Entering the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, there were eight Canadians spread across five different teams still in the mix. That all of them were eliminated before reaching the Final Four is an unfortunate circumstance given the strong Canadian flavour the tournament had when it started, but such is the way of March Madness.
Here’s a full breakdown of how each Canadian who got the chance to play in the second week performed:
Nik Stauskas, Michigan
The six-foot-six native of Mississauga, Ont. did everything but make that desperation half-court heave that could’ve sent arguably the best game of the entire tournament to overtime on Sunday.
In that Elite Eight matchup with No. 8 Kentucky, Stauskas showed why he was named Big 10 player of the year with a 24-point effort. The performance came despite the fact that his usually deadly accurate three-point stroke abandoned him (he was only 2-for-7 from deep), forcing him to put the ball on the deck and get to the free-throw line, where he was a sparkling 10-for-11. Stauskas’s performance when things weren’t going his way is further evidence as to why he’s now considered to be a mid-to-late first-round draft choice.
In Michigan’s Sweet 16 match with No. 11 Tennessee, Stauskas was a little quieter but still managed to rack up 14 points.
Dyshawn Pierre, Dayton
Fuelling the Cinderella run that nobody saw coming, Whitby, Ont.’s Dyshawn Pierre played a key role in the feel-good story of the tournament this year.
Pierre wasn’t too effective in the Flyers’ historic win over No. 10 Stanford in the Sweet 16, managing just six points, but he was an outright force for Dayton in its Elight Eight loss to No. 1 Florida, tallying 14 points in the second half en route to an 18-point showing on 7-for-11 shooting, along with five assists and two blocks.
For the entire tournament, Pierre averaged 12.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting. He’s expected to be back at Dayton for at least another year and, given his breakout performance in the tournament, there’s a chance his name could pop up in 2015 mock drafts.
Dwight Powell, Stanford
The senior from Toronto performed admirably in Stanford’s loss to Dayton, with a 6-for-9 shooting display for 17 points to go along with nine rebounds—five of which came on the offensive glass. He will leave the Cardinal considered a mid second-round pick with an outside chance to stick in the NBA.
Stefan Nastic, Stanford
Against Dayton, Nastic was nearly unstoppable before foul trouble forced him from the game after playing only 20 minutes. In that timespan though, the Flyers could do no more than watch as the Thornhill, Ont. product dropped 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included a dizzying array of Kevin McHale-eque post moves.
Visibly intense while playing in the Sweet 16, look for Nastic to take up a senior leadership role with Stanford next season.
Melvin Ejim, Iowa State
Ejim didn’t have a performance befitting the Big 12 player of the year in the Sweet 16. The senior forward from Toronto had just seven points on a dreadful 3-for-13 shooting in the Cyclones’ loss to No. 7 Connecticut. Making matters worse, Ejim’s defensive assignment, DeAndre Daniels, scorched him for 27 points and 10 rebounds. Just about the only bright spot for Ejim was the eight rebounds he collected.
It’s unclear what the future holds as Ejim is listed as a sure-fire second-rounder in some mock drafts, while not even on the board in others.
Naz Long, Iowa State
The three-point gunner from Mississauga, Ont. also had a forgettable outing in the Sweet 16, connecting on just one triple and managing seven points total. Despite these struggles, the sophomore guard still has plenty of time left in his collegiate career and with DeAndre Kane leaving this year, there’s a good chance Long could be a starter for the Cyclones next season.
Brady Heslip, Baylor
In Baylor’s Sweet 16 loss to No. 2 Wisconsin, the Burlington, Ont. native was just about completely neutralized. Coming on the heels of a 5-for-7 long-range bombing of Creighton, the Badgers’ defence held Heslip to just one made three pointer, his only bucket of the game. Being exclusively a three-point specialist, and having that shut down made Heslip more of a liability on the floor and it showed as the Bears were never really in the game.
Given his lack of size, speed and quickness, the NBA is an unlikely destination for Heslip now that his collegiate career is over. But there’s no question he can shoot, so Europe or the Chinese Basketball Association remain options. Canada Basketball will likely also keep him in the fold—there’s no one on the projected senior men’s team with Heslip’s outside touch.
Kenny Chery, Baylor
The junior from Montreal had a better showing in the Sweet 16 than his Canadian teammate, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Chery didn’t have a good shooting performance—he was only 2-for-8 from the field—but, in desperate attempts to breathe some life into his team, he took some hard drives to the hoop and was rewarded with eight free throws, converting on seven of them.
Overall, Chery had a good first season of Division I basketball and should figure to keep his starting point guard position in his senior year.