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  • An epic & scathing attack on Rowan Sr., and also Triano/Nash in this article. Holy moley.

    Not sure who the author is & have no idea if it's true or not, but it does sound like he's got an awful lot of detailed inside information on Canada Basketball's inner workings.

    http://www.canadianballers.com/news_...rer_id=1557416

    Time For Change In Canada Basketball
    07/31/2016, 11:45am EDT
    By Sonny Bairos
    Failure to win 'important games' & 'conflict of interest' root of problems.
    The people throughout our proud and passionate Canadian basketball community, deserve better!

    After back to back summers that saw our senior men's program fall short of qualification, Canada's absence at the Olympic Games is now twenty years strong—A fifth botched attempt for a federation and country that currently holds the highest number of NBA talent outside of the USA.

    It's August 2016 and Canada basketball has zero gold medals in the FIBA Americas and podium finishes at the World Championships to its name.

    From our cadet program right to the the top of our senior men's program, the ingredients are there to win the 'important game'.

    Nickeil Alexander Walker (18 ppg at #FIBAU18)
    When the people in the community look at the current men's regime at Canada Basketball they see Steve Nash the face, who leaves most of his tasks to his lieutenant Rowan Barrett the man in the trenches.

    Can't forget head coach Jay Triano. Triano led Canada to the Olympics in 2000 also coached the Raptors to .380 winning percentage in 229 games. However Triano's most signature moment with the Canadian people may now be how he opted to bench Andrew Wiggins in the final quarter versus Venezuela last summer. Yes, Canada's most gifted talent sat and watched a majority of the final quarter to make way for Aaron Doornekamp as Canada crashed out of the qualification tournament shy of their goal.

    Does the trio of Nash/Barrett/Triano have any trust left from the folks in the Canadian basketball community? Some suggest after last summer's devastating loss to Venezuela, entering 2016 that the Nash/Barrett/Triano trio had little trust in Canada to begin with. Even Venezuela's head coach felt what the Canadian community thought.

    "This Canadian team is something that this tournament has not seen for quite some time," Venezuela coach Nestor Garcia said ahead of the Canadian match in 2015. "Their talent level is unbelievable." He added.

    Entering the Venezuela game Wiggins was the fifth-best scorer in the tournament, but averaging only 24.4 minutes. Luis Scola, from Argentina, the leader at 22.4 points, was playing 31.2 minutes per game.

    Adding fuel to the fire of trust issues is when Canada Basketball rolled out a lack luster roster for its Olympic qualifiers this summer. A roster that raises questions about the relationships in which our federation henchman have with their player pool. Most notable absentees from Canada this summer —NBA players Andrew Wiggins and Nik Stauskas.


    Last time we see Andrew Wiggins beside Barrett?
    Wiggins was benched last summer, then to add insult to injury, when it came time for NBA All-Star voting, a staple event in his hometown, the federation showed no sense of urgency to rally the Canadian basketball community to vote for him. Veteran Zaza Pachulia garnered more votes then Wiggins. Pachulia is from Georgia the country, not the state.

    Pachulia finished fourth among Western Conference frontcourt players,14,000 votes behind San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard for the final starting spot.

    What Pachulia said about the gesture,

    "What I'm thankful is that fans, without me asking anybody, they took it to this level. I was so close. It's just an amazing feeling. I feel loved. That's more important to me than being an All-Star, honestly. It's not easy to be an All-Star, but it's even more difficult to be loved by so many people and have so many people have your back, especially a guy coming from a small country like Georgia."

    Steve Nash, after all is just a face and figure for the federation. Even at that, the 2x NBA MVP hasn't given the Canadian basketball community a worthy sound bite to hold on to since he was appointed General Manager of the senior men’s team in 2012,

    "We want to play at the Olympics perennially... We want to be in the hunt for medals." Nash uttered.

    So much for laying down the path for our 'golden generation'. Main stream media in Canada pays mild attention to basketball in Canada as it is. Even less at the high school level. A level many wonder how much Nash himself has a pulse on. A shame considering these prospects are the leaders for tomorrow.

