Nick Nurse could have been relaxing and recharging after the Toronto RaptorsB次元官网网址� heady and historic B次元官网网址� and long B次元官网网址� NBA championship run.
Instead, the 52-year-old Iowan was on the other side of the world on Saturday, a day before CanadaB次元官网网址檚 hodgepodge menB次元官网网址檚 basketball team tipped off the FIBA World Cup against Australia, and a month into his gig as the squadB次元官网网址檚 head coach.
International basketball is a different beast than the NBA. Long flights. Unfamiliar arenas. And for Nurse, a challenging Canadian roster missing all but two of its NBA players.
But the coach is loving every minute of it.
B次元官网网址淭his is all fun to me. Are you kidding me?B次元官网网址� Nurse said. B次元官网网址滻B次元官网网址檝e never been to Australia (where Canada just played five exhibition games). IB次元官网网址檝e never been to China. Every day is fascinating to me. ItB次元官网网址檚 such an adventure.
B次元官网网址淚n between there you get to coach basketball. You get to play in an incredible tournament in incredible venues. I just come outside every day and look around and say B次元官网网址榃hat an adventure.B次元官网网址� How could this not be fun?B次元官网网址�
Nurse leaned against a barrier that ringed the Dongguan Basketball Centre court, chatting with a couple of Canadians. He looked relaxed in his grey Canadian team sweatshirt. He showed no signs of fatigue from the long NBA season, or an equally busy off-season.
Nurse has barely taken a breath since the Raptors brought the Larry OB次元官网网址橞rien Trophy to Toronto. HeB次元官网网址檚 jammed onstage with the Arkells. He sang B次元官网网址淭ake Me Out to the BallgameB次元官网网址� during the Chicago CubsB次元官网网址� seventh inning stretch against the San Diego Padres last month at Wrigley Field.
He and the national team have been on the road for nearly a month, going 4-3 in exhibition games in Canada and Australia.
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No. 23 Canada faces a massive test right out of the gate on Sunday against 11th-ranked Australia in whatB次元官网网址檚 been dubbed the tournamentB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址済roup of death.B次元官网网址� No. 6 Lithuania and 33rd-ranked Senegal round out the group, and only the top two teams advance. The bottom two are relegated to the classification side of the draw.
Canada split a pair of exhibition games against the Australian Boomers, but Nurse is prepared for a stiff challenge from a side boasting five NBA players B次元官网网址� Aron Baynes (Boston), Andrew Bogut (Golden State), Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland), Joe Ingles (Utah), and Patty Mills (San Antonio).
B次元官网网址淭hey are good and experienced. I coached against them in the 2012 Olympics and thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of the same guys out there from seven years ago,B次元官网网址� said Nurse, who was an assistant with Great BritainB次元官网网址檚 team through the London Games. B次元官网网址漁bviously theyB次元官网网址檝e got a group of guys that play in the NBA that I see regularly.B次元官网网址�
Nurse, meanwhile, was tasked with piecing together a Canadian roster from players who toil on teams around the globe, all the while watching with hands tied as one NBA player after another passed on playing for the national team this summer. And the stakes couldnB次元官网网址檛 be bigger. The goal is the 2020 Olympics, a global stage Canada hasnB次元官网网址檛 played on since the 2000 Sydney Games.
Asked during SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 news conference about the Canadian team that could have been, Nurse said heB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址済iven very little thought about B次元官网网址榯he otherB次元官网网址� roster of players.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hese guys have been a complete joy to coach, played hard, played some great basketball in our leadup games, thereB次元官网网址檚 tremendous commitment here, thereB次元官网网址檚 good players too. I donB次元官网网址檛 want anybody to mistake that,B次元官网网址� he said of his team in China.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 honoured to be the coach of the Canadian national team. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to have to play extraordinary basketball to advance in this thing. But thatB次元官网网址檚 what weB次元官网网址檙e planning on doing. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to have to.B次元官网网址�
Raptors president Masai Ujiri said itB次元官网网址檚 never easy to lose a head coach for a good chunk of the off-season. But he admires NurseB次元官网网址檚 passion.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what I love about Nick, itB次元官网网址檚 that love for the game,B次元官网网址� Ujiri said. B次元官网网址滱nd thereB次元官网网址檚 always something about international basketball, whether itB次元官网网址檚 a thing you see, or a style of playB次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檚 going to figure out somewhere or the other that helps him, because heB次元官网网址檚 one of those open-minded coaches.B次元官网网址�
Nate Bjorken, whoB次元官网网址檚 both NurseB次元官网网址檚 longtime friend and an assistant with the Raptors and national team, said Nurse is perfectly suited to pilot the Canadian team, a mixed group of mostly European-based players, two NBAers in Cory Joseph and Khem Birch, and five Canadian university products.
B次元官网网址淣ick has coached so many different teams all over the world,B次元官网网址� Bjorken said. B次元官网网址滺eB次元官网网址檚 been a head coach since he was age 23, so heB次元官网网址檚 been in a lot of different situations, he adapts very well to his team and heB次元官网网址檚 very creative with his team.
B次元官网网址淥ne of his strengths is heB次元官网网址檚 got a great feel for for his players, heB次元官网网址檚 got great practice feel on when to push guys, when to pull back, when to challenge guys, heB次元官网网址檚 always had that feel. And B次元官网网址� youB次元官网网址檝e got to get your team ready to play in a short amount of time. YouB次元官网网址檝e got three weeks to get your team ready, heB次元官网网址檚 very very good at that, knowing what the teamB次元官网网址檚 strengths are, and where ball needs to go, and how we need to play.B次元官网网址�
NurseB次元官网网址檚 nomadic coaching journey included several stints in the British Basketball League and a pair of D League positions.
His profile in his rookie NBA head coaching season exploded during the RaptorsB次元官网网址� playoff. Whether it was the image of his mouth agape over a call, receiving an impromptu back rub from Drake, walking off a plane with his guitar slung over his shoulder, he became a social media fixture.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 a good guy, man,B次元官网网址� said Ejim, who plays in the Spanish League. B次元官网网址滺eB次元官网网址檚 fun, a great coaching mind B次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 a reason why weB次元官网网址檝e been growing step by step, weB次元官网网址檝e been playing better, weB次元官网网址檝e been improving things, and I think that heB次元官网网址檚 done a great job so far.B次元官网网址�
Canada faces Lithuania on Tuesday, then wraps up the preliminary round against Senegal on Sept. 5.
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
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