Team Canada plays Thailand on Wednesday morning

(OTTAWA, ONT.) – Team Canada closed out group play on Tuesday at the IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil, with a tough 87-41 loss to Germany.

Ibrahim Odza led the way with 13 points and six rebounds, while Thai Milton added nine points and three boards. Broden Nagle contributed six points, five rebounds, and two assists.

Despite the final score, Under-23 Head Coach Darrell Nordell saw positives early in Tuesday’s game.

“I thought we started well; we exchanged some baskets, and then we kind of fell into a dry spell there,” Nordell explained. “In the second quarter is where they took advantage, and we had a hard time putting the ball in the hoop.”

Germany pulled away in the second frame, outscoring Canada 23-10 to take a 46-22 lead into halftime. Brandon Louie had eight points to lead Canada through two quarters.

Canada now shifts focus to the 9-12 crossover game against Thailand on Wednesday.

“Any team wants to show well at a World Championship,” Nordell said of Thailand. “They’re going to want to play as fast and as up on chairs as we’re going to want to play fast and up on our chairs.”

Canada and Thailand tip off at 9:00 a.m. EDT/6:00 a.m. PDT. The game can be live streamed on the IWBF YouTube channel.

The IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championship brings together the top 12 nations. Canada is competing in Group A alongside Australia, Israel, Germany, Türkiye and Brazil.

Traditionally held every four years, the tournament showcases the best young talent in the sport. Athletes must be 22 years of age or younger to be eligible to compete. This year marks the eighth edition of the event. Canada captured back-to-back gold medals in 1997 and 2001.

Complete stats from Tuesday’s game can be found here. The tournament schedule and results can be found here. 

Lead photo courtesy Leonardo Lemos.