Canada had easily defeated France 78-60 moments earlier in the inaugural Globl Jam tournament. Billed as a bridge between the national youth and senior programs as well as a rare opportunity for Canadians to play basketball at home, the under-23 tournament was also a party for Edwards and rising women’s stars Merissah Russell, Shaina Pellington and Shy Day-Wilson. “It was amazing,” Edwards said. “It’s been great to have a lot of community … coming out just to watch women’s basketball. Women’s basketball is growing here in Canada and it’s great for people to come out to see what we have, we can be dominant and we can be aggressive on the court. “I talked to (my friends and family) about how good I am, for them to actually see how good I am in person, it’s great,” she added with a laugh. Day-Wilson had 19 points and nine assists, while Edwards, a Connecticut Huskies forward, added 13 points and seven rebounds. Louisville forward Russell chipped in with 11 points, while Arizona guard Pellington finished with 10. “For us college players, being able to actually play at home is great because people are used to trying to find a stream (broadcast) or a link to watch us in the states,” said Edwards, who became 20 years old a day earlier. . “So it’s great to have a real home advantage and feel the love.” Baylor University, representing the United States, lost 77-73 to Brazil in the men’s final on Sunday night after edging Canada 93-87 on Saturday. Yago dos Santos led Brazil with 30 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in the gold medal final, while Caio Pacheco had 12 points and Marcio Santos had 11. Jalen Bridges had 13 points for the USA, with teammate Keyonte George adding 12. Jordan Turner and Dantwan Grimes each scored 11 for the Americans, who trailed 42-38 at halftime. The Canadians went 3-0 in the qualifying round, defeating Belgium, France and the USA, represented by the Commonwealth of Virginia. They crushed the Americans 85-60 in Saturday’s semifinal. “I think it’s amazing,” said Russell, a 20-year-old from Ottawa. “The biggest thing for me, I was so excited to play in front of my parents because it’s been a long time because of COVID. They haven’t seen me play and a lot of people don’t get to see us play in (college). It’s hard to you do. “We talked about it: None of us have ever played on home court wearing Canada, right? So it’s just amazing, we’re so proud, and we got the ‘dub’ and I’m so excited.” Canada led 19-16 after one quarter, but Yvonne Ejim’s layup late in the second ended a 13-3 Canadian run that put them up by 13 points. They went into the halftime break with a 37-25 lead. Canada kept throwing it in the second half. Leading 58-43 with a quarter left, Pellington’s layup with 8:25 to play put the Canadians up 22 and it was all over. Edwards, Louisville forward Russell and Arizona guard Pellington were on Team Canada at the Tokyo Olympics last summer and will be at Canada’s senior camp in late July in New York. Canada will play two exhibition games against Australia in preparation for the World Cup this fall. They hope their performance this week made a statement about their future roles in the senior side. “Absolutely,” Edwards said. “It’s just a taste of what the next generation will look like. It’s U23, so it can be a big success in the national team in bigger roles. I think it showed we can be dominant at this level and at the senior women’s level.” Canada’s new senior coach, Victor Lapena, sat courtside for all of Canada’s games. “I’m so excited for the future of women’s basketball in Canada because this is just the beginning,” Russell said. Carly Clarke, U23 Women’s Head Coach and Senior Assistant, said the tournament was great for the continued development of Edwards & Co., looking ahead to the World Cup and beyond to the 2024 Paris Olympics. “There’s a lot to handle when you’re playing at home in a big tournament like this,” Clarke said. “There are distractions everywhere, there is pressure to perform and they handled it. “Putting all those pieces together, those are things you have to do on a World Cup stage or an Olympic stage. You have to be able to bring your best when there’s a lot going on around you. I think our team handled it really well. very well.” Clarke gave the inaugural event a big thumbs up overall. “It was awesome. It felt world class all week,” Clarke said. Canada Basketball CEO Mike Bartlett said the event, which will return to Toronto next summer, is a great way to connect with the future stars of the game. “I think that’s going to really propel this program forward, the ripple effect of that for the next 10 to 15 years … when some of them are going to have to make choices at times to play for us or not,” Bartlett said. “We’re at a point where we’re building a (strong) relationship with them.” Canada Basketball dreams of Globl Jam becoming basketball’s version of the world junior hockey championship, as a revenue generator and a platform to grow the game’s audience in Canada. The tournament may not have drawn the crowds organizers had hoped for – most games in Canada saw the Mattamy Athletic Center less than half full. But Bartlett said the basketball community embraced it. Among the tournament spectators: Toronto Raptors NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Raptors executives Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster, members of the women’s basketball team, and Olympic star of swimming Penny Oleksiak. Bartlett said FIBA was pleased with the event and the visiting teams said they would like to return next summer. The Canadian 3×3 Championship, held in conjunction with Globl Jam, drew large crowds to nearby Yonge-Dundas Square. TIPS: Canada Basketball honored the 2021 and 2022 Hall of Fame inductees during halftime, including players Stewart Granger, Angela Straub and Tony Simms, coach Michele Belanger and builder John Bitove. Retired NBA stars Steve Nash and Rick Fox, who were not in attendance, were also among the inductees. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 10, 2022.
