Latest news with #FIBAAmeriCup
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Why Is the US Denying Visas to Cuban Athletes and Officials?
The Cuban Olympic Committee accuses the US of denying visas to Cuban officials and athletes, raising concerns over upcoming major sports events in the US, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Q1: Which Cuban officials were denied travel documents? A: The COC's president, vice-president, and secretary general were excluded from meetings in Miami and Puerto Rico due to visa refusals. Q2: How has this visa denial affected Cuban athletes? A: Fourteen Cuban athletes missed an athletics championship in Florida, and the men's basketball team missed the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico. Q3: What reasons does the Cuban Olympic Committee give for the visa refusals? A: The committee blames an 'arbitrary and politically-motivated' US policy against Cuba, linked to Washington's aggressive stance towards the island. Q4: How have US-Cuba relations evolved under President Trump? A: Relations worsened, with Cuba re-listed as a 'terrorism' sponsor, increased deportations, and stricter visa policies citing alleged anti-Semitism or hostility towards the US. Q5: Has the US government addressed concerns about future sporting events? A: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that visa policies will not affect the 2026 FIFA World Cup or 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (With inputs from AFP)
Winnipeg Free Press
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former U.S. head coach Fortner takes over Canada's senior women's basketball team
TORONTO – Nell Fortner has been named head coach of Canada's senior women's national team, Canada Basketball announced Monday. The longtime NCAA, WNBA and international coach takes over from Víctor Lapeña as the program looks to rebound from a winless showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fortner guided the United States to gold at the 1998 FIBA World Championship and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, compiling a 101-14 international record. The 66-year-old from Jackson, Miss., most recently spent six seasons at Georgia Tech, leading the Yellow Jackets to three NCAA tournament appearances before announcing her retirement earlier this year. Her hiring comes as 25 players commit to the national team through the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Canada finished fourth at the 2022 tournament and is turning to a younger core following the retirement of several veterans. The team will compete at this summer's FIBA AmeriCup and hold a training camp in Victoria this fall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Washington Mystics 2025 WNBA Season Preview
[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 WNBA Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] The Washington Mystics are another team in transition, having parted ways with longtime coach-turned-general manager Mike Thibault and his son Eric, Mike's successor who served as head coach the past two seasons. The Mystics will also be without franchise cornerstone Elena Delle Donne, the two-time MVP, seven-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion who announced her retirement in April. Her decision is not exactly a surprise since she sat out the 2024 season, but it feels like the end of a chapter for the Mystics. Advertisement Washington has struggled since that title run, finishing above .500 only once — in 2022, Mike Thibault's final year at the helm. The Mystics missed the playoff cut last year, finishing 14-26 after an 0-12 start. The franchise hit reset, bringing in a new general manager in Jamila Wideman and head coach in Sydney Johnson. Wideman joins Washington after six years in the NBA league office. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of player development. Johnson, who coached the USA's 3x3 team in the 2024 FIBA AmeriCup, has worked with USA Basketball for the past five seasons. Johnson was an assistant with the Chicago Sky last season. In the offseason, the Mystics traded veteran guard Ariel Atkins to Chicago for the No. 3 pick and future draft considerations. Atkins led the team in scoring in 2024, averaging 14.9 points in 29.9 minutes per game. She also pulled down 3.4 rebounds and dished 3.1 assists with a team-high 1.5 steals per contest. Golden State selected fellow guard Julie Vanloo in the expansion draft, and Myisha Hines-Allen signed with the Dallas Wings in free agency. And on the day of the draft, Mystics made a big move with the future in mind, trading Karlie Samuelson to Minnesota for a first-round pick in 2026. Fortunately, the team was able to re-stock with three of the top six picks in April's draft. Advertisement Now, it will be up to players like Brittney Sykes, Stefanie Dolson, Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards to lead the Mystics into this new era. More WNBA team previews: Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Sky | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson reacts during her team's game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 10, Smith / IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK Frontcourt The Mystics return most of their frontcourt, led by Dolson, who started 39 games a year ago and averaged 9.