I had the pleasure of visiting some family and friends in my home city of Dallas, TX this past December. I spent 7 action packed days in the Dallas-Fort Worth area participating in as many activities as I possibly could, the conversations I had in Dallas revolved mostly around Canadian popular culture. The hot topics debated amongst me and my American friends were the Canadian basketball scene and Canadian musical culture (Drake to be specific). While my friends only discussed the more glamorous aspects of Canadian culture I began to ponder on the growth of Canada basketball since first entering Canada in 2005.

A few summarizing questions popped in my head….

Do people realize how far we have come?

How far we have to go?

Is there a plan for how we will get there?

Let’s begin:

Canada is currently ranked 26th & 9th in Men’s and Women’s basketball. In 9 Olympic appearances the Canadian Men’s National team has only 1 Olympic medal (Silver in 1936 Berlin Games). The years to come are very vital for the progress of both teams, as the level of talent for both rosters will increase exponentially due to the influx of talent created by Canada’s 21st century basketball take over. I think Canada can be a top 10 team by 2020 if the current trend continues but I’m not 100% sold on the current direction of Canada basketball but that’s another topic for another story.

The growth of Canada basketball is without question, but the potential is what I find most fascinating. 31 Canadians have played in the NBA since its inaugural season, below is the list by decade of Canadians drafted to the NBA.

1940s-Norm Baker, Hank Biasatti, Gino Sovran, Ernie Vandeweghe

1950’s-Bob Houbergs

1970’s-Lars Hansen

1980s-Jim Zoet, Bill Wennington, Mike Smrek, Leo Rautins, Steward Granger, Ron Crevier

1990s-Rick Fox, Todd MacCulloch, Steve Nash

2000’s- Joel Anthony, Samuel Dalembert, Jamaal Magloire

2010s-beyond-  Tyler Ennis, Kris Joseph, Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Andy Rautins,  Robert Sacre, Nik Stauskas, Tristan Thompson, Andrew Wiggins (Number 1 overall pick), and Anthony Bennett (Number 1 overall pick)

12 Canadians have been drafted to the NBA since 2010, we are only 5 years into the decade and Canadians have already doubled the amount ever drafted by any other decade. The trend should continue with Canadian prospects playing for some of the better NCAA teams.

Coaching is also a position in which Canadians are breaking NBA barriers. In the summer of 2014 Ryerson Head Coach Roy Rana served as a guest coach for the Utah Jazz. Former Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison is now the head coach of the Maine Red Claws an NBA D-League affiliate of the Boston Celtics. Jay Triano a graduate of A.N. Meyer in Niagara Falls coached the Raptors from 2008 to 2011. Collegiately young Canadian’s are reaching NCAA at record breaking rates, Last year Canadians set a record with well over 100 Canadian born players playing NCAA Division I basketball. The players deserve all the credit in the world for their accomplishments but in terms of development several names and programs deserve credit for helping these young athletes reach their goals.

What do first round picks Tyler Ennis, Nik Stauskas, Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins all have in common? They are all alumni of the prestigious CIA Bounce program that seems to be spitting out NCAA players left and right. Canada’s Grassroots Elite program also bolsters a star studded alumni class of NBA champion Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell, Brady Heslip, and former UConn standout Denham Brown. For the female side of Canada Basketball the JUEL League may provide the best league in terms of exposure for any young player in Canada. Since 2010 over 40 girls have graduated from the JUEL league to NCAA programs, many of them to Division 1 schools. On average more female Canadian basketball players sign to D1 programs compared to their male counterparts.  High School basketball is not enough, we need more programs that are willing to develop Canada’s talent and give them a platform to display their ability.

In terms of player development I think Canada is going in the right direction. Looking at programs like the newly created Braveheart basketball which provides an online training system enabling players to receive elite level training at anytime from coaches Mihai Raducanu, Kyle Julius, and John Heimbecker.

Blue Star Ontario Basketball is the leader for female development in Canada; Blue Star Ontario provides greater NCAA exposure, access to some of the best AAU tournaments throughout the United States, and some of the best development training programs for female basketball. Its track record over the years is absolutely incredible. Since 2003 19 female athletes who have been connected to the program have signed to NCAA D1 programs. Its list of 2014 commitments looks something like this.

Adrienne Peters – McMaster University
August Rickets – Lakehead University
Alex Hay –  Seton Hall University
Amira Giannattasio – University of Victoria
Becky LeBlanc – Carleton University
Brittany Roberto – Queens University
Cheyenne Creighton – University of Memphis
Christina Buttenham – University of Iowa
Dani Nefekh – University of California – Davis
Hayley Bowie – York University
Hilary Hanaka – McMaster University
Jackie Wilkinson – Laurentian University
Kia Nurse – University of Connecticut
Lauren Jamieson – Wilfred Laurier University
Nicole Gilmore – Carleton University
Megan Smith – Robert Morris University
Quincy Sickles-Jarvis – University of Guelph

Calgary`s CYDC basketball program does amazing work with youth basketball. President John Hegwood is regarded as one of the hardest working coaches in Calgary, he has over 40 years of basketball experience and his program is regarded as the number one basketball program in Calgary. But if I were giving away an award for the Canadian basketball program of the year then that award belongs to Athletes Institute which had a monstrous 2014 with the highlight of course being the signing of the top 2016 & 2017 prospects Thon and Matur Maker. The Makers deserve the warranted media attention but make no mistake Athletes Institute has other elite level prospects like Jamal Murray whose interest list includes Michigan, Syracuse, Virginia and Ohio State along with many other Division I programs. The future is bright for A.I it now has the potential to be a North American basketball powerhouse for years to come which will bring more and more Division I coaches across the border.

