(OTTAWA, ONT.) – Team Canada gained valuable experience in a tough match, falling 95-56 to Türkiye on Saturday at the IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil.
Broden Nagle had a team-high 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in what Team Canada’s Under-23 Head Coach Darrell Nordell called a learning experience.
“It’s a learning. Each game is going to be a learning,” Nordell said. “We knew ahead of time that Türkiye was going to press us after watching their game against Israel on Friday. We struggle with the press. That’s something we’ve got to continue to work on.
“When Türkiye let us get back into the play and play our offensive game, we put up 56 points – I think that’s a positive for us.”
Ibrahim Odza chipped in 14 points, four assists and three rebounds, while captain Nasif Chowdhury added eight points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Trailing 54-25 at halftime, Canada played to a tighter third period, being outscored by just two points in the quarter.
Nagle had 12 points in the period to lead Canadian scorers.
“Broden came out in the third quarter, relaxed, found where we were going to pick for him, used the space, cut and then he took the time and put the shots in that we needed for him to put in,” Nordell said.
Up next, Canada faces Israel on Sunday at 10 a.m. EDT/7 a.m. PDT. The game can be live streamed on the IWBF YouTube channel.
The IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championship brings together the top 12 nations. Canada is competing in Group A alongside Australia, Israel, Germany, Türkiye and Brazil.
Traditionally held every four years, the tournament showcases the best young talent in the sport. Athletes must be 22 years of age or younger to be eligible to compete. This year marks the eighth edition of the event. Canada captured back-to-back gold medals in 1997 and 2001.
Complete stats from Saturday’s game can be found here. The tournament schedule and results can be found here.
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal over the last nine Paralympic Games. WBC will host the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from September 9-19, 2026.
For more information on WBC, please visit Wheelchairbasketball.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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