FIBA bronze medal win vs USA just the beginning for Canada basketball, says coach

Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez Torres knew their 127-118 upset win over perennial contender USA was just the start of something for his team and he is hoping that it could be for the long run.

"This team was amazing, special," he said.

"It's the beginning of something that's gonna last for a long time and from the first guy, you know, all 12 guys came in and worked every day since August 1st."

Not only did Canada send USA crashing to their second-straight finish outside the podium in FIBA World Cup competition, but the Canadians also ended their own medal dry spell in the competition with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Diloon Brooks, and the rest of the team proving they do belong on the highest levels.

Aside from Brooks, who delivered a heroic 39-point performance in the bronze medal game, Canada also got huge games from the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Lu Dort, and Kelly Olynyk, all of whom are playing in the NBA.

They went up against a stacked USA side that was eager and hungry to deliver a medal and redeem themselves after a seventh place outing in the previous edition.

"Their resiliency, it wasn't perfect as we don't have a lot of experience in FIBA but I think we're here showing that we can do great things," Torres added.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News