NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
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.
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.