Globl Jam: Canadian women to play for gold

TORONTO –

Shy Day-Wilson is lacking just a few days of her Duke Blue Devils coaching camp this week.

However the 19-year-old from Toronto wasn’t going to move up an opportunity to play for Canada, and in entrance of a hometown crowd for the primary time in years.

Day-Wilson had 18 factors and 7 assists to raise Canada’s girls’s under-23 basketball workforce to an 85-60 victory over america on Saturday, and into Sunday’s gold-medal sport of the inaugural Globl Jam event.

“Man, it is a good feeling (enjoying at house),” she mentioned. “It simply feels actually good to be again house enjoying in entrance of my followers and supporters … I hadn’t achieved that since like 4 years in the past. I really like each second of it.”

Merissah Russell and Sarah Te-Biasu scored 13 factors apiece, whereas Aaliyah Edwards completed with 10 factors and 9 rebounds, and Yvonne Ejim hauled down a game-high 13 boards for the Canadians, who led by as many as 30 factors.

Canada will face France in Sunday’s remaining, after France outlasted Belgium 74-73 within the day’s first semifinal.

Day-Wilson, who misplaced a 12 months of highschool basketball due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is coming off a spectacular rookie season with Duke, main the Blue Devils in factors, assists, discipline objectives made, free throws made and tried, and minutes performed this previous season, incomes her the ACC Freshman of the 12 months.

She mentioned whereas she’s lacking Duke’s camp, she’s getting the identical type of growth enjoying with Canada’s U-23 workforce.

“I am a health club rat. I keep within the health club each single day. So I imply, I am lacking so much, however I am not likely lacking so much, as a result of I am nonetheless within the health club getting my very own work in,” she mentioned.

Day-Wilson’s scorching rookie season additionally caught the eye of Drake, who dubbed the five-foot-six level guard “Yellow Tape Shy.” The Toronto recording artist invited Day-Wilson to play one-on-one within the indoor court docket in his home. The video went viral.

“He is a great man,” Day-Wilson mentioned.

Day-Wilson was spectacular in her nationwide workforce debut with Canada’s under-19 workforce ultimately summer season’s World Cup in Hungary, averaging 18.1 factors a sport. She goals of enjoying for Canada’s senior workforce, and with senior coach Victor Lapena sitting courtside on Saturday, her efficiency certainly did not damage her possibilities.

“Everybody sees it and I form of see it too, I am form of prepared for the subsequent degree,” she mentioned. “So I will simply hold taking it step-by-step. And when that point comes, I will be prepared.”

The U.S. led 22-19 after one quarter, however the Canadians went up by eight with a 14-6 run halfway by the second. Canada headed into the halftime break up 46-37 in entrance of a Mattamy Athletic Centre crowd that included swimming star Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s most embellished Olympian.

The Canadians, who had defeated the U.S. 78-69 in preliminary-round motion earlier within the week, continued to tug away within the third, and when Edwards drove to the ring for a layup late within the quarter, it put the Canadians up by 19. Day-Wilson hit a three-pointer with 51 seconds left within the body, sending Canada into the fourth quarter up 69-46.

The Globl Jam event was created to bridge the hole between the under-19 and the senior applications, and noticed 4 international locations on every of the lads’s and girls’s sides compete.

Canada Basketball envisions the occasion blossoming into basketball’s model of the vastly in style world junior hockey championship.

“Would not that be nice?” mentioned Mike Bartlett, Canada Basketball’s CEO. “Lengthy-range, it might be nice if it begins to reflect what the world juniors have turn out to be, nevertheless it took 20, 25 years for that factor to be what it’s right now.

“I am hoping it does not take as lengthy for us however the suggestions once more, we’re getting from everyone we’re speaking to is: ‘you’ve got received one thing right here.”‘

The Canadian 3×3 championships, which drew a big crowd at close by Yonge-Dundas sq. on Saturday, is being held as a part of the Globl Jam festivities.

The Canadian males, who went 2-1 within the first spherical — their one loss coming to Italy — have been scheduled to satisfy the People of their semifinal later Saturday. The winner will play Brazil, who beat Italy 79-56 earlier within the day, in Sunday’s gold-medal remaining.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed July 9, 2022.