SteemSports Writer: @writingamigo
SteemSports General Manager: Nolan Jacobson, @theprophet0, STEEM Witness, PeerPlays Witness & DECENT Miner (Witness)
Final score - Canada 79:60 Italy
The key factor - Team Canada is way more athletic than team Italy, and it showed big time.
The best player - R.J. Bennett without a doubt is the best player of the tournament. He is only 17, and he is going to be the next superstar of the NBA. If I am wrong... well, this time I cannot be wrong.
Road to the Final
Both Canada and Italy finished 2nd in their groups. Canada tarnished Mali and Japan but failed against Spain 73-78. It is impossible to say anything about Canada from the games against Mali or Japan because I have a feeling that I would make it to those teams if I were under 19. However, I could never expect to see Canada in the final after they lost to Spain in the group stage. There were so many (potentially) stronger teams like USA, Spain, Lithuania, or France but that is why we love those under-something tournaments - you can never know what to expect.
In the 1/8 Canada met Angola and dominated as if it was some practice game against a team which never played basketball. However, Canada had more trouble in the 1/4 against France. Both teams had their chances, but it was Canada players' athleticism and defensive skills that helped them to beat France. Well, it was also 17-year-old (!!!!!) R.J. Barrett's, the future no.1 draft pick in NBA, who put the last nail in France's coffin with his 27 points. Actually, R.J. Barrett went on to dominate the USA, the clear favorites to win this tournament, in the semi-finals. He single-handedly won the game with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Canada won 99-87 against all odds (bookies gave 12.5 to 1 for Canada to win) and found themselves in the final.
On the other side, Italy started the championship very slow but managed to win their first game against Angola after the OT. After that, Italy tarnished Iran (nothing to be proud of) and miserably lost to the USA 65-98. We could see that Italy was not prepared to play against athletic teams as their defense was crumbling. Also, they could not attack properly as team USA was making Italy play hectic and shoot low percentage shots.
And yet, Italy made it to the next stage. Actually, the system of the tournament is so stupid that all 16 teams qualified to the 1/8. FIBA was like "Let's make everyone feel like a winner." Anyway, Italy faced Japan in the 1/8 and had a lot of problems. Italy still won 57-55, but it was all decided by the last second shot so that Italy could have easily been playing for 13-16th place instead of the final. In the 1/4 Italy faced Lithuania, the second best team after the USA according to the bookies. I am Lithuanian myself, so I was following Lithuanian team all the tournament. I can tell you that Italy team doesn't have anyone at least close to Kulboka (he'll be playing in NBA soon) or Sederskis, but Italian team had enough shooters and defenders to leave Lithuania stunned. The young Italians made most of their open shots, and David Albright Okeke made sure to dominate the basket with some incredible rebounds and dunks. Lithuania, however, missed 20 free-throws and Kulboka was 1/15 from the field. After beating Lithuanian, Italy went to the semi-final against Spain with a lot of confidence, and it showed. Italy won the battle 66-63 after trailing for the most of the game and found themselves in the final. If you made a bet that Italy would play in the finals after the group stage, you could have won $50 our of your $1.
The Final
The First Half
Canada started the game strong and took an early lead. The Italians could don't find any antidote against athletic Canadians, especially R.J. Barrett, who could simply take the ball and finish all the game by himself. Barrett was playing as point guard most of the time, but with his athleticism, he could easily play as a center against Italy as well. And the boy is only 17. Barrett's monstrous drives to the basket were too much to handle for the Italians - they either ended with points, faults or stretched the defense and pass to the open teammate. Sadly, the Italians could not attack as well. It seemed like the Canadians were way too strong for them and also, there were no tactics, so the Italians just kept irresponsibly shooting the ball from outside, expecting it to fall. The first quarter ended 24-10, and it was obvious that the Canadians were going to win the game.
In the second quarter, the Canadians stopped defending as they decided to simply score more than the Italians. This quarter ended 27-26 in Canada's favor, but it could have been 40-15 if the Canadians really needed it. The only guy who still made a difference on the Italian side was Okeke. He made some nice rebounds, scored some lay-ups and made sure to keep Italy trailing only by 15 at the halftime. The Canadian trio - Kigab, Bennett, and Bamba - kept tarnishing Italian defense. I am especially impressed with Bennett's (I know that I told it a couple of times already, but the boy is going to be a f-ing legend) ability to drive to the basket. I tell you - there are only a few 17-year-old guys who can do that, and I am not surprised at all that NBA analytics think of Bennett as of no.1 pick in 2018 NBA drafts. The second quarter ended 51-36 but Italy looked way worse than that.
