R.J. Barrett leads Canada to first ever FIBA U19 Gold
By Ryan Greco
After a tough loss to Spain in the round robin, R.J. Barrett and Canada dug deep in the semis and knocked off Team USA 99-87, then handled business against Italy to claim their first ever world championship at the U19 level.
This has been a long time coming for anyone that has been following Canadian basketball.
It was something that was discussed as far back as the days when Andrew Wiggins was wrecking backboards up at Vaughn secondary school, about eight years ago.
The Pan Am semi-final game was big for Canada back in 2015 when they beat the USA, when an 18-year-old Jamal Murray lifted that team of veterans in the fourth quarter.
But this was different.
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This was not a second-rate American squad. Team USA brought their A-team this time around, the best prospects currently not in college that the world had to offer, and ours were better.
Specifically, one was better than everyone else on the floor, and he still has at least two more years at this event if he wants to.
That player was R.J. Barrett, the crown jewel of the Canadian grassroots system, and you can add MVP of the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup to that.
Barrett had 38 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in that game against the USA, all from a player that has been touted as the best prospect out of Canada since Wiggins.
After a performance like this, many pundits, coaches and fans alike are saying he is already better than Wiggins was at this point.
This performance was also a vindication of sorts, aimed directly at critics outside Canada Basketball who believed RJ was the benefactor of significant favoritism.
How significant? Look no further than the president of operations, Rowan Barrett, RJ’s dad.
Yes, nepotism is an ugly word in amateur sports, but regardless of how you frame it right now, it’s also non-existent.
Barrett was the best player in this FIBA World Cup, averaging 21.6 PPG, 8.3 REB and 4.6 APG.
He is now a world champion, and if some believed he didn’t deserve the attention he’s been receiving, the features on Sportsnet, CBC and CP24 to name a few, he sure as hell has earned it now.
Not to be lost on the RJ show though, is another significant stat.
The GTA is still dominating the Canadian basketball scene, with every starter in that USA game was within an hour from the six.
Abu Kigab from St. Catherines managed to play the “Pippen” to Barrett’s “Jordan”, taking on the tough defensive assignments on the wings, while stepping up his offence when Barrett and co. didn’t have it going.
Kigab also earned a selection to the tournament All Star team for his efforts.
Grant Sheppard was my personal pick for sixth man of this team. His physicality under the rim, consistence at the line, and his ability to alter shots made him a matchup nightmare for opposing coaching staffs the entire tournament.
After the American conquest, the Canadians managed to handle business and capture the gold over another upstart fringe basketball power; Italy.
For the Azzure’, it just wasn’t meant to be this year, with Canada claiming their first ever U19 title with the 79-60 win.
No offence to the Italians, but they were simply a footnote to the message sent to the Americans. It also showed just how soon the great white north might be challenging on the senior level.
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But that story, will be for another day. In the meantime, Canadian hoops fans should rejoice this as something to get used to. Our young guns are learning to win, and the rest of the world has been put on notice.