Vernon did note, however, that having eyes and ears on basketball courts across the country requires funding — which is where the Olympic failure hurts even more.
Had any of the Canadian teams won medals or advanced further, it would have boosted support from Own The Podium, an organization that assists Canadian sports programs based on medal potential.
Moreover, the spotlight of, say, a men’s gold-medal game against the U.S., might have led to increased corporate sponsorship too.
Sean Miller-Moore, a star player for Vernon’s Surge and Brampton, Ont., native, is one of those players who might have fallen through the cracks. Instead of rising through the age-group teams, he went to U.S. junior college and says he’s found his footing now in the CEBL.
The 25-year-old said that during recruitment, he felt as though he needed to prove more to scouts than his American counterparts.
“They always have to see you against this person. They always have to see you against that person. I think just being Canadian, they always want to see that one more. So it’s political, but it is what it is,” he said.
But as the senior team continues to assert itself on the national stage, that stigma should be reduced.
“Guys like that put on for us and just show that they can compete with the best and Shai is one of the best guys in the league. So it just shows that Canada has talent as well,” Miller-Moore said.
WATCH | Canadian 3×3 team drops bronze-medal game to U.S.:
Canadian men’s basketball team eliminated from Paris 2024 with quarterfinal loss to FranceFrance defeats Canada 82-73 and advances to the men’s basketball semifinals at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.Same applies to women’s teams
These are all lessons that can be applied to the women’s side as well. At the age-group level, though, the women have enjoyed more recent success.
Earlier this summer, the Canadian women won silver at the U-17 and U-18 championships. Last year, they won their second-ever medal at the U-19 level.
As those players grow together, the senior women’s team should reap the rewards — perhaps even as soon at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Even the 3×3 team has now created a culture for the discipline in Canada where there wasn’t one before.
“That’s been definitely in our minds, not just us who are playing now, but what’s going to come after us when we continue on to other things,” said Katherine Plouffe, a member of the team since 2019.Â
“And that’s been part of it is how to create a program that has a special culture, that’s very character-based and what kind of teammates will blend together to make a great team on the court.”
After missing medals in Paris, Canada Basketball must now wait four more years before it can end its Olympic podium drought that dates back to 1936.
But the work toward doing it should begin now.
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 10:55:00
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