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in one of her best seasons since her All-Star 2017 campaign. Throughout her career, Dolson has established herself as one of the league's best shooters with a career average of 50% and a 40.8% mark beyond the arc. She more than doubled her previous career high with 72 3-pointers for the Mystics last year, which was tied for second on the team and just seven treys behind Atkins for the team lead. Advertisement Dolson's consistency in the starting lineup was particularly important as Washington navigated nearly half the season without Austin available. Though hip and ankle injuries limited her, Austin was in the midst of one of her best statistical seasons yet. The third-year forward averaged a career-high 11.8 points along with 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 12 games — even while she was on a minutes restriction. In her absence, Dolson typically played alongside forwards Emily Engstler and Sika Koné. Edwards, a rookie forward, also struggled with injuries throughout the season, including a broken nose, a right ankle injury and lower back pain. Even so, she missed only six games, largely coming off the bench for the Mystics and producing 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game. The UConn grad was an efficient scorer with the Huskies, averaging nearly 60% shooting from the field. Defensively, Edwards was even more impressive, recording 27 blocks, which landed her in the league's top 20. It will be fascinating to watch how she can develop with more time on the court. Outside of Dolson, who is entering her 12th season, the Mystics' core of frontcourt players is extremely young, having played three or fewer seasons each, so another year of experience together may make a big difference for Washington. Expect to see Dolson, Austin and Edwards at the heart of this rotation, with Engsteler, Koné and rookie Kiki Iriafen filling in the gaps. Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes reacts during her team's preseason game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 3, Smith / IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Backcourt Sykes was another player who struggled with injuries last season, missing a month with an ankle injury and foot sprain. Despite playing just 18 games, she filled a vital role for the Mystics. In fact, nine of the team's 14 victories came with her in the starting lineup. Advertisement She returns this year, but Washington will be without Atkins, Samuelson, Vanloo and Hines-Allen, which leaves room for a few new players to fight for a place in the rotation. Third-year guard Jade Melbourne is an intriguing option to fill one of the guard spots. Melbourne averaged 5.4 points in 14.2 minutes across 37 games and showed her potential as a playmaker, dishing 59 assists. The Mystics also have Sug Sutton, who played only seven games due to an elbow injury after a trade from Phoenix. The Mystics added to an extremely limited backcourt rotation via the draft with players like Sonia Citron out of Notre Dame and Georgia Amoore from Kentucky. Final Analysis The Mystics have some talent on the roster and the benefit of familiarity without a lot of turnover in the offseason. The newcomers will also bolster the rotation. That is an area where Johnson's success with rookie stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in Chicago last season will be particularly handy. Edwards, another young talent, also feels primed for a breakout season. Advertisement The biggest question for this squad entering 2025: Can the Mystics stay healthy? While navigating injuries, Washington tested 12 different starting lineups at different points in the season, with Atkins, who is no longer with the team, serving as the only common thread between them. The benefit, of course, is that even though they lose three of their main starters, the Mystics do have six returning players with starting experience in the WNBA. Expect that trend to continue as Johnson familiarizes himself with the returners and works to integrate the new class of rookies. The right mix could give Washington a little boost in 2025. Sonia Citron poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA Draft in New York on April Carchietta-Imagn Images Beyond the Arc WNBA Pioneer: New general manager Jamila Wideman was part of the WNBA's inaugural class after helping lead Stanford to three Final Fours. The Los Angeles Sparks drafted her third overall in 1997, and she played two seasons there before being traded to the Cleveland Rockers. She also played with the expansion Portland Fire and the Connecticut Sun before retiring. As a rookie, Wideman ranked seventh in the WNBA with 103 assists. Advertisement Staying in D.C.: Elena Delle Donne has officially retired, but she will stay close