'No is better than maybe': Canadian men's basketball team emphasizes commitment as it sets path to LA28

Once again, commitment is the name of the game for the Canadian men’s basketball team.

As another new coach takes over — Gordie Herbert of Penticton, B.C., is now officially in charge — the message to players is that “no is better than maybe.”

On Monday, Herbert and general manager Rowan Barrett announced a group of 23 players who will be in training camp this summer ahead of two blocks of World Cup qualifying.

“If guys don’t commit this summer, they’re not in,” Herbert said.

The group of commitments includes the likes of two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett and defence-first wings Lu Dort and Dillon Brooks.

Not included? Jamal Murray. The Denver Nuggets star and Kitchener, Ont., native said no.

Which means, according to Rowan Barrett, that there is no path for him to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Even without Murray, however, Herbert’s vision for the team is simple: “gold at the World Cup, gold at the Olympics.”

Reinforced by Barrett: “Our expectation is to get to the top of the podium.”

Easy enough to say. Much harder to accomplish for a team that was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Olympics after claiming bronze at the World Cup the year prior.

Herbert and Barrett laid out their plan for the next three summers in the lead-up to the Olympics on Monday, with commitment being the No. 1 priority.

It begins next month, when Canada will play World Cup qualifiers in Hamilton, Ont., against Puerto Rico on July 3 and Jamaica on July 6. Around 16 of the 23 players on the training-camp roster will make that team. There is additionally a group of about 50 players who have committed to the program and who can be pulled from at any time, per Barrett.

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