Nash, Olynyk and Wiggins highlight today's Canadian Content

Steve Nash in the NBA Play Offs after all, Kelly Olynyk declared for the NBA Draft (as we would have guessed), Andrew Wiggins shows out at the Nike Hoops Summit, some high schoolers commit and more in this edition of Canadian Content ...

The Slate - April 20

Today we have one NBA Play Off game BUT we have probably the first big international basketball competition before we get into the National Team summer - the Nike Hoops Summit which will feature Andrew Wiggins.  Check out what time our ballers lace them up at right here in The Slate ...

Wiggins, Nash and a whole lot of college commitments highlight today's Canadian Content

Steve Nash having a tough time getting back on the floor, Andrew Wiggins is wowing people in Portland, a whole lot of committing is going on in the high school world, the Storm may be moving out of Summerside for next season and a whole lot more stuff in Canadian Content ...

Wiggins, Lyles, Olynyk, Stauskas, Notice all here in Canadian Content

Andrew Wiggins, Trey Lyles and Roy Rana selected to the Nike Hoops Summit, Kelly Olynyk is prompting questions, Nik Stauskas is Luke Skywalker?, Nick Wiggins and Chadrak Lufile in the Sweet Sixteen, Duane Notice is Up Next, NBL Canada play offs and a lot of other stuff all here in Canadian Content ...

A Canadian three isn't a crowd at the Nike Hoop Summit

In case you missed it, it was announced that both Andrew Wiggins, National High School Player of the Year in the US, and Trey Lyles, a top 5 player in the class of 2014, were selected to participate in the Nike Hoop Summit happening next month.

Exciting news!

Well, I suppose so.  It's almost a no brainer with Wiggins being the best playing not in the NBA or NCAA right now being selected.  It's his second time heading to the Summit.  It would indeed be a faux pas by Nike to have left him off the list for the World Selects, particularly since he's been the poster boy for high school basketball in the US.

Lyles, who apparently has withdrawn due to injury, is a curious selection since there were other Canadian players that could have been chosen from the 2013 or 2014 class but this one makes a lot of sense.  He's been a top ten player in his class since his freshman season of high school and this is keeping in the tradition of having a player from the next graduating class playing in the game (like Wiggins last season).  It's unfortunate that we won't get to see Lyles play because he's recovering from injury but having his name on this roster is nontheless a huge thing.  The Nike talent evaluators have placed him in that elite of elite emerging global talent pool, pretty impressive I'd think.

Amidst all the hoopla of these two young players being selected to the game, we should also take note that we have long time National Program coach Roy Rana will be coaching the World Selects team for the third year in a row.  This is a great thing for him and it does nothing but continue to expound that Rana is a world class coaching talent.  I just hope that he isn't lured away from Canada yet.

All in all, I think that not only are the selections of these individuals for the great for the them but for the Canadian basketball community.  Seeing our young talent on a stage like this means that we are making some headway on the global level and shows the average Canadian sports fan that we are building up to something.

Now to get these average sports fans to start watching the game ...