    How about fiscally? Is Canada basketball in the green? Or in the red?

    Facts are the federation CEO cried wolf four years ago comparing its operating budgets to other top nations on the international basketball scene.

    Implemented was a plan to solicit corporate support—The Sixth Man foundation was formed.

    Corporate companies donating twenty of thousands of dollars towards sponsorship and signing multi year agreements on top of it. Corporate sponsorship is always 'results oriented' meaning if Canada basketball lures corporate backing those corporate tycoons want our programs in the big dances, i.e.; the 2016 Olympic Games.

    Is George Cope, a CEO of Bell Canada, a major sponsor of the national team thrilled? In a perfect scenario playing at the Olympics with Bell across the SMNT's jerseys has potential to reach millions of Canadians. That was the idea, instead those men's senior national team jerseys will stay in the dark this summer, collecting dust in a dresser.


    Parrish, Nash, Barrett in 2012
    Another fiscal head scratcher is after four years at the helm with the Nash/Barrett/Triano trio in tact, our youth national team games are still not televised in Canada similar to hockey. If selling basketball in Canada is like selling snow in Mexico explain how Canadian prep power Orangeville Prep and the annual BioSteel All-Canadian games are featured on national television but not the U17 or U19 World Championships?

    Wayne Parrish a current board of director and former CEO of Canada Basketball is a name most struggled to ever put a face to. His successor Michelle O'Keefe is a stranger to the Canadian basketball community also. O'Keefe on Twitter has 869 followers. Ask a top 40 ranked prospect who O'Keefe is and don't be surprised if they guess French Rapper before CEO of Canada Basketball.

    O'Keefe predecessor Wayne Parrish in 2012 said "We’re heading to a place when we will have to cut NBA players for the national team,” adding “And hopefully the bond is so strong that they’ll get it.”

    Ironically Canada basketball has taken a step back where currently players don't bother to play at the senior level any more. More concerning is that the same problem is brewing at the youth levels. It's gotten so bad that some 16 year olds initially refused to play, others wanted to go home during a recent tournament, even one vowing to never to wear a Canadian jersey again. Not even at a sneaker company showcase— one told adidas Nations organizers he didn't want to play for Canada again, anywhere.

    Isn't this alarming?

    How does Canada basketball on the men's side of things get themselves in such a hot mess?

    Sure deceiving stats proove that the youth programs are enduring there finest stretch in federation history the last five years, but we're comparing it to previous regimes. Regimes littered with bigger issues like red tape and racism.


    Off all people Rowan Barrett should know that more then anyone. As a Canadian-Jamaican who once captained the national team he felt first hand the wrath of previous regimes filled with collusion. Tenures where open competition was limited especially for young black men. Ask Canadian Jamal Magloire who started 12 games for Kentucky's National Championship team in 1998, 12 seasons in the NBA, why he never played for Canada.

    Readers can accuse me of being negative but correct this troll if he's not spewing out the truth. Jamal Magloires absence from Canada should speak volumes of the harsh reality that surrounded our Canadian Men's programs in the past. We should never compare our recent success to previous regimes. Including a tenure between Triano stints as head coach. A time when the federation hired Leo Rautins with out a single game of coaching experience. During that tenure Canada endured a 121-49 point loss to Greece. 72 point loss in a 40 minute game. Those type of results are what taints trust.

    Forget comparing our youth team successes to minnow countries in the Americas either. Start comparing our results to our neighbors from the south. For example, no one cared about the Pan Am Games. A tourney that saw USA basketball send their 'Z' team and Canada finish with a silver. Even there Nash, Barrett and Triano failed to deliver gold on home soil.


    Canada defeated by Brazil at Pan Am Games
    Our Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) implemented in 2012 is all that the Nash/Barrett/Triano trio can hang their hat on.

    Except the youth academey is not the reason behind last summer's 1st ever youth team finishing in the finals of a FIBA Americas. Nobody is guzzling the Gatorade thinking how a recent top finish ever at the world championships last year is the result of TAS either.