to the Mystics, serving as a special advisor to Monumental Basketball. Monumental owns and operates the Mystics, the NBA's Washington Wizards, the NBA G League's Capital City Go-Go and the NHL's Washington Capitals. Reunited: Prior to his appointment as Mystics head coach, Sydney Johnson coached Brittney Sykes on the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Americup Team. Sykes averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds, including a nine-point showing in the title game vs. Canada where the USA fell 19-18. Four Mystics players were invited to the team's development camp (Shakira Austin, Emily Engstler and Sug Sutton were the other three). It was Sykes' second time representing the USA. The first came in the 2019 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where the team won gold in five-on-five. Draft Recap 1. Sonia Citron, G, 6-1, Notre Dame Advertisement 1. Kiki Iriafen, F, 6-3, USC 1. Georgia Amoore, G, 5-6, Kentucky 2. Lucy Olsen, G, 5-10, Iowa 3. Zaay Green, G, 6-2, Alabama Analysis: After trading away Karlie Samuelson, the Mystics naturally focused on finding guards in this draft class, and they succeeded. They selected a pair of versatile players in Sonia Citron and Georgia Amoore, who will compete for minutes in this shorthanded backcourt. At 6-foot-1, Citron is one of the Mystics' tallest guards, able to cause trouble for opponents on the perimeter with her length. With the addition of talented guards Lucy Olsen and Zaay Green, the backcourt is suddenly looking crowded. The Mystics also selected Kiki Iriafen, who typically played small forward at Stanford and USC. She is another exciting addition who can help a team in a variety of ways, including her ability to step out and knock down a midrange jump shot. Advertisement More WNBA team previews: Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Sky | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings Related: Athlon Sports 2025 WNBA Preview Magazine Available Now Related: Caitlin Clark Is Rested, Ready to Be Her Best After Offseason Recharge
CBC
18-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Malone, Mahlalela and other candidates for Canada Basketball's open coaching positions
Social Sharing About eight months ago, Canada went to the Paris Olympics with the idea of bringing home three basketball medals. It ended up with none. That sort of failure, in a professional sports setting, may lead to widespread changes on the roster. Of course, that's mostly impossible in international tournaments — you can tinker, and you can recruit dual citizens (Hakeem Olajuwon's two sons appear to be on the Canada track), but your core is your core. Instead, in the aftermath of the Olympics, Canada Basketball found itself needing new head coaches on both the men's and women's senior teams, as well as a general manager for the latter. Jordi Fernandez left the men's team in February, citing his job with the Brooklyn Nets, while Victor LaPena and Canada Basketball mutually parted ways in October. The third team in Paris — the women's 3x3 squad — has already begun experimenting with new players, but by nature faces a different road with different infrastructure to the podium at Los Angeles 2028. On the five-on-five front, earlier in April, Canada removed the interim label from Steve Baur, tapping the longtime assistant coach as the team's new GM. Now, CEO Mike Bartlett, Baur and men's GM Rowan Barrett can focus on finding new bench bosses. Bartlett told CBC Sports in March that he hopes to have those positions filled by the summer, when each team will participate in the FIBA AmeriCup — the women in Chile in July, followed by the men in Nicaragua in August. With choices coming soon, here are some candidates to fill both positions: Mike Malone, men Here's a name that only started to become a possibility earlier in April, when he was shockingly fired as head coach of the Denver Nuggets despite leading the team to an NBA championship less than two years ago. What makes Malone intriguing isn't just his NBA success, but his deep ties to Canada. Malone's father, Brendan Malone, coached the Toronto Raptors during the 1995-96 season. In 2007, Mike Malone was hired as a Team Canada assistant under head coach Leo Rautins. Perhaps most importantly, Malone was the only NBA head coach Jamal Murray ever knew until his firing. Go back to Paris, and Murray, coming in off an injury, represents the biggest what-if — as in, what if Murray had performed for Canada like he did with Nuggets? Instead, he did not manage 10 points in any game and shot a woeful 29 per cent from the field. A better showing from Murray, and Canada may have been able to eke past France in the quarterfinals. The downside of hiring the 53-year-old Malone now, three years ahead of Los Angeles, is that he could get another NBA head coaching position between now and then. If that's the case, like Fernandez before him, he may ultimately decide he does not have the bandwidth for both jobs. Jama Mahlalela, men Mahlalela has spent two stints as assistant with the Raptors, first under Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse before returning to join Darko Rajakovic's staff. In between, he spent three seasons with Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors, winning a title there. In the NBA, he's become known as a player development guru, something that could be seen in his first go with the Raptors — think Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Norm Powell — and again with the early successes of Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and others. Mahlalela, a dual Canadian-Swazi citizen, graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2004 after playing basketball for the Thunderbirds, leading the team to a regional title in 2003. Bartlett stopped short of promising a Canadian coach for Team Canada, instead deferring to winning, but Mahlalela could provide the best of both worlds. Gordie Herbert, men Then again, Herbert, of Penticton, B.C., might check the most boxes of any candidate. The most internationally accomplished option, Herbert left Team Canada after years as an assistant in 2021 to become Germany's head coach and won a Eurobasket bronze medal in 2022 before a breakthrough World Cup gold one year later. After the Olympics, where Germany placed lost the bronze-medal game to Serbia, Herbert left to become head coach of Bayern Munich, guiding the team to a 19-15 record. Herbert, 66, played for Team Canada at the 1984 Olympics and 1986 world championship and served as the interim head coach before Nick Nurse took over in 2019. Nathaniel Mitchell, men The Toronto native most recently served as Canada's head coach for AmeriCup qualifying in November, where he dropped both games with a team composed mostly of CEBL players. An experienced NBA assistant, Mitchell is now the head coach of a team in the Chinese Basketball Association. He's appeared on Team Canada benches since 2016, meaning he has experience with some of the key players. But his recent losses, combined with his exit from the NBA sphere, may leave him on the outside of the search, fairly or not. Carly Clarke, women Clarke has been head coach of the Toronto Metropolitan University women's team since 2012, winning five nationals championships in that time. She's also been with Canada Basketball for 14 years, half of those as an assistant under both Lisa Thomaidis and LaPena. The Halifax native would represent a Canadian coaching success story, but also may raise questions about real change after the women's team has failed to play past the quarterfinals in four straight Games. Noelle Quinn, women Quinn, who has served as head coach the WNBA's Seattle Storm since 2020, joined the Canadian bench alongside LaPena in 2022. When she was first brought in, it was as someone who could relate to players as a former player herself. Her WNBA involvement also helps in terms of player recruitment and continuity — the latter a particular problem for Canada with its national-team players spread across the world. Natalie Achonwa, women OK, this may be a longshot. But Achonwa has long shown an affinity for coaching and just completed her first season as an assistant at the University of Michigan, where emerging Canadian star Syla Swords plays. Achonwa is, of course, familiar with the team, having just retired after the Paris Olympics. Then again, her lack of experience may mean she'd be a better choice four years from now.
CBC
24-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
'It still stings': Canada Basketball using Olympic letdown as fuel for Los Angeles, says CEO
In the weeks following Canada's loss to France at the Paris Olympics men's basketball tournament, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gathered teammates in a gym at Humber College near Toronto. Players included Olympians, those who missed the cut and a few Oklahoma City Thunder players, too. A couple months later, Canada's women's team — fresh off an 0-3 Olympic performance — silently gathered in Toronto with players, coaches, support staff and the national federation to chart a plan toward Los Angeles 2028. In December, a 3x3 group that ran roughshod over its opponents for three years in the lead-up to Paris, but heartbreakingly missed the podium while there, returned to the winner's circle at the FIBA AmeriCup. Then they did it again at the inaugural Champions Cup earlier in March. Paris was supposed to be a renaissance for Canadian basketball, featuring three teams all with legitimate medal hopes. Instead, it was the embodiment of an old saying: the higher the climb, the harder the fall. WATCH | Canadian men's team endures disappointing exit from 2024 Olympic tournament: NBA stars don't bring Canada's basketball team a medal Duration 2:02 Despite being stacked with NBA players and getting off to a strong start, the Canadian men's basketball team had a disappointing loss to France in the Olympic quarterfinals. "It still stings, I won't lie," Canada Basketball CEO Mike Bartlett said in a recent interview with CBC Sports. "Our athletes, our coaches, our staff, we all wanted more and wanted better and great. That's