Canada Men's National Basketball Team: Rising Stars and Future Championship Prospects
I remember watching the Canadian men's basketball team during the 2023 FIBA World Cup and thinking to myself - this isn't the same team I grew up watching. There was a different energy, a different level of confidence that reminded me of what E.J. Calvo, president and head coach of Team Guam, once described as "more than just a basketball game - this is a defining moment for sports in Guam." While Calvo was speaking about Guam's basketball journey, his words perfectly capture what's happening with Canadian basketball right now. We're witnessing something special unfold, a transformation that goes beyond mere wins and losses.
The core of this transformation lies in what I consider the most exciting young roster Canada has ever assembled. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't just an NBA All-Star anymore - he's evolved into a legitimate superstar who averaged 31.4 points per game last season while maintaining remarkable efficiency. When I analyze his game, what stands out isn't just his scoring but his basketball IQ, which seems to elevate everyone around him. Then there's RJ Barrett, who's shown tremendous growth since his Toronto homecoming, and Jamal Murray, whose clutch performances in the NBA playoffs have become the stuff of legends. What makes this group particularly dangerous is their chemistry - many of these players have been competing together since their teenage years in various national team programs.
Looking at the broader landscape, Canada's basketball infrastructure has undergone what I'd call a quiet revolution. The emergence of the NBA's Toronto Raptors as a championship organization in 2019 created a ripple effect that's still being felt across the country. We've seen participation in basketball programs increase by approximately 37% over the past five years according to Basketball Canada's internal tracking, though I should note these figures might vary slightly depending on reporting methods. More importantly, the development pathway has become significantly more structured, with initiatives like the Centre for Performance and various provincial academies producing talent at an unprecedented rate. I've visited several of these facilities, and the level of coaching and resources available to young athletes today dwarfs what was available even a decade ago.
The international basketball scene is shifting, and Canada is positioned perfectly to capitalize on this moment. Traditional powerhouses like Spain and Argentina are undergoing transitional phases, while the United States, while still dominant, no longer holds the invincible aura it once did. In this new landscape, I believe Canada has a genuine shot at medal contention in upcoming tournaments, including the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team's performance in the World Cup, where they secured qualification and defeated powerhouse teams, demonstrated they can compete with anyone on any given night. What impressed me most wasn't just the victories but how they won - with defensive intensity and offensive creativity that can adapt to different styles of play.
Of course, challenges remain. The perennial issue of securing full commitment from all top players continues to be a concern, though the trend has been increasingly positive. International basketball requires a different style of play than the NBA - more physical, less space, quicker tournaments where one bad game can derail everything. Having spoken with several players about this transition, they consistently mention the adjustment period needed when moving from NBA to FIBA rules. Yet this current group seems to embrace these differences rather than struggle with them.
When I project where Canadian basketball could be in five years, the possibilities are genuinely exciting. With a core group of players just entering their prime and a strong pipeline of young talent developing behind them, the foundation exists for sustained international success. The 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics represent realistic targets for breakthrough performances. Beyond just tournament success, I'm watching how this team's achievements might impact basketball's popularity relative to hockey in Canada - that cultural shift could represent the most significant legacy of this generation.
What we're seeing isn't just a talented team having a good run - it's the culmination of years of systematic development finally bearing fruit at the highest level. The excitement around the program has created a virtuous cycle where success breeds more interest, which in turn develops more talent. As someone who's followed international basketball for over two decades, I can confidently say that Canada has never been better positioned to challenge for championships. The pieces are in place, the momentum is building, and the basketball world is taking notice. This feels like the beginning of something special, a new era where Canada isn't just participating in international tournaments but arriving as a legitimate threat to win them.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
