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With the U21 playing in the repechage, which starts up on January 17th, team officials have decided to hold training camp a bit early. A group of the best 21 year olds (and some 20 year olds) has been invited to Barbados, where they will practice for one week, before the official roster is selected. As part of the training camp process, a scrimmage will be held on January 10th against Wales, and the players that get sent out in this game are not necessarily the ones that will end up making the team.

The initial invite list is as follows, with possible additions still to come:

*=20 year old player

Bigs (C/PF)

- Buddy Cahill: (13232061)
- Jean-Sébastien Cajolais: (13233277)
- Germain Demers: (13233749)
- Tim Emerson: (13233603)
- Neil Fabes: (13233954)
- Scott Fitzpatrick*: (14641357)
- Lawrence Pickens: (13232516)
- Glenn Richards: (13887630)
- William Rivas*: (14641556)
- Booker Wilbur: (13232880)

Guards
- Timothy Austin: (13232449)
- Daniel Chrétien: (13232109)
- Bryan Dixon: (13233331)
- Ruel Duffill: (13234030)
- Dwain Hadley*: (14640977)
- Herman Kearns: (13233235)
- Cory Landini: (13232170)
- Roméo Lavigne: (13232229)
- Dumis Mgaji: (13232560)
- Govardhan Mohan: (13232441)
- Jon Russell: (13234269)
- Ulric Senneville: (13232583)
- Gerry Stavridis*: (14641174)
- Diant Stronks*: (14640552)
- Pablo Tello: (13232391)

The opening roster will consist of 10-12 players, with additional players being called up as needed throughout the season. It is expected that the team will be led by Glenn Richards, who spent all of season 14 on the U21. Germain Demers is also expected to return at C/PF, and the coaching staff is rumoured to really like Booker Wilbur. The 4th big man spot, and beyond, is fairly wide open at this point. On the perimeter, Chretien and Austin should be returning, and are likely to be joined by Herman Kearns. Beyond those three, it is currently unclear how the other guards are ranked. Of all the 20 year olds in camp, phenom Gerry Stavridis is thought to have the best chance to make the opening roster.

Last edited by The Mogul at 1/8/2011 11:46:13 AM

Awesome, 2 of the 3 20 year old guards are my players. Neither will probably make the U21 this upcoming season, but the future looks bright, and my goal all along has been for both of them to make the U21 when they are 21 years old. Looks like I am right on track.

lol if u keep training both, maybe they both make the senior team in a few seasons

Awesome, 2 of the 3 20 year old guards are my players. Neither will probably make the U21 this upcoming season, but the future looks bright, and my goal all along has been for both of them to make the U21 when they are 21 years old. Looks like I am right on track.

Ya very cool, I have 2 guards in Kearns and Lavigne that are U21 hopefulls this upcoming season. Though they are just MVP potentials, not like your 2 Hall of Famer potentials guys in Hadley and Stronks. It's pretty sweet that you were able to grab Hadley off of the Transfer List and draft Stronks. I do have my other project in Thomas Simmons that hopes to play with your guys when they all reach 21. He's aiming to play at SF. Keep on training and make sure you have a good Doctor in the house!

Wow, I didn't think anyone else had 3 good young Canadian trainees other than me. I've also got a good player that is only turning 19 this upcoming season. Should be interesting to see how all of our trainees turn out.

Tommy Saint-Amand is a Hopeful (at-least i think so) he might make it at 20( if his trainer/gm gets up his dang passing) since his salary is already around 10k( salary calculator). by next season if it works out right and he pops like i think he will he can get upto 20k by at the earliest all star break o.O

This season, the level of play at training camp was especially high, and U21 management had several difficult choices to make for rounding out the opening roster. With the season starting off with the repechage tournament, 11 players were selected for the first game against Taiwan. It is expected that 4-5 callups will be made as needed throughout the season, and there are several players that will be battling hard for the remaining spots.

Here is the opening roster for the season 14 U21 team:

Daniel Chrétien (13232109)

As one of the highest paid Canadian guards in Canadian U21 history, big things are expected from Daniel Chrétien this season. Chrétien joined the U21 half way through last season, and while he played some significant minutes, he mainly served as the unofficial understudy of Philip Yates. With the age change, and a vastly different team, "DC" will be looking to step firmly into the spotlight, and emerge as a leader both on and off the court.

