TORONTO — Elijah Fisher, who helped Canada win bronze at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup last year in his national team debut, headlines Canada Basketball’s roster of 19 players invited to training camp ahead of the upcoming U18 Men’s Americas Championship.
The invitation comes during a standout year for Fisher, an 18-year-old five-star recruit from Oshawa, Ont.
He set an Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association record with 75 points on Feb. 2 to lead Toronto’s Crestwood Prep Lions to a 119-102 win over Burlington’s New Horizon Academy.
In April, the six-foot-seven guard earned MVP honours at the BioSteel All-Canadian game in Toronto with a 28-point performance in front of a crowd including Raptors president Masai Ujiri and assistant general manager Dan Tolzman.
Fisher did not look out of place as a 17-year-old at the 2021 Under-19 World Cup. He averaged 6.9 points a game, and had six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in Canada’s 101-92 win over Serbia in the bronze-medal game.
The U18 Men’s Americas Championship will be held June 6-12 in Tijuana, Mexico.
Canada, ranked fourth overall in the FIBA men’s age-group rankings, is in Group A along with the hosts Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
“To be selected to represent your country on the international stage is one of the greatest honours in sport and after a four year hiatus for the U18 age-group due to COVID, we’re looking forward to getting back on the court as we pursue a place on the podium and a berth in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023,” head coach Patrick Tatham said in a statement.
Canada’s Roster:
Vasean Allette, point guard, Toronto; Brendan Amoyaw, power forward, Winnipeg; Matai Baptiste, small forward, Toronto; Bubu Benjamin, small forward. Medicine Hat, Alta.; Jordann Dumont, small forward, Repentigny, Que.; Michael Evbagharu, small forward, Toronto; Elijah Fisher, shooting guard, Oshawa, Ont.; Dylan Grant, small forward, Mississauga, Ont.; T.J. Hurley, shooting guard, Fonthill, Ont.; K.C. Ibekwe, centre, Coquitlam, B.C.; Marquese Josephs, point guard, Brampton, Ont.; Braeden MacVicar, power forward, Port Williams, N.S.; Mathieu Nader-Kalombo, point guard, Montreal, Thomas Ndong, power forward, Montreal; Michael Nwoko, centre, Milton, Ont.; Dante Oliver, shooting guard, Jonesborough, Tenn.; David Simon, power forward, Windsor, Ont.; Koat Thomas, shooting guard; Kitchener, Ont.; Mikkel Tyne, point guard, Brampton, Ont.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2022.
