MANILA -- Canada men’s national team coach Jordi Fernandez wants the Road Warriors to follow the footsteps of their women’s basketball counterparts, which have enjoyed massive international success in the past decade.

“There’s only one Canadian that has been an Olympian twice. Shona [Thorburn]. We want to be like her,” Fernandez said, pointing to the two-time Olympian.

Thorburn, now 41, is currently a FIBA commentator; in an incredible coincidence, the former Canadian women’s basketball guard sat beside Fernandez during the press conference where the latter remarked the line.

“That’s our goal. It’s to get to the Olympics, to fight together, to represent Canada that hasn’t been there, the men’s program, in 24 years. That’s what we’re fighting for,” Fernandez said.

Although there is some inaccuracy to Fernandez’s remark as Natalie Achonwa and Miranda Ayim have gone to represent Canada in three Olympic tournaments while six others have played in two, his point was clear.

Mostly under the tutelage of Lisa Thomaidis, the currently fifth-ranked Canadian women’s basketball team have been to three straight Olympiads from 2012 to 2020, enjoying a golden era in its program.

In contrast, the men’s squad has not been in the world’s biggest sports spectacle since the 2000 edition in Sydney; Fernandez wants his players to aspire for that very benchmark.

“Our main goal is to make it to the Olympics. It’s one goal at a time,” he said.

Convincingly, the Canadians are off to a rousing start in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 so far, sweeping in their group phase in Jakarta, Indonesia while routing opponents by an average of 37 points.

• FIBA: Canada takes down Latvia to claim Group H top seed
• FIBA: Canada puts on a show, crushes Lebanon
• FIBA: Canada makes statement with rout of France

They served title contenders France a 30-point beatdown to open their campaign, set a World Cup record 44 assists in a 55-point blowout win over Lebanon, before closing Group H with a 26-point victory over Latvia last Tuesday.

Fernandez, a Spanish national and the current Sacramento Kings associate head coach, credited the red and white’s early success to teamwork.

“Everybody’s been talking about how talented we are, but that’s not the definition of a team. These guys have approached every single day since August first to build a team, and that goes with everything,” Fernandez said.

Through three games, Canada leads the 32-team field in average points (108.0) and assists (29.0), and ranks second in three-point percentage at 42.9.

“When you set a record, it just says a lot about what these guys are trying to do. Obviously, they believe in themselves but they show up every day and work very hard. That’s what matters the most,” he added.

With an ambitious yet realistic goal in mind, Canada’s players approach the second round with an even hungrier mentality as they try to make history and equal their women’s basketball counterparts.

“The gold medal is my focus,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’re not done. We’re not satisfied. We have five more games to try and go win.”

“It’s history, right? To play for your country is one step, to represent it well is another,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker added.

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“Job’s not done. We didn’t come here just to win the group stage. We came here to win the World Cup. So that’s one step further and one step closer. Ultimately, just staying focused and getting better every day and taking it one day at a time.”

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