2K Sports Preseason All-Americans About To Take The Court
Words. Aron Phillips
En route to the gym we’re travelling through the French countryside. All the buildings are short and brick, making me want to reclaim the nickname “Brick City” from Newark, New Jersey and give it to Douai. Playing basketball out here is like getting back to the real game. You know, basketball at its purest form. With tons of little basketball clubs throughout France, you can see the layers of hoop history plastered to the wall.
Hoops out here are a true social event. Instead of hot dogs and popcorn, it’s crepes and Nutella. Everyone is sitting around drinking beer, wine and/or coffee while they sit at the club’s makeshift bar in the lobby. The walls are covered with posters of Michael Jordan and the hometown basketball club Orchies, and there are racks full of jerseys and shorts to sell to the kids.
The guys on the squad are treated like celebrities and look to me like I’m putting them on when a kid comes up to me and asks if I can take his picture with them. Coffee and cigarette breaks during halftime for the hometown faithful, while their kids run wild throughout the lobby and on the court. Everyone is getting customary welcome kisses on either side of their face.
The game before USA/Puerto Rico was Canada/France. Word on the street is that Canada has 10 or more guys playing D-1 ball on this squad, most notably Kelly Olynyk and Mangisto Arop who are both headed to Gonzaga. Are any of these guys going to be the next Tony Parker? Steve Nash? Time will only tell.
Just so you know, there are some differences in the international rules that these guys aren’t used to, for example, the 24-second shot clock and the wider key underneath the hoop. The great thing about the gym though is it’s an old Hoosier-style space with natural light coming in through the roof. Douai doesn’t really get dark until 10:00 PM this time of year, so even with the late game there was some light streaming through.
As the Canada/France wraps up, with Canada looking like they’re going to take it at this point, a local French fan says to me, “Everyone comes out to see the Americans.” I guess it’s showtime!
how come corey joseph and tristan thompson arent playing for canada? corey’s from pickering and tristan is from brampton. and who else is on the canadian team?
Very good question its a shame with all the players there are in the US they are the 2 best 91 born in Canada and would have been the 2 best players on the team hands down I assume they wont be playing for Canada either at the world youth u19 in new-zealand july 2-12 either . Plus Tristan helped team Canada qualified last year in Argentina . Cory played 2 years ago at the world juniors in serbia as a 16 years old . I just don’t get it