The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Canadians Bennedict Mathurin and Shaedon Sharpe took very different paths to the NBA, but their pro dreams were realized just minutes apart on Thursday.
Mathurin, a 20-year-old from Montreal who starred at the University of Arizona, was selected sixth by the Indiana Pacers. Moments later the Blazers took a chance on Sharpe, a 19-year-old from London, Ont., who didn't play a single college game, with the seventh pick.
"I feel like I'm a winner," said Mathurin. "I'm a really competitive guy. Off the court, I feel I'm a pretty funny guy. I like doing a lot of fun stuff."
It's only the second time in history that two Canadians have gone in the top 10 in the NBA draft. In 2014, Andrew Wiggins was taken first overall by Cleveland, and Sacramento took Nik Stauskas with the No. 8 pick.
Two more Canadians went back to back in the second round. Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard joined Mathurin at Indiana, selected by the Pacers at No. 31, while Caleb Houstan was selected at No. 32 by Orlando.
The Pacers now have three Canadians, along with Toronto native Oshae Brissett.
"Canadian Pacers," Brissett tweeted.
Canada has had 37 players chosen since the draft went to two rounds in 1989, the second most of any country behind the U.S.
"What a night, for four young men who have achieved their dreams by working hard and representing Canada with pride. And Canada is proud of them! See thee rise," tweeted Canada Basketball CEO Mike Bartlett.
Mathurin joins a Pacers team that finished a lowly 25-47 last season.
The six-foot-six guard/forward became the first Canadian to attend the NBA Academy in Mexico City back in 2018. The draft broadcast showed live footage of the current academy players cheering him on.
Mathurin then played two seasons at the University of Arizona, winning the Pac-12 Tournament's most outstanding player honours, and averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game this year.
He scored 30 points in a big game in the second round of March Madness, helping Arizona beat Texas Christian University in overtime.
Broadcasters compared Mathurin's game to the Toronto Raptors' OG Anunoby.
"We have a pretty good team and I'm looking forward to having an impact right away," Mathurin said. "The staff was really good to me when I went there for my team workout. I feel like they believe in me. Having people trust in my game is great."
Mathurin, whose parents are from Haiti -- he speaks English, French, Spanish and Creole -- hugged his mom and sister before walking up to the Barclay Center stage. He drew rave reviews for his burgundy and black floral suit.
Sharpe, a 6-6 wing, was a five-star recruit when he enrolled at Kentucky in January. But he never played for the Wildcats, and while it was expected that would change in 2022-23, he raised eyebrows by declaring for the draft instead. He hasn't played significant five-on-five action since a high school game in October.
"Going from high school to college and not playing your college season and then straight to the NBA, it's quite the journey. But every step of the way I've just fought and had fun with it," Sharpe said.
Sharpe looks forward to playing with all-star guard Damian Lillard.
"He's a great guard himself and he's been in this league for some time now, so I just can't wait to really learn from him," Sharpe said.
Nembhard, who played for Canada's national team at the 2019 World Cup in China, spent four years in the NCAA, transferring from Florida to Gonzaga for his final two years. Gonzaga went undefeated in the 2020-21 regular season before losing to Baylor in the NCAA final. The Bulldogs were eliminated in the third round this year.
The 22-year-old from Aurora, Ont., showed well at the draft combine last month, dominating one five-on-five scrimmage with 26 points and 11 assists.
Houstan, a 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., averaged 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists with the University of Michigan this season.
Coach Nick Nurse said it was a great night for the Canadians.
"Four in the top 32? And two in the top seven? So really good," said Nurse, head coach of Team Canada and the Toronto Raptors. " (Mathurin) obviously, it's a super high pick, but I thought he played great when I saw him, and obviously he played great for (Canada's under-19 team)."
Nurse added that Nembhard was "spectacular" when he came to Toronto for a workout.
"So another great night, really, for Canada, and basketball in the country," the coach said. "And congratulations to not only all those guys and their families but all the coaches who helped get those guys there."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2022.
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money trial are moving deeper into his orbit following an inside-the-room account about the former president's reaction to a politically damaging recording that surfaced in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign.
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.