Canada Basketball "A problem worth having"

Myck Kabongo

When the international Hoop Summit team was announced, one could hear a sigh of relief from the U.S.   contingent. Mysteriously Texas signee Myck Kabongo (Toronto, Can./Findlay Prep) was left off the team. In his place, Gonzaga-bound guard Kevin Pangos (New Market, Ont./Denison) was named. Why not take them both?

Kabongo was as shocked as the people who read the roster and noticed the omission. Frankly, his omission is absurd and inexplicable. He's the one international guy that toed the line with the U.S. guards. Heck, if he were a U.S. citizen he would have made to the USA team.

Equally puzzling was the omission of fellow Canadian Khem Birch (Montreal, Can./Notre Dame Prep). The Pittsburgh signee and J.V. Derrick Favors clone is a top dozen prospect in the senior class. While there remains a chance some of the international frontcourt players are bigger and maybe even better, its hard to fathom there are so many of them that Birch doesn't merit selection.

At the end of the day, these are kids. Kids who rightfully earned and desired to represent the international contingent in the game. They aren't owed an explanation for their omission but it sure would be nice to hear someone offer up a reason why they weren't asked to play. Kabongo was not pleased about the snub, bemoaning “politics” and laying the blame at the feet of Rana, the former Eastern Commerce coach, a school Kabongo starred at before he headed South.

Roy Rana

“This may give him a couple followers but hey everybody thank @Roy_Rana for giving me EXTRA MOTIVATION!” Kabongo said via Twitter.

However, Nike picks the participants, not Rana, and Wiltjer over Birch was basically a gimme since the game will be held in Portland, where Wiltjer has starred the past few years while winning state championships. Nike has had a long relationship with Gonzaga, where Pangos will be heading in the fall, so the “politics” claim by Kabongo could hold some merit, but it is a little strange that Nike would burn a bridge with a player even some current NBAers consider Canada’s top prospect.

“I have no input or say in athlete selection,” confirmed Rana in an interview on the FAN590 where he added that he felt both Kabongo and Birch were very deserving but no non-U.S. country has ever had more than two players at the event. “Shoe companies are going to have to make some tough decisions and we’re just going to have to live with it,” Rana said.

“You don’t do that, you don’t spread the love around,” said Ro Russell, who coached Kabongo on his Grassroots AAU club team. “You give it to the guys whose most deserving. Myck Kabongo is the best high school player in the world not from the United States; and you don’t have the US saying Austin Rivers won’t be playing in the Hoop Summit because he’s already going to be playing in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Classic. Kabongo was the best player on the best high school team in the United States, playing against All-Americans almost everygame, Pangos was playing in York region."

Either way, this is a good problem to have in regards to grassroots basketball in Canada. Shows how much the games grown in just a little time. 

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