Steve Nash took on a daunting task last year when he agreed to become general manager of Canada’s Senior Men’s basketball team, a club that hasn’t had Olympic podium success since the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Germany.
Steve Nash at a press conference for Canada Basketball in 2012.
Besides running Canada’s basketball operations, Nash also focuses the majority of his time at improving his game by training in facilities all over North America during the offseason.
So how does the 2-time MVP manage to monitor all of Canada’s top players?
He’s getting a start by watching a team practice in Toronto alongside Celtics rookie Kelly Olynyk.
Me and @KellyOlynyk watching @CanBball national team practice. pic.twitter.com/txl0Q0BOy5
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) August 3, 2013
Since joining the program, Nash hired Jay Triano as head coach and brought in a longtime friend, Rowan Barrett, to be assistant GM.
The team is currently working towards competing at the FIBA Americas Championships in Caracas, Venezuela later this month.
Basketball above the US border has been on the rise of late. The most gratifying moment for Canadian fans came at this year’s NBA draft, when Toronto native Anthony Bennett was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, making history as the first ever Canadian player selected with the number one pick.
After being named GM last May, he quickly showed his excitement to begin.
“I’m thrilled to be able to take on this challenge, we have lots of work to do and I’m excited to get started.”
There’s no doubt, Canada Basketball is on the rise. Currently with 11 players in the NBA, the country is exceeding all expectations. And then, there’s this kid named Andrew Wiggins, who may be all it takes to make Canada the next powerhouse in world basketball competition.