Rosters Finalized For First Ever FIBA 3×3 World Championship

TORONTO,ON– Canada Basketball is proud to announce the eight athletes who will represent Canada at the 1st ever FIBA Invitational 3×3 Youth World Championship, which is set to take place from September 9 – 11 in Rimini, Italy.

This event will bring together men and women in the U18 division from all over the world, gathering 40 teams (16 women, 24 men). The tournament will build on the success of last summer’s Youth Olympic Games 3×3 tournament in Singapore.

The first ever invitational 3×3 Youth World Championship will run in conjunction with the Italian Basketball Federation’s 90th anniversary celebration.

Canada Basketball and the provincial and territorial basketball associations of Canada recognize the potential of 3×3 basketball, both from an event/marketing perspective, and, just as importantly, the developmental advancements that can be made by playing 3×3.

FIBA is looking to strengthen its growth and increase the number of basketball players and fans by structuring and developing 3×3 basketball worldwide. Following the successful introduction in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, the ultimate goal is that 3×3 becomes a self-sustained new FIBA discipline and enters the Olympic Games by 2020 by the latest.

Both men’s and women’s Canadian rosters include impressive athletes with international experience.

On the men’s team, Dyshawn Pierre (Whitby, ON) has been with the National Team Program since 2010 when he helped Canada win the bronze medal at the FIBA U17 World Championship for Men in Germany. This summer, he competed in the FIBA U19 World Championship in Latvia, leading the Junior Men’s National Team in points and rebounds. Patrick Steeves (Montreal, QC) has already come home with hardware this summer for Canada as part of the Cadet Men’s National Team (CMNT), winning the bronze at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mexico. He was also named Second Team All-Star for Quebec at the 2011 17U National Championships in Toronto.

Rounding out the men’s roster are a pair of standout performers from the 2011 17U National Championships. Jordan Whyte (Calgary, AB) joined Steeves on the tournament’s Second Team All-Star squad; while Marko Pirovic (Bolton, ON) helped Ontario win the gold medal and earned himself First Team All-Star recognition.

On the women’s team, Paige Crozon (Humbodlt, SK) and Isidora Purkovic (Calgary, AB) were members of the Junior Women’s National Team that finished fifth this summer at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Chile. They finished the tournament with an 8-1 record, which was tied for the best record in the tournament. Both Crozon and Purkovic were also members of the Cadette Women’s National Team last summer that participated in the FIBA U17 World Championship in France.

Rounding out the roster is a pair of athletes from Ajax, Ontario, Dakota Whyte and Taijah Campbell. They helped Ontario win the gold medal at the 17U National Championships this summer in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Whyte was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Whyte is the only member of both Canadian squads to have international 3×3 experience, as she participated in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games last summer in Singapore, where she helped Canada to a fourth place finish.

The women will be coached by Christa Eniojukan, who also hails from Ajax, Ontario. She has a background with Canada Basketball as a Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) coach as well as a coach for the Centre for Performance. The men will be coached by Roy Rana (Toronto, ON). This summer, Rana has been busy internationally leading the CMNT to a bronze medal, serving as Head Coach for the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon and participating in the FIBA/NBA Basketball Without Borders Camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Game stories and boxscores of each game will be posted on www.basketball.ca.

The following are the rosters for the Men’s and Women’s Youth National Teams.  

2011 YOUTH MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Name | Position | Height | Hometown | School (2010/2011)

Dyshawn Pierre | F | 6’6 | Whitby, Ontario | Anderson CVI
Marko Pirovic | F | 6’7 | Bolton, Ontario | Robert F. Hall Secondary School
Patrick Steeves | G | 6’7 | Montral, Quebec | Collège Jean de Brebeuf
Jordan Whyte | G | 6’5 | Calgary, Alberta | Western Canada High School

Head Coach: Roy Rana (Toronto, Ontario)

2011 YOUTH WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM

Name | Position | Height | Hometown | School (2010/2011)

Taijah Campbell | F | 6’2 | Ajax, Ontario | Pickering High School
Paige Crozon | F | 6’1 | Humboldt, Saskatchewan | Humboldt Collegiate Institute
Isidora Purkovic | G | 5’11 | Calgary, Alberta | Western Canada High School
Dakota Whyte | G | 5’10 | Ajax, Ontario | Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School

Head Coach: Christa Eniojukan (Ajax, Ontario)