Purdue center Zach Edey on Thursday was named to Canada’s 12-man roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup set to begin on Friday across Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.
Edey, who was born in Toronto, was among the 15 players who participated with Canada in training camp ahead of the tournament. He made three appearances with the team during its exhibition schedule and is the lone collegiate player on the roster.
The 7-foot-4 center debuted with the senior team last year in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier. He helped Canada to a first-place finish in Group E after averaging 7.7 points, four rebounds and one block in three games.
Edey was the Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American last season as a junior after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. He became the first player in history to record 750 points, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists in a season.
Our 12 🍁
#FIBAWC | LIVE on @Sportsnet https://t.co/RlYzT68db0 pic.twitter.com/vUpdMK8MRp
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) August 24, 2023
Canada’s 12-man roster for the tournament features seven NBA players, including RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kelly Olynyk. The group will be coached for the first time by Sacramento assistant Jordi Fernandez.
They open play in Group H on Friday against France in Indonesia (9:30 a.m. EDT, ESPN+). The team will face Lebanon on Aug. 27 and wrap up the group phase on Aug. 29 with Latvia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the second round.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup will help seven countries qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The seven spots include the top two teams from both the Americas and Europe (not including host France) and one team from Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Canada has the third-highest odds of winning the tournament.
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