Charlotte (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - "Although we wanted gold, silver isn't all that bad", Liam Hickey tweeted after his Canadian team lost on home ice as they might say in Ontario, especially when the court resides in the historic but former home of the storied Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.

As both a competitor - still playing league soccer every week at the "very" senior level - and as a sportswriter, I can forgive Hickey on this one because I know that his elder teammates will do likewise as his education on big-time, world class wheelchair basketball continues.

At only 17 years of age, Hickey is a big part of Canada's future and he will soon understand why David Eng, Bo Hedges, Adam Lancia and other more experienced teammates were anything but pleased to have a piece of silver placed around their neck at the medal ceremony closing out the wheelchair basketball portion of the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.

This is not the swagger of the defending Paralympic champions, though they are that, but the disappointment of a team that has been humbled since missing last year's IWBF World Championships, the first ever to be contested without Canada.

A redefined team, Canada are not so much looking to repeat as they are to prove to the world and themselves that they still belong at the top of the world. The Final was not their best and no competitor will ever be comfortable with that.

Equally disgusted with the color of their medals were the Canadian women but for different reasons. Just over a year ago, they regained the title of world champions that once felt like the Maple Leaf Summer Invitational as they held it for four tournaments from 1994 until the Americans wrested it away in 2010. During that period of dominance, they also took three consecutive Paralympic titles (1992, 96, 00) until those damn Yankees won it away in Athens 2004.

Though only Tracey Ferguson remains from that era, the current crop of red and white clad women has already worked its way to the top of the podium and anything less is just that… less. They, however, had played a wonderful game but on that day, their best wasn't good enough.

Canada's Janet McLachlan described it matter-of-factly: "We played hard, and they played hard, and a few more of their buckets went in. That happens in basketball. That happens in every sport. And that's okay."

During the medal ceremonies last Friday for the women and Saturday for the men, I saw no joy in Canadian eyes as their heads bowed to receive their medals. Smiles were gracious but forced. And, with no disrespect for the value of effort or losing to a better team, I love them for that.

I was equally impressed and appreciative of the somber faces of the Argentine men as the bronze medals were presented to them.

For the most part, that signifies an accomplishment as it did for the USA men in London three years ago. It was their first Paralympic medal since 2000. After finishing seventh in Athens and fourth in Beijing, bronze was a significant step up. It won't be good enough for them in Rio.

Argentina's Adolfo Berdun receives encouragement from Brazil assistant coach Matteo Feriani. Argentina won the bronze medal at the Toronto Parapan American Games but missed qualifying for next year's Paralympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Photo by Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

For the boys of Buenos Aires though, silver in Toronto would have been as good as gold. As satisfying as it must have been to thrash rivals Brazil for the bronze medal, and what if signifies for their continuing growth as a team, it could not overwhelm the fact that it did not come with a ticket to Rio.

The tear-filled eyes of Adolfo Berdun, Gustavo Villafane, Carlos Esteche, Daniel Copa, Maximilliano Ruggeri and their teammates said it all and said it well.

With Canada missing and Colombia finishing 10th and Argentina 12th in last year's World Championships in Incheon, Korea, only the USA taking silver won an additional slot for the Americas Zone. As soon as Brazil lost to Canada in the second semifinal on Friday, Argentina knew their last chance was gone.

Even bronze would not be good enough this time.

For the women of Brazil though, it was as they understood the hierarchy of this tournament. There was Canada and the USA playing for one title and everyone else playing for the other. And they won that.

No Liam, silver isn't all that bad. Not unless you know for sure that you were good enough for gold.

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

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