Just days after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship in six games over the Golden State Warriors, coach Nick Nurse said a deal was “just about done” to make him the coach of the Canadian national team.
“I’m getting ready to take another situation soon because I think it’s going to be make me a better coach,” said Nurse, 51, who has extensive experience coaching.
Team Canada will play in the World Cup in China on Sept 1 against Australia.
Nurse, who was Great Britain’s assistant coach at the 2012 Olympics, will presumably also coach Canada in next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
They have scheduled a warm-up game against Nigeria on Aug 9 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and will also play two pre-tournament games against Australia in Perth on Aug 16 and 17.
“I expect we’ll have Canada’s most talented team ever, with most of our NBA players proudly representing their country,” Glen Grunwald, president and CEO of Canada Basketball, said last month.
Prospective players for Team Canada are Kelly Olynyk (Miami Heat), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks), R.J. Barrett (Duke, projected top-three pick in NBA draft), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) and Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota Timberwolves). – REUTERS
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