    Our federation is blessed with talent harnessed at the high school and AAU level. AAU clubs such as CIA Bounce deserve a bulk of the credit for back to back first overall NBA picks, four lottery picks in four years. Canadian AAU clubs are the ones who place our Canadian prospects in the American high school system, one which they have thrived in.

    Placement is a vital decision in their development. It is at prep schools for ten months of the year where student-athletes are truly developed, not with Canada basketball on periodic weekends.

    If anything domestic high schools deserve some praise too. After all it is their leagues where the body of work of Canadian Ballers are being evaluated and where American high schools often pluck from.

    Lets be clear, our senior team is one of the youngest teams in the world. We're not asking to win a medal at the Olympics when your top players are all 25 and under, all the people wanted was just be there. Is a participant in Rio too much to ask for?


    Canada defeated by Venezuela at OQT.
    The people across our Canadian basketball community have a problem with lack of results on the world stage and head to head against America. More importantly they are fed up with the relationships aspect. To sum it up best Ro Russell is more of a trusted man in Toronto then Rowan Barrett is. That's how much Barrett has dropped the ball at the helm of Canada Basketball especially in the last 18 months.

    Rowan Barrett's son is RJ Barrett, the number one ranked 2000 born prospect in North America by ESPN. If you look at the timeline since RJ entered high school it is then when the suspect trends started.

    I have tremendous respect for Rowan Barrett Sr as both person and parent. Also let me reiterate how RJ now a main fixture in the national program has earned e-v-e-r-y-t-h-I-n-g. However many outsiders feel the youth national programs are being too tailored for Rowan Jr.

    Many prospects at his position have expressed the same frustration with being limited of opportunity. Along the way some are screaming conflict of interest. After digging deeper they have some grounds, and if not addressed a possible rebellion among Cadet and Junior players next summer is a strong possibility.

    After 17 years of involvement with Canada Basketball maybe it's best for everyone if Rowan Barrett Sr resigned. It would eliminate the recent 'conflict of interest' saga and remove an unnecessary cloud over son RJ. Most important—allow Canada Basketball to restore the trust of the Canadian basketball community.


    Rowan Barrett Jr (2015)
    INEXCUSABLE

    The same year RJ began his high school career he also took his talents to CIA Bounce leaving behind Brampton Warriors. He was pegged to be the face of Bounce's affiliate Team Ennis moving forward. During his Team Ennis tenure while preparations for the 2015 U16 FIBA Americas were taking place, It was then when the senior Barrett showed signs of outside influence.

    Many insiders had Vaughan Secondary School head coach Gus Gymnopoulos pegged as the Cadet apprentice coach. He was at the academy in Orangeville, ON religiously over the winter. In recent years Cadet head coach Dave DeAveiro has faced heat because his voice doesn't resonate well with 15 and 16 year olds. Gymnopoulos who at the time was coaching the Cadets starting PG Andrew Nembhard at Vaughan was suppose to fill the void for the voice that resonates. Instead of appointing Gymnopolous and addressing an area of concern Barrett selected Nicky Davis who happened to be RJ's AAU coach with Team Ennis at the time. Nothing against Davis a basketball lifer but his selection was bias at its finest. Except only the beginning.

    Later that summer for reasons still unknown, something both CIA Bounce and Rowan Barrett Sr until this day refuse to discuss, had a messy divorce. Barrett left the powerhouse AAU program but before he announced where he would play AAU basketball he had a roller coaster 2015-16 season that saw him driven out of Canada and land at Montverde, FL two weeks into the school season.

    RJ was supposed to return to St. Marcellinus for grade 10. Marcellinus was set to make a move to the inaugural Ontario prep league. After a school board superintendent pulled the plug on Marcellinus playing in a prep league, Barrett took his talents to Florida.

    The reigning 3x national champion in America that visited Toronto twelve months earlier to recruit RJ had landed its Ben Simmons successor.

    RJ would go on to shine at Montverde becoming the teams leading scorer as a freshman in the American school system. It's then when sneaker companies started to take notice.

