NEW YORK – The future of Canadian basketball was on display in New York City over the weekend.
On Friday afternoon, R.J. Barrett was named MVP of the International Game at the Jordan Brand Classic, which also featured countryman Andrew Nembhard. Barrett is a freshman at Montverde (FL) Academy, where he is expected to be joined in the fall by Nembhard. The 6-foot-2 guard is currently enrolled at Vaughan Secondary School in Ontario.
Saturday morning saw Simi Shittu take over the Canadian spotlight. A teammate of Barrett at Montverde, the 6-foot-9 class of 2018 power forward made his 17-under debut on the Nike EYBL circuit at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for CIA Bounce, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting in a 76-74 loss to Team Griffin.
“We want to show that Canada basketball is on the rise and we’re coming over to show we can play with these Americans,” said Shittu, who was at Barclays Center Friday afternoon to watch Barrett and Nembhard. “We’re just trying to build a name for ourselves.
“R.J. played well, he’s going to be a really good player when he’s older. I love playing with him at Montverde. Andrew is coming, too, so we’re going to have a good team next season.”
Montverde had its string of three consecutive titles at Dick’s High School Nationals snapped earlier this month, but the future is bright for head coach Kevin Boyle, thanks in large part to the Canadian influence.
Shittu and Barrett are young, but are proven commodities. Injured 6-foot-2 junior point guard Marcus Carr, a Toronto native, should be healthy, while Nembhard could make an immediate impact.
“We think our team next year could be tremendous,” Boyle told reporters on Feb. 12 after Montverde defeated Roselle Catholic to win the Metro Classic. “There’s another guy, Andrew Nembhard, who’s coming to school next year who’s a good guard, so a lot of times, we’ll have four guys who could possibly be on the Canadian Olympic team one day playing at the same high school, so we’re thrilled about it.”
As for college, Shittu’s recruitment is in its infancy. He says Alabama, LSU, VCU, Washington, Marquette, Kentucky, Syracuse, Tennessee, Oregon are among the schools showing the most interest. Marquette and Alabama have offered.
Shittu doesn’t plan to cut his list down until at least next summer after his junior season. For now, he is focusing on his first swing through the EYBL.
“I’ve gotten a lot better playing against guys like E.J. Montgomery and Silvio (De Sousa) in practice, and I think it got me ready for this kind of atmosphere,” Shittu said. “Playing with CIA Bounce, I think I’m one of the main guys on this team, so I just have a lot of confidence now after playing with Montverde.”
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