For a while, it’s been said that Canadian basketball is on the rise, and gone are the days when it was a big deal if one Canadian was selected in the NBA Draft. Now, it’s more of an annual occurrence, and it might even be getting kind of hard to keep tabs on every Canadian hooper worth keeping tabs on.
Of course, it isn’t hard to keep tabs on R.J. Barrett, who remains a player worth top billing on this year’s loaded Duke team. It’s when we dig deeper that it gets easier to lose track, which is a testament to the depth of Canadian talent in basketball these days.
But we got you. Let’s talk about some guys who aren’t R.J. Barrett!
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Who is he? The sophomore sensation! A second-year guard for No. 20 Virginia Tech, averaging a team-high 16.7 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He’s also the cousin of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Where’s he from? Toronto, Ontario! He also played for nearby Vaughan Secondary School, which has produced a guy by the name of Andrew Wiggins. Heard of him?
What’s one reason to watch him? At this rate, he’ll be the other Canadian to go in the first round, and the lottery seems possible.
If any Canadian other than Barrett has made a name for himself this year, it’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker — he might be one of the most improved players in the NCAA this year. While he’s always been a bucket from three, Alexander-Walker is taking on more responsibility with the ball in his hands and his play has risen in proportion. He’s cooled off a bit, but a string of 20-point games to begin the year really put him on the scene.
Show me a cool video! We’ll let ESPN draftnik Mike Schmitz take it from here.
Luguentz Dort
Who is he? The BioSteel showcase star! A freshman for Arizona State, already his new team’s go-to man with a team-best 16.2 points per game.
Where’s he from? Montreal, born to parents from Haiti.
What’s one reason to watch him? See what the hype is all about.
If you’ve followed the BioSteel All-Canadian Game in the last few years, then Luguentz Dort is probably a familiar name — his 34-point performance last year, good for the BioSteel scoring record, made him the game’s MVP for a second consecutive year. A stocky off-guard, not many guys can contain his first step, and Dort is learning some of the point guard game under the legendary Bobby Hurley. He has a chance of going in the first round if he enters this year’s draft.
Show me a cool video! With all due respect to Dort’s strong play at Arizona State, we’re throwing it back to BioSteel last year.
Simi Shittu
Who is he? The hot commodity! A consensus five-star recruit, playing his first year of college ball with Vanderbilt.
Where’s he from? Burlington, Ontario!
What’s one reason to watch him? If you search Simi Shittu on YouTube, one of the first results that comes up is 'Simisola Shittu is a MAN CHILD!!' Show us the lie.
Shittu has been hyped in the high school circuit for years, and you can find news stories that were heralding him as Canada’s next great basketball prospect from when he was 14 or 15 years old. He’s still coming along in his freshman year, and an ACL tear in January of last year hasn’t helped things, but he’s a physically impressive big man with years under the spotlight already.
Show me a cool video! This one’s a bit dated, from December 2016, but it only feels right to dig into the expanse of Simi Shittu AAU mixtapes out there.
Ignas Brazdeikis
Who is he? The smooth scorer! Iggy is a freshman in the stretch-4 role for 7th-ranked Michigan, averaging a team-high 14.4 points this year.
Where’s he from? Born in Lithuania, emigrated to Chicago and then Winnipeg and Etobicoke before settling in Oakville, Ontario.
What’s one reason to watch him? He's clearly learned a few things about scoring the ball from former Michigan star and fellow Ontario native Nik Stauskas.
Here’s another guy that has bounced around the Canadian prep scene — he led Orangeville Prep to an Ontario championship in 2017 — and burst onto the scene at the NCAA level, a bit unexpectedly. He wasn’t necessarily a high-end recruit, but R.J. Barrett revealed that Michigan stopped recruiting him after “getting a commitment from my boy Ignas Brazdeikis.” He doesn’t fit the bill of your typical NBA prospect, but with the way he’s playing, he might just work his way there.
Show me a cool video! Early on, Brazdeikis stole the show against higher-profile players on North Carolina with 24 points to improve Michigan’s record to 7-0. (They would go 17-0 before losing a game, thanks to a strong team defense and, on the other end, the Brazdeikis show.)
Marial Shayok
Who is he? The senior! A fourth-year transfer to No. 19 Iowa State this season, lighting things up this year with 18.5 points per game — second only to Barrett among Canadians.
Where’s he from? Our nation’s capital: Ottawa!
What’s one reason to watch him? Bucket. Getter.
Like anybody else who stays at the college level for so long, Shayok doesn’t get the type of buzz that, say, his Canadian teammate Lindell Wigginton might, but like anybody else who stays at the college level for so long, he just knows how to play the game. He developed winning habits over three years at Virginia before stepping into a go-to role for Iowa State this year. Guys like Shayok rarely receive NBA buzz, but guys with this level of polish tend to perform wherever they land.
Show me a cool video! Then-unranked Iowa State punched Kansas in the mouth in early January to stake their name, led by 24 points and 5-for-5 three-point shooting from Shayok. Kansas managed to escape with a win in the rematch, but Shayok continued to show his stuff with a 26-point game in this one.
