Bounce Boys Fall Short of Hardware, Represent Canada Well
NORTH AUGUSTA, GA– “Is that CIA BOUNCE?” “Is that the team from Canada?”
These were a few of the whispers heard as the squad entered the gym in Georgia at Nike Peach Jam.
While the Canadian contingent fell short of the ultimate goal and winning the biggest championship of the AAU season, the program certainly left an imprint on NCAA coaches and fans alike.
From players such as Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins on the U17 squad, to Tyler Ennis of the U16’s, the star power always seemed to attract a nice following.
The U17 team finished with a pool record of 2-3, one victory away from advancing to the playoff round. It was definitely a disappointment as the team had major expectations of going all the way. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, Bounce represented the country well in the most prestigous AAU tournament of the summer, garnered a load of NCAA interest and re-established that Canada does indeed have major talent.
Naz Long, Dyshawn Pierre, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett were the top performers for the 17’s and carried the load all week. However, the team collectively was not consistent enough in order to defeat the teams that were playing at a high level.
The U16 team reached the semi-finals while riding a 3-0 record to face a strong Memphis YOMCA group featuring Jonathan Williams, a cadet national team member (America). Williams proved to be the difference in the CIA BOUNCE loss.
Isaiah Watkins & Denzell Taylor worked hard on the interior while Tyler Ennis tried everything in his power to will his squad to victory.
In the end, it was not meant to be. Despite Tyler Ennis’ game-high 39 points, Bounce were upset by Memphis and took the L in the semi-finals of the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.
The Three Frenchman
Olivier Hanlan, Jonathan Tshibuy, Junior Lomomba all had solid outings.
-Hanlan may have had an injury due to irregular playing time- less than usual.
-Tshibuy looked good, toned up and effective for Takeover DC on the glass and defense as usual.
-I spoke to several coaches about Lomomba and all were fans of the creative playmaker hailing from Montreal.
Canada’s Best Kept Secret
Trey Lyles | 6’10 | Forward | Indy Spiece | Indiana via Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Trey Lyles, verbally committed to Indiana is the biggest stud that Canada is most unaware of. With an exception of Andrew Wiggins, Lyles is the next best Canadian prospect in the class of 2014.
