The fourth Alexander provides the spark for Canada

MANILA (Philippines) - There's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. There's Nickeil Alexander-Walker. There's Kyle Alexander. And then there's the fourth Alexander, the one you probably know better as RJ Barrett.

His full name is Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr, not to be confused with Rowan Alexander Barrett Sr, his father, who was right there in the first row behind the basket at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. He's not just a dad, he's not just a fan, he's on there as the general manager of Canada Basketball.

But still... being the father will always be the highest priority.

Early in the second half of the Quarter-Finals game against Slovenia, RJ went in for a lefty layup. He got to the rim but left it short, not getting enough spin on the ball to finish the layup. A loud thump could be heard in that first row, as Rowan Sr hit the table, more in encouragement than in anger.

"You know, as a father, you want him to make every single shot," Dad said, laughing because he was caught in that emotional reaction.

He hides them pretty well otherwise. Just a nod of the head, a silent fist bump to his colleagues, just no exuberant celebrations out of respect for all of those around him.

That's harder than it looks, imagine being in front of 11,710 in the arena, plus who knows how many millions watching worldwide, and your son flies in for 13 points in the third quarter, 24 on the night, including a number of thunderous dunks over the Slovenian defenders.

And you just have to sit still.

"He's still a young player. His name has been out there for some time, but sometimes you forget that he just turned 23. There's a level of experience you need to perform in these tournaments. So to see him handling the physicality, the changes in tactics and all of that, it's good for a young player," Rowan Sr said.

 

 

The "his name has been out there" started somewhere in the summer of 2017, at least in international basketball. A 17-year-old RJ Barrett led Canada to a historic gold medal at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, averaging 21.6 points per game and earning the MVP award.

Six years passed, and he's gone from a slim teen into a beast with the weight of the world on his shoulders any time he put on his Duke or New York Knicks jersey.

"I'm very proud of him," Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez said.

"When we put together this team, obviously all of these guys, they all have jobs, they all have rules. On your (club) team you may score a lot of points, but on this team, you may have a different job, a different assignment. I can tell you that today I was very proud of RJ, how aggressive he was, how he ran the floor, how he rebounded the ball, he led the team in defensive rebounds, and that helps the team to start the fast break and play fast. RJ did his job at a high level today, that's one of the reasons why we won the game," coach Fernandez added after the fast and furious episode in the Quarter-Finals.

It was Barrett's second 20-point game in this FIBA Basketball World Cup. He had 22 points against Latvia, and is averaging 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 29 minutes per game.

"We went out there and did it as a unit. Everybody played hard together, we were fighting, and that's the best part about it," Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr kept the team-first mentality in his post-game quotes.

"What you see from our team is that it could be anybody. Of course, Shai is the head of the snake. He's always gonna do what he does, but just in terms of everyone else - last game it was Dillon (Brooks), the game before that Lu (Dort) played well. It could be anybody on our team that has a night. That's one of our strengths," he added.

Canada have made it to the Semi-Finals of the World Cup for the first time ever. Barrett will now face his high-school teammate Filip Petrusev and the rest of the Serbian squad in the battle for a spot in the Final, knowing a big goal was already achieved with an Olympic ticket booked for Paris 2024.

The men in red and white are putting the nation back on the map, and reaching the Semi-Finals could become a regularity with the amount of talent coming through their program and through the NBA and NCAA.

"We're showing that we're such a hard-working team. When we come together and listen to what the coaches are telling us to do, we can be special."

Even more special than the squad in 2000, when the older Rowan Alexander with the #9 on his back led Canada to their last Olympic appearance. That jersey is framed in their house.

Now they need to make room for another one. RJ deserved it with his performances in 2023.

FIBA