Birch, Ejim make final cut
Final 12-man roster announced for Canadian men’s Olympic team
It is a team brimming with talent and potential, and the collective attitude is a marriage of confidence and defiance.
Canada is ready to take on the basketball world in their most anticipated Olympics and the message is simple: Here we are, here’s what we do, come stop us.
“I'll give everybody the secret: Our key is going to be running the floor and being very physical,” coach Jordi Fernandez said of the Canadian team headed to the Paris Games later this month.
“So if you can do deal with us, then come and do it. But we're going try to do it really hard.”
The final 12-man Canadian roster was finalized Tuesday morning, with few surprises. There are eight players returning from the bronzemedal team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup augmented by Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard, Trey Lyles and Khem Birch. The team has experience and speed and chemistry, more than enough to challenge for an Olympic medal.
“They care, they get it and they’re here because they want to and they’re sacrificing their time,” Fernandez said hours before Canada began its exhibition series with a game against the United States.
“They know it’s not about them, it’s about the team, and they’re showing it here in practice, every optional practice, every day.”
The final roster spots were won by veteran big men Khem Birch, finally fully healthy after fighting knee woes for seasons, and Melvin Ejim, the 33-year-old whose contribution goes far beyond the court.
“There are a number of our players that really look up to (Ejim) as a bigger brother,” GM Rowan Barrett said. “He provides calm and sometimes you're coming off the court and … you might be heated, and the coaches are focusing on what's going on in the system.
“Sometimes you need a teammate that grabs you by the jersey and says, 'Hey, we're all right, we're all right. Get your head together. You're going back in.' Sometimes you need that.”
Birch and Ejim were selected over brothers Phil and Tommy Scrubb and young big man Mfiondu Kabengele.
“They did their job,” Barrett said of the last group released. “I just think looking at what some of the things that coach is trying to do and systematically what we want to do, we felt that this was the best fit right now.
“But it's tough, right down to the last day. They're giving it to you in practice. Really, really challenging, but we feel very strong with the group that we put together.”
Birch has been a long-term member of the Canada Basketball program and is one of three players (Nembhard and Ejim are the others) who played for Canada at the 2019 World Cup.
“(Birch has) been there, I know that he’s played with big teams in Europe like Olympiacos (in Greece), been in the ACB (the top Spanish league), played in the NBA,” Fernandez said. “(He brings) rebounding … more size, more protection. Using my experience from last year, he’s going to be good for the roster, too.”
The rest of the 12-man roster: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell.
Nembhard is one of the youngest players on the team but is seen as a key backup in what Fernandez expects to be a 10-man rotation once the Games began.
The 24-year-old from Aurora is no stranger to his teammates, though, from years of Ontario youth competitions and two seasons in the NBA.
“He plays with a high IQ, he’s probably one of my favourite players in the NBA right now, very underrated,” Murray said. “Very good defensively, very deceptive at both ends of the court, plays passing lanes … for his size (six-foot-five) he’s physical enough and we know he can lead a unit. He can lead a group better than people give him credit for.”