Carleton, Achonwa say attending Canada camp during WNBA break a no-brainer

TORONTO — Canada's women's basketball practice ended on Friday with a halfcourt shooting contest.

Natalie Achonwa put $20 on the line. Her Minnesota Lynx teammate Bridget Carleton hit the winner, running down the court with arms outstretched in celebration.

The fact Achonwa and Carleton are at Canada's training camp at all, during the WNBA's brief all-star break, speaks volumes about the two veterans' commitment to the national program.

"Natalie and I talked about it. Canada Basketball has been our priority," said Carleton. "The WNBA schedule is so demanding, and we don't get a lot of time with the (national) team. So any chance we do get, we want to take advantage of the time we have together to come here.

"(All-star) is our only break throughout the season. But it's worth it."

Added Achonwa: "We had a game on Wednesday and then Bridget I flew here. So practice yesterday, practice today, no stop for us."

Kia Nurse, who remained with the Phoenix Mercury to continue rehab for her torn anterior cruciate ligament, was the only notable absence from the four-day camp at the Toronto Raptors practice facility at Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

It's the first time the Canadian women have been together since they clinched a berth in the World Cup last February in Japan. And it's the last time Achonwa and Carleton will be with the team in its World Cup preparations until their WNBA season with the Lynx ends.

If the Lynx enjoy a long post-season, they wouldn't rejoin Canada until right before the World Cup tips off.

"That's why it was so important for Bridget and I to get here, to make that commitment to take the only three or four days off we'll have this year to make sure that we're here, because it matters, it matters for us to be on the court together to break bread, to spend time together," Achonwa said.

The four-day camp is the beginning of World Cup preparations for the Canadians, who went 1-1 in Japan to clinch their berth. That qualifying tournament also marked the debut of head coach Victor Lapena, who hasn't had much on-court time with his new team.

"I think we had like three practices in Japan, where we played two games to qualify for the world championships ... those weren't like casual games," Carleton said. "Obviously we haven't spent a lot of time together, he's just recently moved to Canada. But I think he's gotten to know us a lot off the court, as people, obviously he's watched a lot of film, knows how we play on the court, he's starting to build those relationships. I think that's the biggest thing.

"And we're more comfortable with him, his accent, what he says on the court, it's much different than what we're used to. So sometimes we're like, 'What? What is he saying?'"

On Friday, Lapena, a longtime coach with the Spanish national program, told the women they were playing "like Pac-Man."

"I was like, 'How does that relate to basketball?' He's like, 'You're playing like someone's chasing you all the time,'" Carleton said with a laugh. "It was like 'Oooh, OK.' Things like that. It's funny."

Bringing in an international coach was a departure for the Canadian women's program, after long stints by Canadian coaches Lisa Thomaidis and her predecessor, Allison McNeill.

Lapena's coaching resume includes 14 years with Spain's women's program, including silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2014 world championships.

The Canadian women have an exhibition game against Australia in New York at the end of July, and then will regather for camp closer to the World Cup.

Asked if their time together will be enough to prepare, Lapena said, "It's never enough."

It's particularly tough, the Spaniard added, when players have commitments to their college programs or WNBA teams that keep them from attending camps or tournaments.

"It's totally different than in Spain," he said. "All the players come always."

The Canadian women are No. 4 in the FIBA global rankings, but were ousted in the preliminary round at the Tokyo Olympics. Lapena, whose contract with Canada Basketball runs through the 2024 Paris Games, would love to tale the national women's program to another level.

He said he sees himself as a teacher, and every practice is a lesson. He's excited about the improvement he's already seen in the couple of practices so far at camp.

"You have to play good basketball, because people are spending their free time to enjoy the game. It's like you're going to the cinema, you prefer to watch a good film, no? This is the same with basketball," he said. "So, to play good basketball, you need players that the individual skills is perfect and my job is to teach them to try to see what is the development individually."

Lapena said he plans to reach out to former Raptor Jorge Garbajosa, who's now the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, about life in Toronto. He's already heard from Sergio Scariolo, head coach of Spain's men's team and former Raptors assistant.

"He said, 'You are in a very good hands, so don't worry,'" Lapena said.

The World Cup is Sept. 22 to Oct. 1 in Sydney, Australia. Canada is in Group B with Serbia, France, Japan, Mali and host Australia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2022.