A week after starring in Toronto's parade to celebrate the Raptors' first-ever NBA championship, Nick Nurse has been named the head coach of Canada's men's national basketball team.
Nurse, the 51-year-old who guided the Raptors to the NBA title earlier this month in his first season as their coach, will lead Canada through the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China, Canada Basketball announced Monday.
“I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of young players, and to seeing what we can do on the competitive global basketball stage," Nurse said in a statement. "I love the international game. I also see this as a real chance for me to learn from the world’s best, and for us to represent Canada with pride and distinction.”
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Nurse is no stranger to international basketball, having served as the lead assistant coach for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics. The current Raptors boss also has extensive experience coaching in the United Kingdom, as well as in the NCAA and the G-League. He now takes over a talent-rich Canada program that is participating in the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
“Nick fits our Gold Medal Profile as he is a proven leader with extensive experience coaching FIBA, NBA and other professional leagues around the world," Rowan Barrett, general manager of Canada's men's national team, said. "His coaching pedigree shows his ability to win at some of the highest levels and he has a tremendous understanding of the FIBA game and our Canadian NBA players."
Canada has been drawn into Group H of the World Cup, along with Senegal, Lithuania and Australia. The Canadians begin their tournament Sept. 1 against the Aussies.
The World Cup also serves as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with seven teams earning direct entry into that tournament.