Amihere, Edwards, Pellington: Canada basketball's future and now

Shaina Pellington. (FIBA.basketball photo)

The Canadian women's national basketball team announced its Olympic-bound roster for Tokyo on Tuesday, and the no. 4-ranked squad in the world will be represented by mix of familiar names and up-and-coming collegiate players who are eager to prove their worth in sports' biggest stage.



Aside from the expected names like WNBA veterans Natalie Achonwa, Kia Nurse, Bridget Carlton, Kayla Alexander, and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Canada will be bannered by a youth movement centered on three great athletes: Laeticia Amihere (South Carolina), Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut), and Shaina Pellington (Arizona).

All three were part of Canada's 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup roster last June, where the team reached the semi-finals.

It goes without saying that their strong showing in the continental tournament proved to be factor to be included in Olympic team.

Laeticia Amihere. (FIBA.basketball photo)

The 19-year-old Amihere led the team in scoring and rebounding with 13 PPG and 7.7 RPG.

She had back-to-back double-double performances when the stakes were high, finishing with 17 and 11 against Puerto Rico in the semi-finals which she followed with a 22 and 11 tally in the bronze medal match against Brazil.

"She's fearless, so young, but certainly doesn't play like a young one, so real happy with how she did with this tournament," head coach Lisa Thomaidis quipped about the 6-foot-4 foward.

With Achonwa's status then unknown, Amihere took the opportunity to showcase her full repertoire, and the coaching staff could certainly look forward to her spending meaningful minutes on the floor come Tokyo.

Pellington also made a good account of herself, contributing as the team's primary playmaker and shot creator.

The Wildcats guard averaged 12.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, an 2.5 APG, scoring in double-digits in four out of the six matches she played.

"She's a great athlete. She's explosive, she can get out and score in transition. We're fortunate, she's playing well, we're really relying on her heavily to create for others," Thomaidis said about Pellington.

In a way, having the AmeriCup being played before the Olympics due to the global health situation which forced a ton of changes from original schedules gave Canada an opportunity to further develop its younger players.

Aaliyah Edwards. (FIBA.basketball photo)

Much has been said about the NCAA players in the competition, including the United States which won the gold behind an all-collegiate roster.

Now, all three have been rewarded with Olympic roster spots they deserve, and they are all determined to take their game up a notch in Tokyo.

"Off-season, my real focus is with my national team. I've been playing with the national team for a couple of years now and to especially be one of the athletes on the senior women's national team, I take a lot of pride in it," Edwards, a sophomore for the Huskies, said.

"I'd say I noticed a really big improvement in this last year from the last time I saw her until now. certainly played a great role at UConn and you can see how she's developed after a year of being coached there," Thomaidis added of the frontcourt player.

"She's just bigger, faster, stronger from the last time and just more refined ... she's a world-class rebounder and just continuing to round out her skills. It's been great to watch her development."

Given the status quo of women's basketball, its busy schedule, simultaneous competitions around the globe, and a still on-going pandemic, the trend of putting collegiate players on national team rosters will likely continue, and teams like Canada already have one foot forward.

"It's really fun playing with them and watching them flourish in this system. They're super athletic and I'm just blessed to be out there on the court with them and watching it first-hand," veteran Jamie Scott said of her younger teammates.

Tokyo is a good test for the three debutants. But in the bigger scheme of things, Canada's successful basketball program will be fortunate to have both a short and long-term plan in place, having them available both for now and the future.

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