Canadian Women’s U23 Team wins it all at inaugural GLOBL JAM tournament

Every young athlete dreams of representing their country at the highest level. Canada Basketball and Sportsnet set out to celebrate that with the inaugural GLOBL JAM tournament.

Intended to bring young ballers from all over the world together for a tournament that would put them in the spotlight, GLOBL JAM was a week full of great hoops, fresh talent, and putting Canada on the world basketball map.

There was a tournament for both men’s and women’s teams that allowed them to compete in a round robin style tournament before heading to final rounds that took place this weekend. All teams consisted of players that were 23 years old or younger — an effort to celebrate the next generation of hoopers.

As the host country, Canada’s teams did not disappoint. The Men’s team went 2-1 in round robin competition and faced the USA in the semi-final, losing to the red, white and blue by just six points.

The Women’s team went undefeated throughout the entire tournament, winning five games in a row to be crowned GLOBL Jam’s inaugural winners. After sailing through the round robin, they beat the USA in the semi-final and then France in Sunday’s final for the gold!

The squad had a few familiar faces from Canada’s Senior National Team — Shaina Pellington and Aaliyah Edwards, as well as Merissah Russell (who was an alternate on the Tokyo Olympics squad — were some of Canada’s stars the event.

It was Aaliyah Edwards, who made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games straight out of her freshman season at the University of Connecticut, who won tournament MVP for Canada.

One of the main takeaways from Canada’s performance at this tournament on both the women’s and men’s side was how exciting the future of Canada Basketball looks. This tournament only further proved how Canada is cementing itself as a giant in the basketball world.

With some of these young athletes sure to make a Senior Men’s or Women’s team roster in the future, we can be sure that our teams will continue to go far in competitions big and small.

Plus, the celebration and support that GLOBL JAM had from fans and celebrities alike just shows that the fans are excited for what’s to come!

The tournament also emphasized Community Engagement by having the athletes from all countries participate in a community service day that allowed them to give back to various Toronto-based organizations.

Make sure to follow these young athletes as they continue to thrive on their NCAA teams, and grow the number of Canadians representing in professional basketball leagues all over the world!