Men’s National Team Tryout List Announced
Corey Joseph and Tyler Ennis headline the roster Canada Basketball announced today for the Senior Men’s team tryout list, with the final 12-man roster competing in Manilla, Philippines for Olympic qualifiers.
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Most notably absent from the roster are the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, and Andrew Nicholson. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wiggins announced he will not be participating in Team Canada events this year, instead focusing on his upcoming season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wiggins announces today that after much consideration, he will not play for Canada in July Olympic qualifier, says focus is on Wolves season
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) June 10, 2016
Correcting typo of earlier tweet with Wiggins statement released through agent Bill Duffy Associates pic.twitter.com/Lxt6CSvSr9
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) June 10, 2016
Kelly Olynyk already announced his absence from Canada’s Olympic events after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason.
Tristan Thompson, meanwhile is still in the thick of things with the Cavaliers, with the Cavs taking Game 3 against Golden State to put the series at 2-1 in favour of the Warriors.
“Given the time of year, player availability is always changing. We’re continuing to talk to teams and players may become available as the summer progresses,” said Steve Nash, general manager, men’s national team. “Playing for your country is an honour, we have a deep pool of talent who are committed to playing for Canada and we’re ready to get to work.”
The group starts a six day training camp today at the Air Canada Centre. Afterwards the squad will head to Italy June 17th, where they will partake in a 5-game exhibition tournament against 12th-ranked Croatia, 14th-ranked China and 16th-ranked Puerto Rico.
In July the team heads to Manilla in hopes of qualifying for the Olympics, where they will face 31st-ranked Senegal and 8th-ranked Turkey in Group A. Group B features The Philippines, France and New Zealand.
