Canada might have been drawn into arguably the toughest group for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but Rowan Barrett isnB次元官网网址檛 complaining.

With a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the line, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 menB次元官网网址檚 basketball team will face No. 6-ranked Lithuania, No. 11 Australia and 37th-ranked Senegal in Group H of the tournament, Aug. 31 to Sept. 15 in China.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think that as hard as we have worked to get to the World Cup that we will now complain about the draw,B次元官网网址� said Barrett, Canada BasketballB次元官网网址檚 general manager of the menB次元官网网址檚 program.

The top two teams in each group advance, and carry their records to the next round. The bottom two teams are bumped to the consolation side of the draw.

B次元官网网址淓ach one of (CanadaB次元官网网址檚 opponents) was first in their group so theyB次元官网网址檝e clearly been performing well,B次元官网网址� Barrett said. B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 good that (the draw) was this far out, it gives us the opportunity to look within our depth pool as we form our team to counteract the strengths of the other teams.

If Canada advances to the championship side of the 32-country draw, it will face the best two in Group G of France, Germany, Dominican Republic and Jordan. The top two teams from each group then advance to the quarter-finals.

Canada hasnB次元官网网址檛 had a team in the World Cup since a disastrous 22nd-place finish in 2010 in Turkey, where the team went 0-5.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 plenty on the line this time around for a Canadian team on the rise. The top seven clubs in China will punch their tickets to the Olympics, where CanadaB次元官网网址檚 menB次元官网网址檚 squad hasnB次元官网网址檛 played since 2000 in Sydney.

The Olympic field features just 12 teams, and so Japan as host takes one of the five remaining spots, with the final four awarded at a last-chance qualifying event in 2020.

The Canadians will open against Australia. Canada hasnB次元官网网址檛 faced the Aussies in world championship action since 1998 B次元官网网址� an 88-71 loss B次元官网网址� and is 3-2 all-time against them.

TheyB次元官网网址檒l play Lithuania, a team theyB次元官网网址檝e faced only once in the world championships B次元官网网址� a 70-68 loss in 2010.

The Canadians will wrap up the preliminary round versus Senegal, against whom theyB次元官网网址檙e 2-0 B次元官网网址� most recently a 70-57 win in 1998.

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 preliminary-round games are in Dongguan, an industrial city on ChinaB次元官网网址檚 south coast.

BarrettB次元官网网址檚 next step is to hire a head coach, and he expects to have that person in place by the end of March. Canada, which went 10-2 in qualifying, used three head coaches for its dozen games: Jay Triano, Roy Rana, and Gord Herbert.

Canada Basketball has cast a wide net in its search, Barrett said.

B次元官网网址淚 think that it was important to look internally first,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淣obody is going to have more familiarity with our players than our coaches, and weB次元官网网址檝e had three head coaches in the windows coach us. So you start by looking there and have each share their vision and their plan.

B次元官网网址淎t the same time itB次元官网网址檚 important with our athletes, and the sacrifice our athletes have shown, and the growth and development in their games, theyB次元官网网址檙e working hard and they want every chance to win that they can have. So itB次元官网网址檚 incumbent upon us that weB次元官网网址檙e evaluating our whole program, whether itB次元官网网址檚 our analytics department, our medical staff, our therapy team, all of it, as well as our coaching to ensure weB次元官网网址檙e putting our best foot forward to lead the group.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian team will gather for camp in Toronto in early August.

Lori Ewing , The Canadian Press

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