The improvement of Canada basketball spans further than our successes south of the border, CIS Basketball is at its highest peak in history. It seems fitting that the two universities located at our nation’s capital are at the forefront of Canadian Interuniversity Basketball. Over the past 3 years the Capital Universities have posted impressive wins against D1 competition during CIS vs. NCAA portion of the preseason. Programs like Wisconsin, Indiana, and Memphis have all taken losses at the hands of either the Ravens or the GeeGees. When you really think about it is there a harder 2 game road trip in North American collegiate sports like the Ottawa trip? Interestingly enough the numbers also show that CIS teams are performing better and better year after year against NCAA teams. In 2010 the point differential between CIS and NCAA teams stood at -21.4 points that number now sits at -10.4. Carleton even put up two straight double digit wins against Memphis including a 92-60 blowout on August 19th 2014.  Former notable CIS players like Warren Ward, Clinton Springer Williams, and Owen Klassen have all had NBA workouts and I think you can pencil the Scrubb brothers and Johnny Berhanemeskel for NBA opportunities once their playing careers are over.

In the NBL the London Lightning recently broke the NBL Canada attendance record with 8,500 in attendance against the Island Storm. Other teams like the Mississauga Power and the Windsor have had sizable crowds. The Lightning have averaged upwards of 3,000-plus fans at home games on a consistent basis. Owner Vito Frijia who spent $200,000 in marketing a year before the team’s inaugural season is a strong believer in the team having a strong community presence in order to increase attendance. The NBL is still building and has a few growing pains, the most obvious of which being attendance. Although a few teams have been able to increase attendance the league as a whole is struggling to fill seats. Lack of corporate sponsorship and a confusing TV deal situation has plagued the league and prevented it from progressing. I have had the pleasure to attend a few NBL games this season and I’ve been very impressed with the talent on the court. NBL basketball is good basketball, and the NBL can succeed in Canada, it just needs more local fan support from the basketball community. There are countries with smaller populations than Canada with thriving domestic leagues so the model has been proven to work. A self-sustaining basketball league in Canada is good for Canada basketball; the biggest question for most post secondary programs is how to make money. The success of a professional league in Canada would trickle down to all levels of Canada basketball. The business models alone could be a helpful tool for CIS and other programs to follow in terms of making their basketball programs self-sustaining (which has become the goal of every Canadian athletic director). I encourage every basketball fan in Canada to go out to your local NBL game you won’t be disappointed.

This article wouldn’t be complete without talking about the Toronto Raptors and what they’ve been able to accomplish so far this season. As I’m writing this article the Raptors are 3rd in the eastern conference with a 26-13 record and 7-0 in their division. The Raptors core players DeRozan, Lowry, and Valanciunas are all expected to be part of the franchise for years to come. Masai Ujiri seems to the be the man for the job in Toronto as the Raptors are hitting it out of the ball park in performance, merchandising, ticket sales, and branding. The Raptors have become an innovative NBA franchise; you see this innovation in its relationship with recording artist Drake who has become the poster boy for Toronto entertainment over the past 6 years. Toronto is not the first city to use hometown entertainers to promote its brand, but the way Drake`s OVO team and the Raptors organization have been able to promote both Raptors & Canada basketball has been an extremely effective tool in Canada`s 21st century basketball takeover. Drake individually has contributed to the popularization of Canada Basketball across North America with his OVO Bounce tournament which attracts stars from different entertainment avenues to experience the Toronto basketball scene in a tournament style event. The event features 8 teams filled with Canadian and American talent, and concludes with Drake`s OVO fest.

The video below shows some of the big highlights from last year’s OVO bounce tournament.

To summarize this very long article 2015 will be a big year for the future of Canada basketball. The accomplishments of 2015 and years prior will all come into play in February of 2016 when Toronto will host its first ever NBA All-Star game. The All-Star game will literally bring the BASKETBALL WORLD into Canada’s front yard and living rooms. Every aspect of Canada Basketball’s success will be a marketing tool towards the promotion of Canada Basketball internationally. At every corner The 2016 NBA All-Star game will provide opportunities for Canada’s basketball world to progress economically. The all-star game has the potential to be the biggest grossing basketball event in Canadian history. Internationally known athletes, celebrities, artists of all sorts, and media outlets will be stationed in Canada and if that doesn’t get you excited about the future of Canada basketball….. Then nothing will.

Special written by: Grace Lokole.

Follow grace on Twitter at @Grace_TPCDN