Canadian Men’s National Team History –1995-2003– The “Steve Nash Era”– Part 1
Written by Nick Ruzich
Monday, 01 June 2009 23:46
CANADIAN MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM HISTORY: 1995 - 2003
The "Steve Nash Era" – Part 1
by Nick Ruzich, CroHoops.com correspondent from Ontario, Canada
EXCELLENT FREE THROW SHOOTING FORM: One of the main reasons that this 6'3'' guy from Vancouver B.C. was voted MVP of the NBA not once, but twice in a row...
After the 1994 World Championships, two significant changes to the Canadian men’s national team helped to improve their success compared to the previous 4 years.First they hired Steve Konchalski as coach (and later, current Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano), and second they left the team in the hands of Steve Nash, an up and coming college star who would eventually become a superstar in the NBA.
1995 Tournament of the Americas (held in Argentina) – Missing NBA players Bill Wennington and Rick Fox, Canada’s chances of reaching the 96 Olympics were fairly slim, as only 3 teams from the tournament would qualify.They started off with two straight losses, before winning the next two and advancing to the second round.Thanks to a balanced attack of young players consisting of Nash, Bobby Allen, Joey Vickery and Michael Meeks, Canada won three straight in the second round to advance to the semi-finals.Needing to win one of their final two games to qualify, they first lost to Puerto Rico in the semi-finals 98-81 after Nash got into early foul trouble.Faced with a do-or-die game against Brazil, Canada was heavily outrebounded and lost 97-77 to the more experienced Brazilians despite 24 points from Meeks.
1997 Tournament of the Americas (held in Uruguay) – Once again led by Nash, Rowan Barrett, Michael Meeks and veteran Martin Keane, Canada finished the preliminary round at 3-1 with only a loss to the United States.After beating host Uruguay in the first game of the second round, Canada only needed one more win to clinch a spot for the medals and a spot in the 1998 World Championships.But like two years earlier, the Canadians entered a small slump and lost three straight games to Cuba, Brazil and Argentina.That set up another do-or-die game against Cuba, with the winner picking up fifth place and the last spot for the world championships.Unlike two years earlier, Canada came out on top with a 92-83 victory.Steve Nash, battling the flu for the final few games, led the way with 29 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.For the first time since 1990, Canada had qualified for a major international tournament.
Steve Nash
1998 World Championships (held in Greece) – After leading the team in the qualification tournament, Steve Nash was forced to miss the world championships due to a foot injury.Missing Nash, and not having any other players from the NBA replacing him, Canada struggled greatly against the tougher competition, winning only one of eight games and finishing 12th overall.The team was led by Sherman Hamilton (10.13 PPG) and centre Greg Newton from Duke University, who led the team with 11.5 PPG.The tournament was also the debut of future NBA centre Todd MacCollough with the national team.After the disappointing finish, coach Konchalski was let go and replaced with Jay Triano.
1999 Tournament of the Americas (held in Puerto Rico) – At a tournament where only two spots were available for the 2000 Olympics, with one almost certainly going to the US, Canada found there form and began a three year run as one of the premier teams from the Americas.With a starting line-up featuring Steve Nash and Sherman Hamilton at guard, Rowan Barrett and Michael Meeks at forward and Todd MacCollough at centre, as well as a strong bench including Greg Newton and Pete Guarasci, The Canadians finished the preliminary round at 3-1 with only a loss to the US.The quarterfinal round produced similar results, again going 3-1 with only a 5-point loss to host Puerto Rico.This led to a semi-final rematch with the Puerto Ricans, with the winner advancing to the Olympics.In front of a hostile crowd, the Canadians prevailed 83-71, with Steve Nash again leading the way with 26 points and 8 rebounds.In a balanced attack, Sherman Hamilton added 19, Rowan Barrett 18 and Michael Meeks with 16.In the finals, having already clinched a spot, the Canadians lost handily to the US 92-66, with Todd MacCollough the high man with 22 points.
