Team Canada fired the wrong basketball coach

LILLE, France — Lisa Thomaidis was pushed out as head coach of Team Canada’s women’s basketball team after the last Olympic Games.

In retrospect, that was probably a mistake.

Thomaidis has coached 19th ranked Germany to the playoff round of the women’s basketball tournament of the Olympics Games.

Meanwhile, Victor Lapena, who replaced Thomaidis, has coached 5th ranked Canada to one game away from round robin elimination in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament.

Oddly, both Germany’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are coached by Canadians. The undefeated men’s team is headed up by former Raptors assistant coach Gord Herbert, who led Germany to a surprising gold medal at last summer’s FIBA World Cup.

Oddly, both Canadian teams are coached by Spaniards, and so far the Jordi Fernandez coached men’s team are unbeaten in two games.

But the Canadian women have been a grand disappointment here. They lost their second straight game to Australia on Thursday by a 70-65 score that flattered the Canadians.

Team Canada wasn’t really in the game much in the second half. They trailed by 12 with less than two minutes to play. They pushed the score close late, which could help them qualify for the playoff round, but only if they beat Nigeria in their next game since Nigeria lost to France on Thursday.

The Germans, meanwhile, missing their star player Nyara Sabally, beat Japan 75-64 to remain unbeaten. And many of the players, while walking through the mixed zone, credited the turnaround in German basketball to the Canadian coach, Thomaidis.

“She’s been such a large factor for us,” said Satou Sabally, who had 33 points for Germany Thursday. “I don’t think we’re in this position if it wasn’t for her. She’s brought a real sense and purpose to our program.”

Thomaidis, who was ostensibly fired after the Tokyo Olympics, didn’t figure another national team opportunity would come her way after Team Canada said goodbye.

“It’s bizarre how all this happened,” the University of Saskatchewan coach said Thursday. “I got a call when I was on vacation. Would you be interested in coaching the German Olympic team? It didn’t take me long to say yes.”

Lapena, the Team Canada coach, has little clear explanation for why his team seemed ill prepared for their tournament opener against France but played slightly better against a tougher opponent against Australia. Still, when the game got close, Canada had few answers for Australia.

“In these moments, we have to take a breath, and be patient,” said the coach. They may take a breath, be patient, and be out of the Olympics before you know it.

That’s rather heartbreaking for Team Canada captain Natalie Achonwa, in her fourth Olympic Games. She believed this team was ready to compete. It hasn’t necessarily shown that in two loses.

And typical of a veteran, she blamed herself. “You can’t miss four free throws in a tight game,” she said. “I’m better than that.”

The Olympics for this Canadians group is bigger than that, even if it hasn’t looked that way here.

“To know we’re representing Canada,” she said. “We do that regardless of the score, regardless of the outcome. We do that with how we show up and how we continue to show up.

“I know if I leave everything on the floor, if we play like we played today, I’d be proud to look any Canadian in the face and say I represented you well.”

In the loss to Australia, Canada was led by Bridget Carleton with 19 points, which tied the Aussies top scorer, Sami Whitcomb in game high scoring. The Aussies shot 48% from the field way better than the Canadian number of 35%. Kia Nurse, who was second in scoring for Canada, hit on just 3 of 14 shots.

Canada plays Nigeria in its third game on Sunday. That could very well end the Olympics for them and who knows what the future of Lapena as coach would be then, though he’s signed through the 2026 World Cup.