Maldonado, Uruguay – The Cadet Men's National Team (CMNT) put together a big second-half performance to defeat Puerto Rico by a score of 62-50 to capture the bronze medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Men.
Gaels men's basketball Head Coach
Stephan Barrie served as an Assistant Coach with the team and Barrie's Assistant Coach at Queen's Chris Aim, served as Team Manager.
Barrie tweeted his thoughts on the play of the team after the win.
For the fourth time in the competition, Team Canada was led by Kitchener, Ontario's Jamal Murray, who finished with 15 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 performance from the free-throw line, to go along with three rebounds, three assists and four steals. Toronto's Koby McEwen and Hamilton, Ont. native Nolan Narain also posted double-digits in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Eddie Ekiyor collected 11 rebounds on the day while Justin Jackson came away with eight.
The Cadet Men's National Team will now set its sights upon the 2014 U17 FIBA World Championship for Men. Canada had already clinched a berth in next year's premiere under-17 basketball event after completing the qualifying round with a perfect 3-0 record. The team and staff will return home next week with a wealth of international experience, Canada across their chests and a bronze medal around their necks.
Canada finished the tournament with a 4-1 record with their only loss coming by one point in overtime 65-64 to Argentina in their semifinal match. Argentina advanced to the final where they lost to the United States.
With files from Basketball Canada.
