While their commitment lies with regional powerhouse Canada, guard Marcus Carr and Head Coach Nathaniel Mitchell felt a deep connection to their Jamaican roots during Sunday’s FIBA World Cup qualifier and were struck by the energy surrounding basketball’s growth on the island.

Led by Carr’s 17 points, the Canadians registered a 97-81 win over Jamaica at the National Indoor Sports Centre. The victory secured Group B leader Canada’s spot in the final rounds of Americas Qualifying, while Jamaica have to wait until their final two games, including the reverse fixture against Canada, in July, to book their place.

Along with Bahamas last Thursday, Canada helped mark a historic moment as Jamaica hosted major international basketball for the first time.

Though born in Toronto, Carr’s parents were born in Jamaica and he has visited the island several times throughout his life.

The 27-year-old and his family enjoyed every second of Sunday’s game.

“The environment is very exciting because it’s my culture,” Carr said. “The music that was playing, the crowd’s getting amped — I’m finding myself in the timeout dancing a little bit, having to stay locked in. It’s definitely a great atmosphere. As a player, these are the kinds of games you want to play in. Obviously, it helps to come out with the win, but you live for the moments like this.”

“Growing up, you wish to play in games like this. The fact that I get to play in a game like this in Jamaica is definitely huge. I don’t take it for granted. I had a lot of family here supporting — one of my aunts was literally FaceTiming my dad to watch the game, even though I know he’s watching on his TV. That’s just how much it means to my family and to me, as well.”

Mitchell, who also has Jamaican parents, has been part of some great atmospheres over the years, serving as an assistant coach with several NBA teams, including champions Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, as well as Canada’s coaching staff at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, the game against the Jamaicans was one of the best he’s ever been a part of.

“I’m going to be super biased because I just love the energy and it’s my culture. So it’s going to be for me always an amazing time to just kind of remember and see and I remember calling my mom just before and saying I’m coaching a game in Kingston and I’m playing against Jamaica and it was kind of cool,” Mitchell said.

Canada’s programme is leaps and bounds above Jamaica’s as reflected in their world number five ranking. However, Mitchell says he’s impressed with the team’s competitive drive.

“Even if the game got a little bit out of hand, [Jamaica] were still in it. It gave the team a lot of energy and there’s a lot of support,” he said. “When we play them again in July, the stadium is going to have a lot of Jamaicans because we have a lot of people in Toronto. So again, a great atmosphere, you guys did a great job putting it on and can’t wait to come back.”

Carr says he’s pleased that Jamaica is putting more emphasis on basketball.

“Just to see how the game’s grown in Jamaica. Basketball’s definitely growing at a rapid rate. I remember coming here when I was really young, maybe 10 years old, and driving around for a long time trying to find that outdoor court and now we have events like this,” he said.

“Obviously, Team Jamaica, being the team that they are now, have a lot of great talent competing at this level so it’s really great to see.”

Jamaica will meet Canada again on July 6 away in either Toronto or Hamilton.

Canada basketball team Head Coach Nathaniel Mitchell.