarterfinal
'When you're playing in a foreign country, it's all you have,' says former player Notice
The Paris Olympics have, to date, proceeded as planned for the Canadian men's basketball team.
But that plan — one that prioritized chemistry and continuity in the wake of missing a fifth straight Games three years ago — is about to face its biggest stress test yet.
After rolling through the group stage with a perfect record, Canada will face France — along with its rowdy home crowd and its twin towers of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert — in the quarterfinals today (12 p.m. ET, CBC Gem, CBC Olympic app).
The Canadians will be forced to rely on their togetherness.
"When you're playing in a foreign country or somewhere else, it's all you have, right?" said Duane Notice, a Canadian Elite Basketball League player who was a training camp alternate and has hit the court during multiple qualifying cycles.
"Being close makes you want to be selfless for the next person on your side, your teammate, your brother, your comrade. It makes you want to go out for them on every single possession," he continued. "It's kind of hard … to play hard for people that you don't really care about. So just seeing that everybody cares about each other, it obviously translates onto the court."
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In 2021, the Canadian men missed out on the Tokyo Olympics when they lost a semifinal game against the Czech Republic at a qualifier in Victoria. The tournament appeared stacked in Canada's favour, but player absences and a lack of experience combined to quash those hopes.
The reaction from Canada Basketball was swift. General manager Rowan Barrett laid out a three-year plan in which 14 players and then-head coach Nick Nurse committed to play any time they were available. If they followed through, then their spots in Paris would be assured.
Notice, 29, from Woodbridge, Ont., grew up playing with and against some of the members of the Olympic team. He said he's been keeping in touch with them in Paris.
"They're super confident. I think that's the best thing is that going there, they're a tight-knit group. Everybody understands their role and just obviously being patriotic and wanting to put on for the country," he said.
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Even Jordi Fernandez, the Spaniard who replaced Nurse as head coach, bought in for the team's win over his home country on Friday.
"Right now I feel like I'm more Canadian than any other Canadian," he told reporters in Paris.
Kelly Olynyk, the Toronto Raptors forward, played for the Canadian senior team 67 times before finally getting to taste his first Olympics.
Dillon Brooks, who scored 39 points to help Canada beat the U.S. for bronze at last year's World Cup, echoed Olynyk's sentiment.
"What we do together and what we do strong is we share the basketball, we play together, we trust each other to make plays. And we love playing with each other," he said.
Generations merge together
The current iteration of the team has been together since late June, when it first gathered for training camp in Toronto.
In the early days of preparation, Canada Basketball brought together members of its previous Olympic teams to help bridge the gap between generations and display the significance of what was to come.
Bill Wennington, the three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, was a member of the 1984 Olympic team as well as the 1983 Canadian squad that won the World University Games.
The 61-year-old Montreal native said the gold medal stands out among the many titles he's won.
"Nothing compares to that. That is really a phenomenal experience because you understand that you've been fighting for your country, that you're the best that your country has to offer," he said. "When I think of that, I get goosebumps and the few hairs I have left on the back of my neck stand up."
Having a great time in Toronto <br>With all the Canadian Olympic Men’s basketball teams from 76,80, 84,88,2000 and this years team <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/lvtCddV7tY">https://t.co/lvtCddV7tY</a> <a href="https://t.co/3rTLhApHJy">pic.twitter.com/3rTLhApHJy</a>
—@34billy42To Wennington, chemistry was the most important component of each of his championship teams. And he said this Canadian team has it.
"They're playing as a team, they're playing together and you can really see them out there enjoying each other. And that's one of the neat things when we were in Toronto was watching them practice. They enjoyed being together and practicing together," he said.
France will provide what may be Canada's toughest test yet. The Canadians' biggest weakness is a lack of size, which the French are primed to take advantage of with Wembanyama and Gobert.
And if Canada can get past the home side, either Germany or Greece would await in the team's semifinal bracket. Canada can only meet the United States if the two teams reach the gold-medal game.
"We got to stay composed too," Notice said. "That's one of the biggest things when you play against Team USA. LeBron might get a crazy dunk, someone might get a crazy dunk. The crowd might go crazy. But if you're able to weather the storm and be confident in your game plan and your schemes, then I think that nothing will be insurmountable."