Germain Demers (13233749)

Demers was called up at the same time as Daniel Chrétien last season, and also brings some U21 experience to the season 15 team. A skilled and versatile big man, Germain Demers will be counted on heavily to bring some polish to the Canadian power game. With MVP potential, Demers will be a name to watch not only for this season, but as a future NT hopeful for seasons to come.

Bryan Dixon (13233331)

Drafted 42 overall by the Dunkin Wildcats in season 11, Bryan Dixon has taken a long and unconventional route to the national stage. Having been drafted by an inactive team, Dixon was saved by the national team scouting efforts, and was quickly tossed into the free agent pile. A team in Italy, Rodrighese, purchased him for a reasonable sum and proceeded to train him heavily for 2 seasons. Early in his age 20 season, Dixon was sold for $2.55 million to another Italian squad, AS Behemoth. As a member of the Behomoths, Dixon's development has continued to proceed at a rapid pace, and he is very excited to have the opportunity to play for Canada.

Tim Emerson (13233603)

One of the most prominent "bubble guys" in training camp this season, few players wanted a U21 spot as much as Tim Emerson. Having been drafted by Pszczyna Team in season 11, Emerson has spent his whole career there, and has steadily built up his game with the long term picture in mind. While it is unclear how big a role Emerson will have for the U21, he is determined to carve out a niche for himself, and do his best to bring the thunder whenever he steps on the floor.

Herman Kearns (13233235)

A member of the Lawrence Park Panthers prospect wave, Herman Kearns is perhaps the most talented. Having been drafted by P.E.I. Nighthawks in season 11, Mr.Burns pounced when he had the opportunity, and purchased Kearns during his age 18 season for $1.48 million. With Mr.Burns overseeing his development, Kearns cemented his status as a quality young player, and took over as the leading scorer for the Panthers last season. More than just a scorer, Kearns will be looking to contribute in many areas for the U21, and will be counted on to play a large role throughout the season.

Roméo Lavigne (13232229)

The second member of the Lawrence Park Panthers youth movement, Roméo Lavigne had to fight his way on to the U21 with everything he had. With his roster spot in doubt throughout training camp, Lavigne stepped up when it mattered most, and earned himself an official U21 jersey. Having been drafed as an 18 year old by the inactive PhillyflyPhilly, Lavigne wasn't eligible to be saved by national team scouts until fairly late in the season, but had luckily been auto trained by his inactive manager for weeks. Mr.Burns, at the sight another good prospect in need of a home, threw down $1.95 million to secure the services of Mr.Lavigne, and Lavigne himself has thrived ever since.

Govardhan Mohan (13232441)

Drafted with the 47th pick by MuffinTops in season 11, Mohan joined fellow draftee Timothy Austin as an 18 year old MuffinTop. While Austin was often considered to be the superior prospect, Mohan also developed very well, and has had a friendly rivalry with Austin for years. With Austin injured to start the season, the "best MuffinTop PG" controversy will be put on hold for now, althouhg Mohan will look to take advantage of his early start on the U21.

Glenn Richards (13887630)

What can you say about Glenn Richards? He is awesome. That is all. Having played a central role on the U21 for all of his age 20 season, Canada will be counting on Richards for an even better performance this season. Some people have even claimed that Richards is the best Canadian U21 player ever (at least in the first week of a new season). It will be up to Richards to live up to those claims, and all of Canada will be pulling for him.

Ulric Senneville (13232583)

First there was Numbers Ali. Then there was Paul Gaize. After a gap in season 14, the O-Rod Rockin' Rocket U21 SF factory has churned out yet another one, as Ulric Senneville arrives on the scene for Canada. While Ulric doesn't have the super cool name of Numbers Ali, or the high ceiling of Gaize, he is a good player in his own right, and will look to live up to the Rocket tradition of excellence.

Pablo Tello (13232391)

Why hello hello, it's P. Tello! Tello is rumoured to like jello, he is also quite mellow, his favourite colour is yellow, and in practice he is known to bellow. Other than that, Tello was drafted by the Thunder Bay Rabid Beavers as an 18 year old, and he eventually moved on as a free agent late in his age 19 season. His new German squad, Torgen Handlampen, quickened the pace of Tello's development, and Tello will be counted on to step in and help out in various ways for the U21 all season long. If team wide game shape problems arise during the season from eating too much jello, we know who is to blame.

