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Here is a media release from Canada Basketball including TV schedule and final roster.

CANADA’S ROAD WARRIORS BASKETBALL TEAM PRIMES FOR RIGOUROUS FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE

- See Canadian Games Live on The Score -

(San Juan, Puerto Rico) Canada Basketball announced today the final roster for the 2009 ‘Road Warriors’ Senior Men’s National Team competing August 26- September 6 at the FIBA Americas Championship . The 12-man squad, highlighted by NBA centre, Joel Anthony (Miami Heat) and Euroleague guard Carl English (Caja Laboral) will tip off the tournament on August 27 against Mexico (4:00 p.m. ET).

“Our team has been building for this tournament since June,” said Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Leo Rautins. “Everything we’ve done throughout the summer in terms of training camps, exhibition games and competitions is all in preparation for this event. We have a core nucleus of talented players, united together by one common goal – to qualify for the 2010 Worlds. This unity and our team chemistry will be critical to our success as we compete against some of the toughest teams in the world.”

As an added bonus, basketball fans across the country can see Canada’s Road Warriors in action as all Canadian games will be televised live on The Score Television Network Ltd. beginning on August 27. Matches will also be re-broadcast in prime-time on both The Score and later on Raptors TV.

“The Score is proud to once again showcase the FIBA Americas Championship and Team Canada,” said Greg Sansone, Director of Programming, Score Media Inc. “Our station prides itself on being the home for basketball, from the university to the professional level, and this tournament provides another opportunity for the talented team to gain exposure and for our hardcore basketball fans from coast to coast to get in the game.”

The FIBA Americas Championship, featuring 10 men's national teams, is one of five FIBA qualifying zone tournaments to determine the four men's teams from the Americas zone that will earn a qualification spot for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

Canada is assigned to ‘Group A’ along with Mexico, and will compete in other preliminary matches against the US Virgin Islands (August 28 – 4:00 p.m. ET), Uruguay (August 29 – 4:00 p.m. ET) and Puerto Rico (August 30 – 9:00 p.m. ET). ‘Group B’ consists of Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Panama and Venezuela.

“We do have a good first round compared to the other side,” added Rautins. But every game is going to be a battle and we have to play well in first round to place well in the cross over games. It’s a grind either way as there are not many tournaments where you play eight games in nine days.”

In total nine players will be returning back from the 2008 squad including Jermaine Anderson (Toronto), Olu Famutimi (Toronto), Levon Kendall (Vancouver), Andy Rautins (Syracuse, NY), and Jesse Young (Peterborough, ON), Tyler Kepkay (Vancouver) and Aaron Doornekamp (Odessa, ON). Nine players on the roster currently play in various professional leagues and three members are competing at the NCAA/CIS level.

The television broadcast schedule of games to air on The Score and on The Score HD is as follows:

Thursday 8/27/09 4:00 PM Canada v. Mexico (Live) Replay at 10 PM

Friday 8/28/09 4:00 PM Canada v. US Virgin Islands (Live) Replay at 10 PM

Saturday 8/29/09 4:00 PM Canada v. Uruguay (Live) Replay at 10 PM

Sunday 8/30/09 9:00 PM Canada v. Puerto Rico (Live) Replay at 3 PM on Monday

The Score will air four additional Team Canada games from September 1-6, with exact dates and start times still to determined.

As well as the broadcast, fans are encouraged to stay up to date with Canada’s Senior Men’s Team on the internet via following sites:



1. www.basketball.ca – for daily game reports, quotes and news

2. www.puertorico2009.fiba.com – the official tournament website for standings, live stats and more

3. Canada Basketball facebook page at http://facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Canada-Basketball/42100100012 to chat with team members and hoops fans

4. www.thescore.com/nba – one-on-one videos with Jason Thom and Team Canada preview to get fans ready for the tournament

5. www.fibatv.com – see select matches via FIBA’s subscriber-based online video service

2009 ROAD WARRIORS - SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER
4
Jermaine Anderson*
Guard
6'2
Toronto, ON
Tuebingen (Germany)

15
Joel Anthony*
Centre
6'9
Montreal, QC
Miami Heat (NBA)

6
Ryan Bell
Guard
6'5
Ottawa, ON
Schalke (Germany)

7
Jermaine Bucknor
Forward
6'7
Edmonton, AB
Maurienne (France)

11
Aaron Doornekamp*
Forward
6'7
Odessa, ON
Carleton University (CIS)

8
Carl English*
Guard
6'5
Patrick's Cove, NF
Gran Canaria (Spain)

9
Olu Famutimi*
Forward
6'6
Toronto, ON
Khimik (Ukraine)

14
Levon Kendall*
Forward
6'10
Vancouver, BC
Panionios (Greece)

5
Tyler Kepkay*
Guard
5'10
Vancouver, BC
University of Utah (NCAA)

13
Kyle Landry
Forward
6'9
Calgary, AB
Mons-Hainaut (Belgium)

10
Andy Rautins*
Guard
6'5
Syracuse, NY
Syracuse University (NCAA)

12
Jesse Young*
Forward
6'10
Peterborough, ON
Murcia (Spain)


*Indicates players from the 2008 Senior Men's Team

2009 SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM STAFF

Name
Position

Leo Rautins
Head Coach

Mike Malone
Assistant Coach

Renato Pasquali
Assistant Coach

Roy Rana
Assistant Coach

Sam Gibbs
Athletic Therapist

Paul Elliott
Team Manager

Jake Presutti
Video Coordinator

Dr. Andrew Pipe
Team Physician

Maurizio Gherardini
Managing Director