We are at a very precarious factor in Canadian men’s basketball records. We’ll delve into that in more detail later in the week once I plumb a few extra resources nowadays and the day after today to find out what’s taking place. But for now, I think it’s time to lay out the want for a big thanks to Jay Triano, who decided within the ultimate little while that many years-length connections with this system need to end.

It changed into his doing – even though there were no assurances that the new senior crew member, GM Rowan Barrett, would provide him with the training activity. However, it’s not ending exceptionally well, and that’s a shame. First: Many of you recognize my records with Jay – we grew up gambling baseball with each other and basketball in opposition to every other, and we’ve known each other’s households for all time — he has been a chum for almost half of a century. That’s the full disclosure part of this, and I make no apologies for it. But I don’t think any sane thinking observer of the Canadian basketball panorama for the remaining 40 years can have anything but an appreciation of what he’s completed for the program, both as a participant and an instructor.

Think of the four most memorable moments in the program’s records: The Miracle On Hardwood at the World University Games in Edmonton in 1983; beating Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico in 1999 to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics; and the wins over a stacked Yugoslavia group and the host Australians at those equal Sydney Games.

Triano played and coached in every one of those, consistent in what restricted achievement Canada has ever had on a worldwide degree. Sure, there was a first-rate sadness in Mexico City in 2015 when a gaggle of children performed like a gaggle of children in a large pressure sport against an old, intelligent, hard group and a ref’s call on the buzzer and more than one turnover inside the dying seconds costs Canada a spot on the 2016 Rio Olympics – a devastating loss – but, you realize, there are several motives that result took place.

In case you genuinely look at it, lived it, or understood what was taking place behind the curtain for all those years, the records will tip heavily to the good while it’s all added up. Jay’s going out because he wants to exit now; I informed a person of the alternative night that I concept it becomes a pre-emptive flow to withdraw his call now in place of probably suffering the ignominious departure on the palms of a man – Barrett – who performed for him for all those years and via a few outstanding times.

He became fired once – unjustly, I concept – but returned on the behest of his pal Steve Nash because he cared about the sport here, cared about the improvement of players and coaches here, and due the fact he knew what it supposed to wear a Canadian jersey anywhere within the global. He sincerely didn’t get wealthy doing it; however, it was higher than a “2nd activity” for him. It’d controversial just wherein Canada is within the international photo nowadays, but anywhere it’s far, it’s in no small element because of Triano.

You can draw an entirely instant line through Canadian men’s basketball history from when Jack Donohue started this system today, while it ought to be as excellent as ever. And Triano is one of the constants in that line – and one who’s a boldface name at every success factor in Canadian men’s basketball records. Whatever occurs to the program now – and I sincerely wonder if it’ll ever be as correct as it could or probably should – might be due to guys like him. That can’t wander off in humans’ minds.