IZMIR (FIBA World Championship) - While some people may look at the team Canada has sent to Turkey as young and inexperienced, the truth is they have been building towards this moment for a long time.

With Canada having not played at a major international tournament since the 2002 FIBA World Championship, many on this team – including Jermaine Anderson, Olu Famutini, Andy Rautins, Jermaine Bucknor and Levon Kendall - have been a part of coach Leo Rautins’ long term plan to get Canada basketball back to the pinnacle.

For point guard Anderson, his team’s first game against Lebanon later today (6:00pm local time, 28 August) is a special occasion. “No one on our team has played (at a world championship) except Leo, the coach!” Anderson laughed.

“A lot of us have been together for four to six years, and have been just working to get to the Olympics or the World Championships, and this is the first time for all of us who are playing right now. So there is excitement for Canada basketball, we haven’t been in anything since 2002. We are a bit anxious, but we are ready to go.”

Over that period the team has developed a strong on-court identity, and the 27 year old Triumph Lyubertsy import is confident it will hold up in this tournament. “Things are good when we are able to get stops in a row. When we are able to get two or three stops consecutively and get out and run and get good shots,” Anderson said.

“Our pressure defence, that’s our identity. Especially when our shots are not dropping, we have got to be able to get stops. If we can pressure the ball and take them out of their stuff, hopefully that can lead to fast breaks.”

And Anderson said not to expect a slow down, grind out affair when Canada is on the court. “You can expect to see a rat race. Hopefully the shots will go down for us and hopefully we will get the stops, but we will definitely be playing fast - I promise you that!”

As for Lebanon, who defeated Canada just days ago, the 188cm veteran of three FIBA Americas Championships has had to learn their style quickly. “They don’t do the norm. The Europeans come down and they are all structured, but they (Lebanon) just play. So we just have to be ready for anything – they just play and they play very hard,” he said

Anderson sees the forward combination of Matt Freije and Jackson Vroman as the biggest challenge for the Canada defence. “We have just got to deny them, as they can both post up and shoot threes.

“So the bigs have to push up on them on the perimeter, try and fight them in the low post and keep them off the boards.”

Anderson is also looking forward to the energy the Lebanese fans will bring. “I am hoping that every seat will be filled. The big crowd definitely gives you extra energy, extra excitement. I don’t know how many Canadian fans there will be, but I don’t care even if it’s all Lebanon fans, as long as it’s full I’ll be happy!”

And while many teams have a specific round they would like to reach in the FIBA World Championship, after waiting so long to get here Anderson is more worried about how his team goes about it. “I am definitely going to try and seize the moment and try to make the most of every opportunity on the floor.

“To not go away from the tournament saying we should have done that, or we could have done this as a team, or prepared this way. If we prepare and play every minute as if it’s our last I’ll be happy, no matter how far we go or how many games we win.”

FIBA