3x3 - Canada names rosters for U18 World Championships

TORONTO – Canada Basketball has named the eight athletes that will represent the country at next week's (28-30 September) FIBA U18 3x3 Championship presented by Nike.

The Canadians will compete in both the boys and girls 3x3 tournaments in Alcobendas, Spain.

Canada’s U18 boys team consists of Brody Clarke (Toronto, Ontaria), Chris McComber (Nepean, Ontario), Marko Pirovic (Bolton, Ontario) and Troy Reid-Knight (Vaughn, Ontario). Shawn Swords is the team leader.

Clarke, McComber and Pirovic all have experience representing Canada. Clarke and McComber played on the 2011 national team that finished third at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. McComber was also on Canada's team that came in fifth at the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania this past summer. Pirovic helped his country to a third-place finish at this year's FIBA Americas U18 championship this year.

Canada's boys' have been drawn in Group A and will take on Belize, China, France, Iran, New Zealand, Poland and Slovakia.

Meanwhile, Canada’s U18 girls team will be composed of Shay Colley (Brampton, Ontario), Sam Cooper (Sudbury, Ontario), Saicha Grant-Allen (Hamilton, Ontario) and Kia Nurse (Hamilton, Ontario). The team will be led by Denise Dignard.

The girls team does not lack in international experience as Colley, Grant-Allen and Nurse all played on Canada's bronze medal winning team at this summer's FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in the Netherlands. Cooper also featured for her country's side that came in fourth at this year's FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women.

Canada's girls have been drawn in Group C where they will take on Australia, England, Israel, Romania and Tunisa.

In both the boys and girls 3x3 tournaments, the top four teams in each group advance to a standard knock-out round (Eight-Finals, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals).

Canada's teams will look to improve on their performances at last year's FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships in Rimini, Italy where both were eliminated at the Quarter-Final stage.

FIBA