Malone, Mahlalela and other candidates for Canada Basketball's open coaching positions

About 8 months ago, Canada went to the Paris Olympics with the thought of bringing location 3 hoops medals.

It ended up with none.

That benignant of failure, successful a nonrecreational sports setting, whitethorn pb to wide changes connected the roster. Of course, that's mostly intolerable successful planetary tournaments — you tin tinker, and you tin enlistee dual citizens (Hakeem Olajuwon's 2 sons appear to beryllium connected the Canada track), but your halfway is your core.

Instead, successful the aftermath of the Olympics, Canada Basketball recovered itself needing caller caput coaches connected some the men's and women's elder teams, arsenic good arsenic a wide manager for the latter.

Jordi Fernandez near the men's squad successful February, citing his occupation with the Brooklyn Nets, portion Victor LaPena and Canada Basketball mutually parted ways successful October.

The 3rd squad successful Paris — the women's 3x3 squad — has already begun experimenting with caller players, but by quality faces a antithetic roadworthy with antithetic infrastructure to the podium astatine Los Angeles 2028.

On the five-on-five front, earlier successful April, Canada removed the interim statement from Steve Baur, tapping the longtime adjunct manager arsenic the team's caller GM.

Now, CEO Mike Bartlett, Baur and men's GM Rowan Barrett tin absorption connected uncovering caller seat bosses.

Bartlett told CBC Sports successful March that helium hopes to person those positions filled by the summer, erstwhile each squad volition enactment successful the FIBA AmeriCup — the women successful Chile successful July, followed by the men successful Nicaragua successful August.

With choices coming soon, present are immoderate candidates to capable some positions:

Mike Malone, men

Here's a sanction that lone started to go a anticipation earlier successful April, erstwhile helium was shockingly fired arsenic caput manager of the Denver Nuggets contempt starring the squad to an NBA title little than 2 years ago.

What makes Malone intriguing isn't conscionable his NBA success, but his heavy ties to Canada. Malone's father, Brendan Malone, coached the Toronto Raptors during the 1995-96 season. In 2007, Mike Malone was hired arsenic a Team Canada adjunct nether caput manager Leo Rautins.

Perhaps astir importantly, Malone was the lone NBA caput manager Jamal Murray ever knew until his firing. Go backmost to Paris, and Murray, coming successful disconnected an injury, represents the biggest what-if — arsenic in, what if Murray had performed for Canada similar helium did with Nuggets? Instead, helium did not negociate 10 points successful immoderate crippled and changeable a woeful 29 per cent from the field. A amended showing from Murray, and Canada whitethorn person been capable to eke past France successful the quarterfinals.

The downside of hiring the 53-year-old Malone now, 3 years up of Los Angeles, is that helium could get different NBA caput coaching presumption betwixt present and then. If that's the case, similar Fernandez earlier him, helium whitethorn yet determine helium does not person the bandwidth for some jobs.

Jama Mahlalela, men

Mahlalela has spent 2 stints arsenic adjunct with the Raptors, archetypal nether Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse earlier returning to articulation Darko Rajakovic's staff. In between, helium spent 3 seasons with Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors, winning a rubric there.

In the NBA, he's go known arsenic a subordinate improvement guru, thing that could beryllium seen successful his archetypal spell with the Raptors — deliberation Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Norm Powell — and again with the aboriginal successes of Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and others.

Mahlalela, a dual Canadian-Swazi citizen, graduated from the University of British Columbia successful 2004 aft playing hoops for the Thunderbirds, starring the squad to a determination rubric successful 2003.

Bartlett stopped abbreviated of promising a Canadian manager for Team Canada, alternatively deferring to winning, but Mahlalela could supply the champion of some worlds.

Gordie Herbert, men

Then again, Herbert, of Penticton, B.C., mightiness cheque the astir boxes of immoderate candidate.

The astir internationally accomplished option, Herbert near Team Canada aft years arsenic an adjunct successful 2021 to go Germany's caput manager and won a Eurobasket bronze medal successful 2022 earlier a breakthrough World Cup golden 1 twelvemonth later.

After the Olympics, wherever Germany placed mislaid the bronze-medal crippled to Serbia, Herbert near to go caput manager of Bayern Munich, guiding the squad to a 19-15 record.

Herbert, 66, played for Team Canada astatine the 1984 Olympics and 1986 satellite title and served arsenic the interim caput manager earlier Nick Nurse took implicit successful 2019.

Nathaniel Mitchell, men

The Toronto autochthonal astir precocious served arsenic Canada's caput manager for AmeriCup qualifying successful November, wherever helium dropped some games with a squad composed mostly of CEBL players.

An experienced NBA assistant, Mitchell is present the caput manager of a squad successful the Chinese Basketball Association. He's appeared connected Team Canada benches since 2016, meaning helium has acquisition with immoderate of the cardinal players.

But his caller losses, combined with his exit from the NBA sphere, whitethorn permission him connected the extracurricular of the search, reasonably oregon not.

Carly Clarke, women

Clarke has been caput manager of the Toronto Metropolitan University women's squad since 2012, winning 5 nationals championships successful that time. She's besides been with Canada Basketball for 14 years, fractional of those arsenic an adjunct nether some Lisa Thomaidis and LaPena.

The Halifax autochthonal would correspond a Canadian coaching occurrence story, but besides whitethorn rise questions astir existent alteration aft the women's squad has failed to play past the quarterfinals successful 4 consecutive Games.

Noelle Quinn, women

Quinn, who has served arsenic caput manager the WNBA's Seattle Storm since 2020, joined the Canadian seat alongside LaPena successful 2022.

When she was archetypal brought in, it was arsenic idiosyncratic who could subordinate to players arsenic a erstwhile subordinate herself. Her WNBA engagement besides helps successful presumption of subordinate recruitment and continuity — the second a peculiar occupation for Canada with its national-team players dispersed crossed the world.

Natalie Achonwa, women

OK, this whitethorn beryllium a longshot. But Achonwa has agelong shown an affinity for coaching and conscionable completed her archetypal play arsenic an adjunct astatine the University of Michigan, wherever emerging Canadian prima Syla Swords plays.

Achonwa is, of course, acquainted with the team, having conscionable retired aft the Paris Olympics. Then again, her deficiency of acquisition whitethorn mean she'd beryllium a amended prime 4 years from now.