Just three days before the WNBA and its players landed on a new collective bargaining agreement — one that would officialize Canada’s first WNBA team’s inaugural season — the country’s national team was dealt a blow.
It was eliminated from World Cup contention. And by Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello’s Australian team, no less.
“I felt like, they’re going to kick me out now. And in the end I had to remember what hat I’m wearing and what name I have across the front of my chest,” Brondello said, citing a bit of awkwardness at her conflicting roles.
“It was a hard-fought game. I feel sorry for Canada. I think they’re a really strong team and they’ve got some great young players coming through, so they’re gonna be strong for years and sometimes you need a little reset to get back up. We did the same thing after Tokyo.”
“Canada’s going to be fine. I know they’ve got the Swords [sisters] and got some great players from the college system and they get their hands on them and add to that, I think they’re going to be in a good spot.”
On Monday, the WNBA will break for two-and-a-half weeks to allow its players to compete at the World Cup, which begins in Berlin Sept. 4. Canada, thanks to that 82-76 loss to an already-qualified Australian squad in March, won’t be there, even despite a fourth-place finish at the 2022 edition of the event.
Some better news arrived Sunday, when Canada crushed Mexico 83-53 to complete a 5-0 pre-qualifying tournament in Guadalajara and book its spot in a 2028 Olympic qualifier set for that February.
Syla Swords, the 20-year-old mentioned by Brondello as one of Canada’s bright young stars alongside sister Savvy, won tournament MVP after averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and one steal per game.
It sets Canada up with a relatively low-stakes next 17 months and a prime opportunity to build chemistry, lay groundwork and allow next-generation players like Swords to continue maturing and evolving as basketball players.
The team that ran through Mexico was made up of six veterans (think Kayla Alexander, Sami Hill) and six younger players, including NCAAers Syla Swords (Michigan), Agot Makeer (South Carolina), Delaney Gibb (BYU) and others. Head coach Nell Fortner called it a perfect mix — and was especially impressed by the latter contingent.
“They're built a little differently. I don't know if that makes any sense, but their commitment is so strong to the sport of basketball and to their country,” Fortner said.
Swords, especially, continued to show that she could be Canada’s next basketball star.
“She played fearless. I tell you what, she showed us all and anybody watching what an extraordinary shooter she is, from her quick release to her accuracy to her consistency. And she's just already a pro, she carries herself like a pro and it was really fun to coach her,” Fortner said.
Still, there’s no denying that giving Swords and her peers the World Cup stage to grow on would have been ideal. Canada, now ranked seventh by FIBA and with its WNBA players on board, lost three of five games in the March tournament in a pool with just one team ranked higher.
“Do I wish we were at the World Cup? Heck yeah,” Fortner said. “But we did the next best thing. And that was important for us to do that. We committed to it. Everybody dug into it, from players to coaching staff. And we accomplished it. And that's very encouraging moving forward.”
