Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
Highlights:
- Seven Canada West basketball players are set to represent Canada at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia
- Six men will wear the maple leaf, while Summer Masikewich from the University of Saskatchewan has been named to the women’s team
- Basketball Canada made the roster announcement Tuesday, with the tournament set to open April 6
EDMONTON – There will be no shortage of Canada West connections on the hardcourt for Canada at the Commonwealth Games, as Basketball Canada announced its teams for the upcoming Games in Gold Coast, Australia on Tuesday.
A total of six CW men’s players, along with Summer Masikewich on the women’s team, are headed to the Games, which are set for April 4-15.
The men’s team features Justus Alleyn (Manitoba), Mambi Diawara (Calgary), David Kapinga (Calgary), Mamadou Gueye (Alberta), Conor Morgan (UBC), and Grant Shephard (UBC). Manitoba head coach Kirby Schepp will lead the team, and is joined by UBC head coach Kevin Hanson, who is an assistant coach on the staff.
Alleyn led CW in scoring this past season with 24.1 points per game, while Morgan was named CW Player of the Year, and Shephard took home the CW Rookie of the Year award. Meanwhile, Diawara, and Kapinga are coming off Calgary’s first men’s basketball national title in program history.
Gueye was a CW second team all-star for Alberta, who topped the conference regular season with a 19-1 record, but fell to Calgary in the CW Championship Game earlier this month.
All 12 of the players named to the men’s team are U SPORTS players, with Canada West’s six players leading the way among U SPORTS’ four conferences (5 OUA and 1 AUS).
"Having the opportunity to represent Canada is always a tremendous honour and to do so at the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be a great experience for our U SPORTS players,” said Schepp.
Masikewich is the lone Canada West player on the women’s team, and is one of three U SPORTS players on the squad, as the Saskatchewan Huskie is joined by McGill’s Alex Kiss-Rusk, and Carleton’s Catherine Traer.
Canada is making its basketball debut at the Commonwealth Games, as Basketball Canada didn’t enter teams at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, which marked the only other time the sport has been part of the event program.
Both teams will make their Commonwealth Games debut on Friday, April 6 and fans in Canada can catch all the action streaming live on DAZN.
Canada's men's team will open the tournament at 5:30 PM local (1:30 AM MT) against Australia at the Cairns Convention Centre, while the women will face England at 6:30 PM local (2:30 AM MT) from the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre. Click here for a complete schedule.
With files from Basketball Canada.
MEN'S 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES ROSTER
|
Name |
Position |
Height |
Hometown |
Current Club |
|
Justus Alleyn |
Guard |
6'3" |
Winnipeg, MB |
University of Manitoba (U SPORTS) |
|
Mambi Diawara |
Guard |
6'4" |
Montreal, QC |
University of Calgary (U SPORTS) |
|
Ammanuel Diressa |
Guard |
6'4" |
Toronto, ON |
Ryerson University (U SPORTS) |
|
Mamadou Gueye |
Forward |
6'7" |
Quebec City, QC |
University of Alberta (U SPORTS) |
|
David Kapinga |
Guard |
5'11" |
Calgary, AB |
University of Calgary (U SPORTS) |
|
Conor Morgan |
Forward |
6'9" |
Victoria, BC |
University of British Columbia (U SPORTS) |
|
Jean-Victor Mukama |
Guard |
6'8" |
Hamilton, ON |
Ryerson University (U SPORTS) |
|
Erik Nissen |
Forward |
6'9" |
Quispamsis, NB |
Acadia University (U SPORTS) |
|
Jean-Pierre Charles |
Forward |
6'8" |
Ottawa, ON |
University of Ottawa (U SPORTS) |
|
Grant Shephard |
Forward |
6'10" |
Kelowna, B.C. |
University of British Columbia (U SPORTS) |
|
Mike Shoveller |
Centre |
6'11" |
Arnprior, ON |
Queen's University (U SPORTS) |
|
Munis Tutu |
Guard |
6'0" |
Windsor, ON |
Carleton University (U SPORTS) |
MEN'S 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES STAFF
|
NAME |
POSITION |
HOMETOWN |
AFFILIATION |
|
Kirby Schepp |
Head Coach |
Winnipeg, MB |
University of Manitoba |
|
Dave Deaveiro |
Assistant Coach |
Toronto, ON |
McGill University |
|
Kevin Hanson |
Assistant Coach |
Vancouver, BC |
University of British Columbia |
|
Krisjon Vargas |
Athletic Therapist |
Toronto, ON |
Canada Basketball |
|
David Grundman |
Team Leader |
Toronto, ON |
Canada Basketball |
WOMEN'S 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES ROSTER
|
Name |
Position |
|
Hometown |
Current Club |
|
Jacey Bailey |
Forward/Guard |
6'0" |
Burnaby, BC |
Northern Arizona University (NCAA) |
|
Niyah Becker |
Forward |
6'1" |
Winnipeg, MB |
Lincoln Prep (OSBA) |
|
Danielle Boiago |
Guard |
5'7" |
Hamilton, ON |
Unattached |
|
Shay Colley |
Guard |
5'9" |
Brampton, ON |
Michigan State University (NCAA) |
|
Paige Crozon |
Forward |
6'1" |
Humboldt, SK |
Saarlouis (Germany) |
|
Ruth Hamblin |
Centre |
6'6" |
Houston, B.C. |
Bourges (France) |
|
Alex Kiss-Rusk |
Centre/ |
6'4" |
Beaconsfield, QC |
McGill University (U SPORTS) |
|
Summer Masikewich |
Forward/ |
6'1" |
Calgary, AB |
University of Saskatchewan (U SPORTS) |
|
Ceejay Nofuente |
Guard |
5'8" |
Toronto, ON |
Humber College (CCAA) |
|
Daneesha Provo |
Guard |
6'0" |
Darmouth, NS |
University of Utah (NCAA) |
|
Merissah Russell |
Guard |
5'11" |
Ottawa, ON |
Capital Courts Academy (OSBA) |
|
Catherine Traer |
Forward |
6'1" |
Chelsea, QC |
Carleton University (U SPORTS) |
WOMEN'S 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES STAFF
|
NAME |
POSITION |
HOMETOWN |
AFFILIATION |
|
Steve Baur |
Head Coach |
Sackville, NS |
Canada Basketball |
|
Fabian McKenzie |
Assistant Coach |
Glace Bay, NS |
Cape Breton University |
|
Michelle Bell |
Athletic Therapist |
Brampton, ON |
Ryerson University |
|
Nick Deadder |
Performance Analyst |
Wolfville, NS |
Acadia University |
|
Denise Dignard |
Team Leader |
Port Cartier, QC |
Canada Basketball |