Former Gonzaga standouts Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Pangos on Canada's extended roster for World Cup
Jul. 14—Former Gonzaga teammates Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Pangos have been named to Canada's extended roster for the FIBA World Cup next month.
Olynyk, from Kamloops, B.C., and Pangos, from Holland Landing, Ontario, both have extensive experience on Canadian national teams.
The extended roster of 18 features numerous NBA players, including Olynyk, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort and Dwight Powell.
The roster will be trimmed to 12 for the FIBA World Cup, which will be held Aug. 25-Sept. 10 with the group phase taking place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The final phase will be held in Manila.
Canada, No. 15th in the latest FIBA world rankings, faces France on Aug. 25, Lebanon on Aug. 27 and Latvia on Aug. 29 in Group H in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The 7-foot Olynyk, a 10-year NBA veteran who made 39.4% on 3-point attempts and averaged 12.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season for Utah, is a candidate to start.
The 6-1 Pangos, who played in 24 games for Cleveland in the 2022 season, adds depth to a talented backcourt that includes projected starters Murray and Gilgeous-Alexander.
Pangos averaged 8.9 points and 3.4 assists for Milano (Italy) in EuroLeague play last season.
Canada's training camp will be Aug. 1-6 in Toronto before the team plays several exhibition games in Germany and Spain.
Former Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura announced recently he's concentrating on his NBA career and won't play for his native Japan. Hachimura has re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, who acquired the 6-8 forward from Washington in January.
Former Zag standout Domantas Sabonis also will miss the World Cup. The Lithuanian standout is recovering from a thumb injury that he played through while leading Sacramento to the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