    By April Nike had already brokered a deal to sponsor RJ's AAU team of choice. Instead of building a program on their own, or bringing the Brampton Warriors to prominence, Barrett's support staff blessed Hamilton, ON program UPLAY with a Nike deal. With out RJ Barrett UPLAY doesn't sniff Nike sponsorship. That's how good RJ Barrett is. According to dad, throughout the negotiations with Nike, senior Barrett swears he had no part of the sponsorship selection process. When reached via text message about the whole ordeal Barrett denies any involvement,

    r
    (L) RJ Barrett in his new UPLAY digs
    "No influence with Nike. Ask them. I had clubs upset at me because I did not support any of them. I told Nike clearly that I have good relationships with the clubs and he can go anywhere they give the deal." Barrett sent via text message.

    If Barrett stayed away from negotiations why doesn't Nike give more deserving Montreal club and flagship adidas program Brookwood Elite a deal? No other program in Canada has won more games on the circuits in recent years then Brookwood Elite. So would RJ play there? Give the people a break. All they ask for is transparency.

    Collusion in the federation was supposed to stop years ago, except it never has. Sneaker wars in Toronto should have ended, instead of being recreated.

    Twelve months ago at the 2015 Bio Steel game Steve Nash held private workouts with 15 and 16 year old point guards Andrew Nembhard and Jaelin Llwellyn, both teammates at the time of RJ's.

    Private work outs with Nash are a norm for Canadian blue chip point guard prospects. When the federation pegged Kevin Pangos and Kevin Zabo the future point guards of the national program they experienced similar intimate workouts in the past.

    Twelve months after that private workout with Nash and come time to select the Cadet team for the World Championships Llwellyn is omitted and Nembhard starts every game. Ironically Llwellyn stayed with CIA Bounce and Nembhard followed RJ to UPLAY after the Barrett-Bounce divorce.

    Not only was Llwellyn cut from the Cadets after being on the team last summer, cut too from the U18 last year was Howard Washington. Washington started every game at point guard for Canada at the 2014 U17 World Championships and was excluded from the U19 FIBA Americas team the following summer. Do you blame him for declining an invite to this years U18 tryouts. Making Llwellyn and Washington both Canada Basketball cast offs makes you wonder what is Rowan BArrett and company evaluating. Except Gynpoulous, Llwellyn and Washington are minor examples. Just scratching the surface of more collusion. Since Barrett Jr has dressed for UPLAY Canada sources say Barrett Sr has even contacted editor in chiefs of alternative media outlets questioning their ties to CIA Bounce. Citing bias publicity. Why? Especially how in the up and comings months nepotism would be demonstrated in doves.

    2016 JORDAN BRAND GAME

    Jordan Brand game in Brooklyn, NY. With two sponsored Nike teams on the Toronto scene now it was only fair each had a representative in the international junior game. What the original plan was is send RJ Barrett and Joel Brown. Brown a blue chip prospect with a 3.7 GPA and even ranked no.2 in the country by some alternative media outlets was later pulled and replaced by Andrew Nembhard. An adjustment many people believe Rowan Barrett was behind and if not, as the people's voice of reason they depended on him to mediate and balance out opportunities of that magnitude. Our federation should have intervened. These dilemmas if not handled correctly have proven to fuel sneaker wars. Incompetent behavior amidst a AAU divorce? a sign of the summer ahead.

    CANADIAN SMNT

    Barrett Sr lost major points with a lack luster roster he unveiled for the senior men's national team. Poor relationships with NBA players were not only the issue. Barrett used roster spots on our National team to help create exposure for high school players, ironically his own son and another UPLAY talent. 1998 born Shai Alexander is a good prospect, did he genuinely merit that privileged spot on the SMNT? Majority don't even think he is the best point guard in his family (cousin is Nickeil Alexander Walker a Virginia Tech commit). After watching closely this summer many don't beg to differ. Alexander joined who other then RJ Barrett on the senior team. A 16 year old on the SMNT accompanied by a high school senior in September. Cute but RJ should have been preparing with Dave DeAveiro and not Jay Triano. Why not deserving collegiate point guards Naz Mitrou-Long or Jalen Poyser? Or just look at the stats among Canadian freshman last season. Joseph's Chartouny of Fordham may have been the most ready to impact immediately in Manila. End result for our national team was a loss to France in the finale of the Olympic qualifier. Another black eye for the Canadian Men's program.

