Quiet leader Nembhard not worried about pressure of home Canadian crowd

TORONTO (FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018) - Andrew Nembhard isn't the kind of player to shy away from a big moment, and the quiet leader is not worried about any pressure from playing the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018 in front of his home Canadian fans.

Canada's hopes for their first U18 Americas title will lay heavily on the shoulders of Nembhard, who will be guiding the hosts in St. Catharines - located about two hours from his home town of Aurora.

"Playing at home may add some extra pressure to other guys but personally I just see it as a great opportunity to play in front of our fans and show them how much Canada Basketball has improved over the last few years," said Nembhard, who hasn't played back home much since he transferred to the esteemed Montverde Academy in Florida.

Nembhard is one of a growing number of examples of how much basketball in the country is excelling. He teamed up with superstar fellow 2000-born RJ Barrett - who will not be playing in St. Catherines - to win the Geico High School Nationals Boys Championship with Montverde.

"Going to Montverde and playing against elite high school competition these last couple of years definitely boosted my confidence and prepared me to play for the U18 team this summer and take on a bigger stage. It's something I look forward to now," said Nembhard, who helped the academy to their fourth US high school crown since 2013.

The U18 tournament will not be Nembhard's first action on the international stage. He helped Canada to second place at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2015 and then finished fifth at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016.

But those two tournaments also gave Nembhard the experience of tough moments to deal with and from which to grow.

In the U16 Americas final, Canada were leading 23-3 against the United States after 11 minutes but ended up losing 77-60. And a summer later, after having lost in the Quarter-Finals the previous two U17 World Cups, Nembhard couldn't keep Canada from losing to Turkey at the same stage and the North Americans ended up fifth with just the one defeat.

All that experience has helped Nembhard become a real leader - a role he looks forward to playing in St. Catherines, where Canada have been drawn into Group B with Argentina, Chile and Ecuador.

"I love having the opportunity to be able to come in, be one of the more experienced guys on the team and take on a leadership role to help us win as many games as possible," said Nembhard, who will be playing collegiately next season at the University of Florida.

"PLAYING AT HOME MAY ADD SOME EXTRA PRESSURE TO OTHER GUYS BUT PERSONALLY I JUST SEE IT AS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN FRONT OF OUR FANS AND SHOW THEM HOW MUCH CANADA BASKETBALL HAS IMPROVED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS."Nembhard

Canadian fans should not expect the 6ft 4in (1.92m) playmaker to make many mistakes.

"He doesn't collapse under the pressure. He has the ability to give the team exactly what it needs," said Michael Meeks, the manager of Canada's Men's Youth Player Development and U18 assistant coach. "He can go out and score, he's had big scoring nights for Montverde and for us, but the thing is, he can impact the game outside of just scoring the ball and that's a lot harder to find in a player."

It's all a matter of just playing within yourself, Nembard said, adding: "I just try not to force things and let my game speak for me. I want to win as many games as possible for my country this year."

Winning those games in front of the home fans is just an added bonus for Nembhard - not an added pressure.

FIBA