The Second Half
There is nothing much to say about the second half except that Canada was controlling this ball game and Italy could not even dream about any sort of a comeback. Canada's coach must have told his players to start defending again as Italy only managed to score 12 in the third quarter. Canada added 18 and was leading by 21 after the third quarter. As for the game, it looked the same - the Canadians were dominating due to their athletic advantage, while the Italians tried to rely on shooting (sadly, Canada's defense was too good to leave any Italian shooters free).
The fourth quarter was only a formality. Both teams stopped pretending that there was any kind of competition still going on, and just bumped the ball until the final whistle. The quarter ended 12-10 in Italy's favor, but it was not enough, and the Canadians lifted the trophy 79-60.
My Final Thoughts
It is not important who wins those under-something tournaments. The only important thing for the teams is to find some raw talent. And this year I could see a lot with R.J. Bennett ahead. He deserved to be an MVP, and I think he'll be a superstar in 3 years time.
Young guys crumble under pressure a lot. I saw more missed uncontested lay-ups in this competition than I ever saw in my life watching men's basketball. We must admit that Canada has put its name into the basketball world. I believe that Canada is going to be the team which could finally beat the USA in the International arena.
The First Half
Canada started the game strong and took an early lead. The Italians could don't find any antidote against athletic Canadians, especially R.J. Barrett, who could simply take the ball and finish all the game by himself. Barrett was playing as point guard most of the time, but with his athleticism, he could easily play as a center against Italy as well. And the boy is only 17. Barrett's monstrous drives to the basket were too much to handle for the Italians - they either ended with points, faults or stretched the defense and pass to the open teammate. Sadly, the Italians could not attack as well. It seemed like the Canadians were way too strong for them and also, there were no tactics, so the Italians just kept irresponsibly shooting the ball from outside, expecting it to fall. The first quarter ended 24-10, and it was obvious that the Canadians were going to win the game.
In the second quarter, the Canadians stopped defending as they decided to simply score more than the Italians. This quarter ended 27-26 in Canada's favor, but it could have been 40-15 if the Canadians really needed it. The only guy who still made a difference on the Italian side was Okeke. He made some nice rebounds, scored some lay-ups and made sure to keep Italy trailing only by 15 at the halftime. The Canadian trio - Kigab, Bennett, and Bamba - kept tarnishing Italian defense. I am especially impressed with Bennett's (I know that I told it a couple of times already, but the boy is going to be a f-ing legend) ability to drive to the basket. I tell you - there are only a few 17-year-old guys who can do that, and I am not surprised at all that NBA analytics think of Bennett as of no.1 pick in 2018 NBA drafts. The second quarter ended 51-36 but Italy looked way worse than that.
The Second Half
There is nothing much to say about the second half except that Canada was controlling this ball game and Italy could not even dream about any sort of a comeback. Canada's coach must have told his players to start defending again as Italy only managed to score 12 in the third quarter. Canada added 18 and was leading by 21 after the third quarter. As for the game, it looked the same - the Canadians were dominating due to their athletic advantage, while the Italians tried to rely on shooting (sadly, Canada's defense was too good to leave any Italian shooters free).
The fourth quarter was only a formality. Both teams stopped pretending that there was any kind of competition still going on, and just bumped the ball until the final whistle. The quarter ended 12-10 in Italy's favor, but it was not enough, and the Canadians lifted the trophy 79-60.
My Final Thoughts
It is not important who wins those under-something tournaments. The only important thing for the teams is to find some raw talent. And this year I could see a lot with R.J. Bennett ahead. He deserved to be an MVP, and I think he'll be a superstar in 3 years time.
Young guys crumble under pressure a lot. I saw more missed uncontested lay-ups in this competition than I ever saw in my life watching men's basketball. We must admit that Canada has put its name into the basketball world. I believe that Canada is going to be the team which could finally beat the USA in the International arena.
WOOT! great post
For the young guys it is important to develop a consistent jumpshot. Too often young players cannot shoot and have poor form and rely entirely on their athletic ability. This is fine until they are matched up with someone who is equally or even more athletic.
To all the young ballers out there: Work on consistency with your jumpshot. Don't just shoot 3 pointers. One dribble pullups, shot fakes, catch and shoot all help to make you become a better a shooter once your form is correct!
Their athleticism was so unfathomable. Feeling great to see Canada winning the tournament. I'm looking forward for that Kid in the NBA. I'm starting to scout him.
Thanks for sharing! The future is extremely bright for these young NBA phenoms, especially RJ Barrett. The kid is long and crafty, impressive for his age!
It feels so good to be a Canadian hoops fan right now (excluding the Raptors!) As Drake says, What a time to be alive!