    U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

    For the most part on paper this summer's roster was better then the U16 campaign last summer. What ticked off the country was with such high expectations Barrett Sr derailed chances of delivering a medal by allowing RJ Barrett to play with the Senior Men's National Team instead of tune-ups with the U17 team. Simi Shittu who was later invited to the SMNT camp was also absent during tune-ups. Two absentees handicapping any chances of a podium finish. Not only that, 2000 born 6-9 Jaden Bediako received close to zero playing time. Not even extended minutes in meaningless blowout games. A coaching decision that would later come back to haunt Canada in their U18 campaign. After Barrett's outside the box approach and the confusion sorted out, both Shittu and Barrett Jr arrived in time for the World Championships but the damage was already done, Canada fell in the quarterfinals to Turkey. Much earlier then expected. Now people are calling for Dave DeAveiros head but was he really coaching the team or was it his boss from upstairs? Sending DeAveiro to Europe with out the no.1 ranked 1999 & 2000 born kids in our country is incompetent and inexcusable. Also for obvious reasons spits on the TAS program and contradicts its mission.


    Cadet head coach Dave DeAveiro
    U18 FIBA AMERICAS

    Roy Rana does Canada a solid. Saving the men's program from ridicule and bringing home a silver medal. Except this U18 team was spearheaded by three NBA prospects that don't get nowhere near the American media hoopla like say RJ Barrett or Simi Shittu— Oshae Brissett, Lindell Wigginton and Nickeil Walker together nearly stunned the Americans. Admirable but not the way our management team had planned. After trailing double digits minus starting PG Shai Alexander the entire 2nd half due to injury, Canada brought the defecit within 2 in the final minutes before America closed the game out on a 15-1 run. Was Shai Alexander spoon fed the starting point guard position long before tryouts? Hard to argue with Lindell Wigginton, Jahvon Blair & Jordan Henry on the roster. Most even view Nickeil Walker as an NBA point guard prospect on top of his scoring prowess. Nickiel Walker against America? Game high 25 points.

    What are the Canadian National team scouts evaluating?

    They sent a paper thin front court to The U18 FIBA Americas this summer. A one man front court named Oshae Brissett did all he could. Vrankic with all due respect is more of a pick and pop guy then rugged defender and rebounder. Jaden Bediako a suprise selection on the Canadian junior team after lack of opportunity with the Cadets couldn't hack it either. Had Barrett Sr mandated Bediako some minutes at the U17 Worlds perhaps he could have built up enough confidence to contribute versus America in the U18 championship game. Especially with Brissett in foul trouble. Why was Jaden Bediako in Chile? Especially with more immediate impact talent left behind is what many north of the border never understood.

    Guess where and who Bediako plays AAU basketball with? If you guessed RJ Barrett and UPLAY your on the money. These are the biased decisions, inexplicable influences that are driving the Canadian basketball community to call for a Barrett resignation.

    No FIBA Americas gold, no medal at the World Championships, no Andrew Wiggins, no Olympic Games. Enough is enough, un-repairable relationships, inexplicable influences and lack of results both on and off the court has become too intolerable.

    No room for nepotism in Canada basketball. There should be zero tolerance for it.

    It's time for Triano to be replaced or Rowan Barrett to split. Barrett can play with fire at Montverde, suggest mind boggling ideas to UPLAY Canada, enjoy and embrace his sons road to the NBA but please don't drive our Canada basketball off a cliff.

    The question now resurfaces if CEO Michele O'Keefe has either the ability or appetite to find quality successors? Either in a managerial or coaching role hiring New Mexico State head coach Canadian Paul Weir is a start. After all he is the first and only Canadian to be a head coach in Division 1.

    Until stark change occurs we will continue to look like a Mickey Mouse run basketball federation operated by a fraternity. Meanwhile the proud and passionate people in the Canadian basketball community suffer. A truly suffocating experience.

