As is often the case for Canada’s women’s basketball team as it kicks off a major international event.
It may not be the most individually talented group the Canadians can assemble – there are some key ingredients missing – but there is a cohesion, a shared sense of purpose and a belief in the collective that the team relies on in AmeriCup Tournament that starts on Saturday in Mexico.
“A great mix of pro players, some youngsters who haven’t made it to college yet and some who have experience playing at the NCAA level,” a veteran center Kayla Alexander He said before the team left the tournament. “Very talented, very athletic, but what I love about this group is that we get along really well. I think we build a great chemistry and everyone wants to compete and work hard.”
There are no WNBA players on the 12-woman list announced Wednesday. Natalie Achonua, program champion and team captain, steps away to deal with the responsibilities of a first-time mom. Head coach Victor Lapina has been left with an interesting mix of teenagers, collegiate and European pros to begin the 10-team America’s Cup qualification process for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s a very young team, very different,” said Lapina. “Maybe we don’t have the talent of (WNBA) players, Natalie, etc., but I feel something special with this team. I feel like I can help them as a coach, it’s my moment to lead them, be a good leader, trust them and give them confidence.”
Alexander, Aaliyah Edwards, Naira Fields, Shay Cooley, Aislyn Koenig and Sammy Hale will be the seasoned core, expertly augmented by the likes of Taya Hanson, Merissa Russell and Emily Potter. The real youth comes from 17-year-old Sela Swords, 18-year-old Cassander Prosper, and 21-year-old university student Yvonne Eggem.
32-year-old Alexander, a six-year-old vet who played in the FIBA and senior European leagues, became the team captain.
“It was fun, it was a lot of responsibility, but honestly, the girls make it so easy,” she said. “I’m just trying to set an example. It’s the girls, we as a team, we do the hard work, we go out and we work hard and we compete and we try to prepare ourselves to perform and get the job done in Mexico.”
It’s a much different team from the one that finished fourth in the World Cup last year, a much different group from the group that played in the Tokyo Olympics, and even a different group from the one that lost a set-up to Japan in Victoria earlier. This month.
But Lapina is used to having new menus to contend with.
“In the beginning it was difficult for me – I don’t have the best players – but then I say, ‘Victor, you have some players who can do great work,’” the coach said. “We have to find a way to give them the space they need to be better, to find style. Plain and simple (allowing them to play with confidence).”
Canada. Played in a first-round group stage with Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Colombia, the quarter-final match kicks off on Sunday with the top four teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
The other group in the first round is the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba.
The best America’s Cup team other than the United States, who qualified for Paris as World Cup champions, is set to move on to the Olympic finals next February. The next four teams will play in another qualifying tournament this fall.
Edwards, about to turn 21, returns to the national team after missing the 2022 World Cup. She should emerge as key to any success for Canada.
“Experience is key,” she said, “and I’ve been here since I was 17, so I’m going through aging and it’s exciting.” “I just embrace the role and try to be a leader, just try to be the vocal person that our team needs.”
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