Dillon Brooks’s energy in win over Jamaica exemplifies commitment Canada’s men’s hoops team wants to build

There was little reason to believe Canada would lose.

The men’s basketball team, reigning World Cup bronze medallists and ranked fifth in the world, was hosting Jamaica, No. 79 — and in its two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hometown of Hamilton, Ont., no less.

Yet there was Dillon Brooks, before the game was even three minutes old, in a referee’s face over an out-of-bounds call with which he did not agree. There he was, resetting quickly and guarding the inbounder with his typical intensity, yelling “five!” to remind him of the ticking clock to put the ball in play. And there he was less than a minute later, hounding a Jamaican guard into a turnover and converting the ensuing layup.

For years, Canada Basketball has preached commitment from its top players, arguing that chemistry can only be built over time together.

It’s one thing when executives, coaches and general managers say that, though. It’s a whole other when one of your best players is exemplifying it.

“I’m always ready to play regardless of who’s on the floor. It could be anybody. It could be my boys, it can be Team Jamaica, it can be Oklahoma City. It doesn’t matter who it is,” Brooks said.

The crowd of 11,000 at TD Coliseum that took in the 116-78 win over Jamaica on Monday appreciated it, too.

Just as loud were the pregame “MVP” chants for Gilgeous-Alexander as was the roar for Brooks when he forced that turnover. It was even louder when Gilgeous-Alexander forced a turnover of his own and posterized Jamaica’s Tyran De Lattibeaudiere later in the first quarter.

“This is a team that really enjoys playing together. We’re gonna play hard, and we’re gonna play to win,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said.

In Kelly Olynyk’s absence, Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander served as Canada’s co-captains. It is little wonder why after this performance — especially from Brooks, who, dare we say, evoked Kyle Lowry with his tenacity.

Lowry, of course, used that trait to become the greatest Raptor ever and help lead the team to the 2019 NBA championship. He signed a one-day contract Tuesday to retire with the team, and will have his No. 7 hanging from the rafters at some point this season, the team announced.

Like Lowry, Brooks’ energy was infectious.

“I think it meshes well. I’m the fiery, passionate, maybe more outspoken leader, and [Gilgeous-Alexander is] cool, calm and collected, so we can relate to different players on the team and give our input and I feel like most of the players will attentively listen and be ready to play hard for Canada,” Brooks said.

The Rexdale, Ont., native finished the game with three steals, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker had four apiece.

Brooks’ plus-25 mark was second on the team behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s plus-31. Brooks, however, led the team with 20 points ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 16 and Andrew Nembhard’s 17.

“I feel like getting turnovers and being in transition is one of the highest-percentage shots or possessions or points that you can get. So I don’t think it’s stressed, I think it’s being up there and pressuring full-court regardless of who you are,” Brooks said.

Canada now sits 6-0 in World Cup qualifiers and will begin Round 2 next month in Quebec City with records and point differential carrying over. It will need to finish top three in a new group of six to punch its ticket to Qatar next summer, and it’s positioned well.

These two games in Hamilton — Canada beat Puerto Rico 110-84 on Friday, too —marked coach Gordie Herbert’s first at the helm.

“We really don’t know each other yet, and we have to process, to develop relationships, which I think is really important in FIBA. Guys were engaged every minute, in practice, very professional. So it’s been a great experience and obviously an honour to coach our national team and we’re going to get better and better,” Herbert said.

Tempo movement grows

After the game, Brooks was asked about the growth of Canadian basketball, from more than two decades of the men’s team failing to qualify for the Olympics to claiming bronze at the World Cup and three more wins at Paris 2024.

Now, there’s a new ballgame in town, too.

“I love the Toronto Tempo. They’re such a great team. But overall, just having that CEBL, having that Toronto Tempo, having the Raptors, obviously us, Team Canada, it just shows you how much basketball is recognized here,” he said.

Brooks said he was inspired by ex-Canada Basketball players such as Jevohn Shepherd and Denim Brown.

“So me being in this position now, I want to motivate the next generation and be more hands-on with it. … Wherever I work out at, there’s the younger guys there, and I always want to join the workout, pick their brain, let them pick my brain, teach them things. Because I want them to be successful just like me,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lowry and wife Ayahna Cornish-Lowry were introduced as Tempo co-owners soon after his retirement announcement.

“We are a huge basketball family and have been big supporters of the WNBA since day one,” Lowry and Cornish-Lowry said in a joint statement. “This feels like a true full-circle moment to announce our ownership in the Tempo. We’re excited to help build something special in Toronto, inspire the next generation of athletes and fans, and support the continued growth of women’s basketball in Canada.”

Tidbits

► Sitting front row directly behind the Brooks scene in the first quarter? None other than NBA Hall of Famer and two-time champion Bob McAdoo, the 74-year-old whose cousin, Charles McAdoo, plays in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

► Also in the crowd was Tempo GM Monica Wright Rogers, whose team is conveniently in the midst of a nine-game homestand. Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett, who did not play either game in Hamilton as he eyes a contract extension with the Raptors, took in the Tempo game on Sunday, too.

► This wasn’t just a partisan crowd, as plenty of green and yellow littered the stands. Jamaica wasn’t treated like an enemy either, with PA announcer Herbie Kuhn offering near-equal excitement for their plays as Canada’s. Still, as Canada has battled notoriously tough crowds in FIBA Americas play in the past, the homecourt advantage this time around was real.