March Madness tips off tomorrow and as a Canadian basketball fan there is reason to celebrate. We know that Canadian players have been making a name for themselves in the NCAA and the NBA over the last few years – heck, we’re producing lottery type talent in the NBA.
But this year I am more than impressed with the sheer number of Canadian players who will be uniform and/or on the court during the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament. After looking through all 68 rosters on their official websites, I have found 31 Canadian players to watch during March Madness this year.
31!
That’s awesome.
Basketball fans already know the names Brady Heslip, Nik Stauskas and Tyler Ennis. And everyone knows the name Andrew Wiggins thanks to his incredible talent and the hype machine. But that still leaves 27 other names to learn and look our for as March Madness gets underway.
Here are all 31 players, listed by their school, in alphabetical order…
Jordan Bachynski Calgary, AB Arizona State
Brady Heslip Burlington, ON Baylor
Kenny Chery Montreal, QC Baylor
Jahenns Manigat Ottawa, ON Creighton
Dyshawn Pierre Whitby, ON Dayton
Jaylen Babb-Harrison Ajax, ON Eastern Kentucky
Dustin Triano Tsawwassen, BC Gonzaga
Kevin Pangos Landing, ON Gonzaga
Kyle Wiltjer Portland, OR (Canadian citizenship) Gonzaga
Agunwa Okolie Ajax, ON Harvard
Laurent Rivard Saint Bruno, QC Harvard
Melvin Ejim Toronto, ON Iowa State
Naz Long Mississauga, ON Iowa State
Andrew Wiggins Vaughan, ON Kansas
Justin Edwards Whitby, ON Kansas State
Nik Stauskas Mississauga, ON Michigan
Daniel Mullings Toronto, ON New Mexico State
Renaldo Dixon Toronto, ON New Mexico State
Sim Bhullar Toronto, ON New Mexico State
Tanveer Bhullar Toronto, ON New Mexico State
Jason Calliste Toronto, ON Oregon
Richard Amardi Toronto, ON Oregon
Junior Lomomba Montreal, QC Providence
Grandy Glaze Toronto, ON Saint Louis
Dwight Powell Toronto, ON Stanford
Stefan Nastic Thornhill, ON Stanford
Tyler Ennis Brampton, ON Syracuse
Dylan Ennis Brampton, ON Villanova
Chadwick Lufile Burlington, ON Wichita State
Nick Wiggins Toronto, ON Wichita State
Here’s hoping that all of the Canadian kids are able to contribute and take away some sort of positive experience from the 2014 NCAA tournament.
I know I’ll be cheering for them.
Unless they’re playing against a team I’m cheering for and have picked on my bracket.
