Vaughan’s Wiggins key to Canadian Olympic basketball hopes

Team heads to Puerto Rico, then Mexico

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 14, 2015
By David Li

The Canadian men’s basketball team will soon be playing to secure a spot for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, de Janeiro - and a young athlete from Vaughan hopes to play a key role.

From Aug. 31 to Sept. 12, the team will participate in the 2015 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Championships, which will be held in Mexico City - with the top two teams qualifying for the upcoming Summer Olympics.

At only 20, Vaughan basketball superstar, Andrew Wiggins, will be counted on heavily to help the Canadian squad meet their Olympic objective.

“We expect him to be a scorer for us, run the floor for us, and be a great defender,” said head coach Jay Triano about Wiggins today at the ACC.

“That’s no different than what we expect from all our players, but he just does it at a higher level than most,” he continued.

“As talented as he is, we just have to find positions to make him as comfortable as possible on the floor,” added Triano.

Wiggins, a former Vaughan Secondary student, is coming off a terrific rookie season where he was named the Rookie of the Year in the National Basketball Association.

Wiggins says he enjoyed some down time after the hectic rookie NBA season, and now feels refreshed and ready for the challenge ahead.

“My summer ... I’ve been relaxing a lot,” said Wiggins. “I’ve been back to Vaughan a lot over the summer, seeing some of my friends.”

With a full understanding of the high expectations placed on his shoulders, Wiggins says he’s ready to do his part to help the Canadian squad secure a spot to Rio.

When asked what that would be specifically, Wiggins replied simply: “I’ve just got to play my game and just be comfortable in every situation.”

In advance of the FIBA Americas, Team Canada will head next week to Puerto Rico to participate in the Tuto Marchand 5-team exhibition tournament from Aug. 23 to 26.

For more information, visit basketball.ca.