Canada race to a 2-0 start at the 2025 AmeriCup
Take care of business. That’s exactly what the SMNT did against the two weaker opponents in Group B, cruising to two dominant victories to open up the 2025 AmeriCup.
In the opening game against Venezuela, the two NBA players making their SMNT debut powered Canada to an 88-54 win. Kyshawn George’s defensive activity (six stocks!) as a big wing and shooting from deep (4/7 from 3) were standout traits that immediately translated from the NBA level to the FIBA game. In a similar fashion, Leonard Miller’s physical tools overwhelmed the opposing Venezuelan defense as he slalomed his way deep into the restricted area for 14 PTS on 7/9 shooting.
Against Panama, it was Canada’s depth of talent that fueled a 50 point win, which included giving up just four points in a dominant defensive performance in the third quarter. Mfiondu Kabengele, who I’ve written extensively about over the past year and half, continued his interior two-way dominance (he’s a big reason why Canada has outscored opponents by 46 points in the paint) and should be well on his way to an All-AmeriCup nod at the end of the tournament. David Muenkat, who was a surprise addition to the final roster, has comfortably slotted into a starting role as the primary point of attack defender and brought physicality and grit (he’s recorded 4 fouls in both games thus far). Nate Darling finally saw some “progression” to the mean in a Canadian jersey, draining a team-high six 3’s.
The most encouraging sign thus far at the AmeriCup is how the SMNT is winning games. They’re not just “outclassing” opponents with their talent level, although the depth of the player pool has been showcased impressively. Instead, they’ve continued to play hard, share the ball (53 ASTs) and wreck havoc on the defensive end (32 TOV’s forced). Small sample size aside, as a team, they’re shooting a blistering 65.7% on 2P FG’s and 43.9% from 3. Their opponents, meanwhile, have tallied the two lowest scoring outputs of the tournament. The level of professionalism HC Nathaniel Mitchell has woven into the fabric of this team has been a core reason they have only trailed for a total of 32 seconds. They’ve truly deserved to not just win, but win big.
Canada will put their undefeated record on the line when they face off against #15, Puerto Rico, on August 25th to close out the group stage. Much like Canada, Puerto Rico won their first two games by a big margin and have secured a +61 point differential (compared to +84 for Canada). With the top spot in Group B up for grabs, it will be the SMNT’s first big test of the 2025 AmeriCup. The matchup to watch will be on the interior between the two centers, Mfiondu Kabengele and George Conditt IV. If Kabengele can neutralize and outplay Conditt, the SMNT will be in good shape to improve to 3-0
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