    The ball is now in the Nash/Barrett/Triano court and for the love of James Naismith, just walk away.

    Comment


    • golden wrote: View Post
      An epic & scathing attack on Rowan Sr., and also Triano/Nash in this article. Holy moley.

      Not sure who the author is & have no idea if it's true or not, but it does sound like he's got an awful lot of detailed inside information on Canada Basketball's inner workings.

      http://www.canadianballers.com/news_...rer_id=1557416
      The author is not credible. He has a vested agenda; check his other work.
      Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

      Comment


      • jimmie wrote: View Post
        The author is not credible. He has a vested agenda; check his other work.
        Found a bunch of the author (Mark Bairos) work on HoopHype Canada and it seems pretty normal at first glance. The only hatchet job appears to be this article on Canada Basketball. Not sure what the agenda you're suggesting is - care to elaborate?

        http://hoopshype.ca/author/mark-bairos/

        Comment


        • golden wrote: View Post
          Found a bunch of the author (Mark Bairos) work on HoopHype Canada and it seems pretty normal at first glance. The only hatchet job appears to be this article on Canada Basketball. Not sure what the agenda you're suggesting is - care to elaborate?

          http://hoopshype.ca/author/mark-bairos/
          First thing: He's not a journalist, he's an independent writer, so right there, credibility is shoddy.

          Second: I can't remember where I read it, and can't find it with a quick Google search, but he apparently has some kind of beef with CIA Bounce, and everything he writes apparently shows that bias. He's also apparently still salty about one of his "sources" giving him bad info about where Jamal Murray was going to go to college and him looking bad publicly, as he claims himself to be a insider...

          National basketball in Canada is full of politics, has been for at least 20 years... But I personally feel a lot more comfortable with Nash and Barrett at the helm that at any time since when Jack Donohue was basically running the show.
          Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

          Comment


          • Sayonara, Tristan.

            Comment


            • rocwell wrote: View Post
              Sayonara, Tristan.

              Odom, harden, thompson am I missing any one? She's basically a top 10 point guard bang away from nailing a quality playoff roster
              9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

              Comment


              • WJF wrote: View Post
                This is nice to see....but when will all of the individual accolades of players transfer into success as a National team?

                Watching the women's team compete and play competitive ball at the Olympics made me a little sad thinking about the potential that our men have.
                Not until you get the top tier players to show up for Olympic qualifiers.

                Comment


                • Brady Heslip To Sign Partially Guaranteed Deal With Raptors ..

                  The Toronto Raptors will sign Brady Heslip to a partially guaranteed deal.

                  Raptors 905 acquired Heslip's D-League rights in a trade with the Reno Bighorns.

                  Heslip is a native of the Toronto area.

                  Heslip played in Italy last season.

                  Comment


                  • Yeah, D-League salary supplement there. Can't imagine him making the team. I guess you never know though, maybe they think he can play point while Wright is hurt? Pretty sure this is just a salary boost and a way to top out the pre-season roster at 20.
                    twitter.com/dhackett1565

                    Comment







                    • Comment


                      • Why do they all keep dating the ugly one?
                        9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

                        Comment


                        • KeonClark wrote: View Post
                          Why do they all keep dating the ugly one?
                          She's good in bed. I guess.

                          Comment


                          • Who is that woman?

                            Comment


                            • Jangles wrote: View Post
                              Who is that woman?
                              How much is the rent for that rock you live under?
                              9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

                              Comment


                              • Jangles wrote: View Post
                                Who is that woman?
                                That's Khloe Kardashian, Jangles.


                                And tbh, she's not the ugly one. That's just what you guys are forced to think of her as.
                                Axel wrote:
                                Now Cody can stop posting about this guy and we have a poster to blame if anything goes wrong!!
                                KeonClark wrote:
                                We won't hear back from him. He dissapears into thin air and reappears when you least expect it. Ten is an enigma. Ten is a legend. Ten for the motherfucking win.
                                KeonClark wrote:
                                I can't wait until the playoffs start.

                                Until then, opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and they most often stink

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