Booker Wilbur (13232880)

Booker Wilbur was selected by The UTE back in the season 11 draft, and after putting on his UTE hat, his only words were "awesome!" Having been well trained by the UTE ever since, Wilbur was right to be happy that day. A master of "dunking on fools" and related areas, Booker will be looking to carve out a role as one of Canada's main bigs this season.

And there we have it, the opening 11 player roster for season 15!

Additional notes:
- every player on the team started out as an 18 year old
- 7 players are currently on Canadian teams, with 1 in Hungary, 1 in Italy, 1 in Germany, and 1 in Finland.
- 5 players on the team were "draft and trains," in the sense of having never been transferred
- Dixon and Lavigne were rescued by NT player saving efforts as 18 year olds
- Positionally, we are starting with 2 PGs, 4 SGs, 1 SF, 2 PFs, and 2 Cs.

More information will be available in the BB Canada off-site forum (available to Canadian managers who sign up): http://bbcanada.forumotion.com. The operator of the offsite forum is GM-Rip (24916), and be sure to send him a confirmation BB-Mail if you are signing up to the forum.

That's all for now...time for another U21 season. :)

Last edited by The Mogul at 1/18/2011 12:43:00 PM

This week, the U21 has expanded up to 12 players, with Ruel Duffill joining the action. Duffill was injured to start the season, but now that he is healthy and ready to play, he's been called up to the team.

Ruel Duffill (13234030)

Drafted as an 18 year old by North York BC, Duffill was immediately sold to Montreal 67s. While his role for the 67s has remained fairly small over the years, he has been developing steadily, and is used to being surrounded by excellent players. With his high BB IQ, versatility, and solid work ethic, Duffill is well prepared to step in and contribute at the U21 level.

Two new players were added to the U21 this week, for the game we played against Belgium. This brings the active roster up to 14 players, with 1 spot used on a saved player. There are 3 roster spots left to play with for the rest of the season.

Scott Fitzpatrick (14641357)

In a bit of a surprise move, center Scott Fitzpatrick became the first player in his age group to make the U21 team. His solid inside play, and quality game shape, made him the best option to join the club as "big man insurance" for the rest of the season. Having been drafted by an inactive team, Fitzpatrick was quickly saved from retirement by the national team management. An unheralded savee, he sold for a low price to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. After developing his skills for 2 seasons, Fitzpatrick was then transferred to the Greek squad F.C. Aris P. While it is unclear how much he will play for the U21 as a 20 year old, he is very excited to be on the team, and should be well prepared to compete for a larger role once he turns 21.

Lawrence Pickens (13232516)

As a fairly unique big man, the addition of Lawrence Pickens expands the options for Canada this season. Pickens almost made the team at the start of the season, and it didn't take long for him to be called up. Pickens is used to overcoming some tough odds, and the delay didn't phase him one bit. Having been drafted as an 18 year old by U of T blues, Pickens was thrown into limbo when the team folded during his age 19 season. Luckily for him, he qualified for free agency on merit, and was purchased by Celtic Guardians. His new Moldovan team had some unorthodox plans for him, but Pickens never complained, continued to work hard, and remained determined to make a name for himself.

Last edited by The Mogul at 2/4/2011 3:08:26 PM

Faced with a difficult game against Hong Kong, the Canadian U21 added 2 more players this week. These callups bring the roster up to 17 players, so there is only 1 roster spot available for the rest of the season.

Timothy Austin (13232449)

After joining the U21 for some brief action near the end of season 14, Timothy Austin had the inside track on a regular rotation spot this season. However, after suffering an injury early on, it took several weeks for Austin to get ready to contribute. While he watched from afar, Austin's teammate Govardhan Mohan shined at the PG spot for Canada. With Austin's injury troubles behind him, he is now ready to challenge Mohan for the title of top MuffinTop on the U21.

Gerry Stavridis (14641174)

From the moment he was discovered by Canadian scouts, Stavridis has been one of the highest profile young players in recent memory. After being saved from retirement early in his age 18 season, he sold for the eye popping figure of $6.2 million to HPP, proud owner of the Paper Pushers. He trained there for 2 seasons, until HPP decided to cash him in for some older players. Earlier this season, he was put back on the market, and sold this time for $3 million to GM-RiP. While Stavridis is only expected to make minor contributions to the U21 during his age 20 season, he should be a core member of the season 16 team, and has everything it takes to one day make an impact at the NT level.