It was a historic day for Canadian basketball.
Canada upset the United States 67-65 on Sunday to win the first FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in program history.
Team USA had won the previous seven tournaments before the Canadians took the crown on Sunday.
Canada trailed the U.S. by one after the third quarter, but then outscored the Americans 19-16 in the fourth to come away with the gold medal.
Point guard Javion Tyndale, 17, led the way for the Canadians with 19 points, eight assists and three steals in the win over the U.S.
The Mississauga, Ont., native was named tournament MVP after leading the Canadians in both points and assists.
Tyndale was also named to the tournament’s All-Star Five alongside Canadian teammate Lyris Robinson.
Robinson scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in the final.
“The thing that fuelled me was just the chemistry on our team,” Robinson said after the win, per Canada Basketball. “We knew coming into this tournament that we were one of the best teams here, and that we had a chance to win it all. I’m a player that loves to win and make winning plays, so seeing my teammates fight the same way I was fighting — that’s what it takes to win a championship.
“From training camp, we kept saying we wanted to prove Canada was the best team in the world. I think now people are going to respect Canada Basketball even more. We put the world on notice this week.”