why we're in sports." In the aftermath of the Olympics, Canada Basketball has undergone significant change. Women's general manager Denise Dignard and head coach Victor LaPena moved on, as did men's head coach Jordi Fernandez. None were fired, but in all cases one or both parties seemed to realize something was holding them back from the necessary level of commitment. Bartlett said Canada Basketball is aiming to have coaching replacements in place by late spring or early summer. And after a brief period in which both senior national teams were led by Spaniards, Bartlett said there will be more attention paid to the Canadian coaching pool. He noted that does not mean, however, that the head coach in either case will necessarily be from Canada. "There will be more Canadian content on our bench than ever before on every age-group team all the way up to senior team. That I can promise Canada for sure," he said. Bartlett added that there is plenty of interest in both jobs. "It's taking time and we got to get through it, but it's certainly better than the alternative. We don't have to convince anyone to want to coach Canada right now," he said. It's a case that's aided by Gilgeous-Alexander, who at 26 appears headed toward becoming the second Canadian to ever win MVP after Steve Nash did it twice. WATCH | Achonwa emotional while reflecting on Canada's journey to Paris Games: Canadian basketball star Natalie Achonwa discusses what it means to represent Canada Duration 1:29 The 16-year Canadian women's national team member reflects on journey at Paris 2024. Bartlett compared Gilgeous-Alexander's leadership effect on the national team to Sidney Crosby. "We've got a hard-working group of athletes, all of whom are having incredible seasons this year after suffering incredible heartbreak last year. And do I think that it's direct cause and effect? No. But do I think there was a fire lit? Yeah, I do," he said. The optimism around the men's team is mirrored for the women, for whom Los Angeles has always been the true medal target. That's when a current WNBAer like Aaliyah Edwards might be in her prime and surrounded by vets like Kia Nurse and Bridget Carleton as well as current NCAA stars like Duke's Toby Fournier and Michigan's Syla Swords. The women's team's "off-grid" meeting, as Bartlett referred to it, produced a pair of "all-in" two-year plans — one to get to the World Cup in 2026, and the other en route to the Olympics. And you need not look past the current NCAA tournament to recognize the Canadian talent that is coming in waves — Fournier, Swords and Illinois' Will Riley being prime examples, all of whom could be pros by the time 2028 rolls around. Canada Basketball keeps 100 player-deep depth charts that roll out to 2036, and in some cases include those as young as 14. "It's not just the 20 that are in the NBA. It's not just the four that are in the W. If basketball is being played at a high level right now, there's a Canadian playing a role in it. And that's pretty exciting," Bartlett said. Los Angeles also presents a unique opportunity for Canada as nationalism feels heightened in the wake of U.S. president Donald Trump's 51st-state threats. "I firmly believe there is one sport — one sport — in the L.A. Olympics where we could go down to the U.S. and literally steal their pride from them by winning, and that would be basketball. So we need to lean into that reality. We need to own that reality. That has to be our ambition across our programs," Bartlett said. Now, whatever unique path each team takes will be all about preparing to be its best possible self in Los Angeles. "That's an exciting thing to get out of bed thinking about every day," Bartlett said. "So where are we on our path to the Olympics? We're already there in our mind, and we're already working backwards from that moment." Toronto Tempo primed for arrival Professional basketball does not fall under the Canada Basketball mandate, even while it benefits both sides to closely work together. Next May, a new team will arrive as the WNBA's Toronto Tempo tip off their inaugural season. Bartlett said the organization has begun working on collaborations with the Tempo and hopes the team prioritizes Canadian talent. "Having some homegrown talent in that Tempo roster is not just what might be cynically viewed as an expansion-year strategy. It's a great business and basketball strategy," he said. In the longer term, Bartlett said he believes the Tempo can help pave the path for a domestic women's pro league, like soccer's Northern Super League that will kick off next month. On that front, he described Canada Basketball as an "interested stakeholder," though there is nothing immediately in the works. "I still think it's a bit of time away. I think the success of the Tempo will actually be a tipping point towards it. The business case and the basketball case for women's basketball in this country will get stronger because of the Tempo being in the league now, and I think that will be a domino that's important towards eventually a women's domestic pro league," he said.
