The 2022-23 NCAA men’s college basketball season is set to kick-off with 131 Canadian players on opening day rosters.
The number is down from a record high 160 in 2020-21 and 156 in 2021-22.
The transfer portal continues to have a major impact on recruiting, specifically on the freshman class, as just twenty-four (24) true freshmen committed to NCAA D1 programs.
A total of 51 players entered the portal and transferred schools. Ten (10) players transferred to UPORTS basketball, seven (7) to NCAA Division II and three (3) to National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) level.
Additionally, four players moved-up from NJCAA to division I college basketball and we had our very first transfer from a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) to NCAA.
A busy off season also saw the return of games between Canadian universities versus NCAA division I teams. Furthermore, Canada basketball also introduced their annual under-23 GLOBL Jam tournament. Thus providing an early glimpse into some of the top players playing this season.
There are 22 teams that have multiple Canadians on their roster. The Maine Bears lead the pack with six players from Canada, followed by Northeastern with four, and Oregon with three.
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City breakdown & analysis
Top cities include Toronto with twenty-two (22) players, Montreal with twenty-one (21), twelve from Brampton, seven from Mississauga and Ottawa with four. Overall, a total of 58 players or 44% percent of the players call the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home.
Provincial breakdown & analysis
On the provincial landscape, Ontario continues to produce the lion share of the Canadian NCAA basketball athletes. However, that number is down from 68.1% percent two years ago.
The interesting development is Quebec’s increasing influence on college basketball. Nearly 22.4% percent of the Canadian players playing NCAA division I basketball. That number is up from 18.8 percent during the 2020-21 season. Alberta also continues to rise as more players come from western provinces.
Class breakdown
Since COVID-19, keeping track of players’ NCAA eligibility has been nothing short of a nightmare. Student-athletes retained their year of eligibility from the NCAA regardless of participation in the 2020-21 season.
Various schools have adopted different ways of reporting a player’s experience, some have added the extra COVID-year, while others have excluded it.
Conference breakdown
The American East conference has the most Canadian players with 14. Followed by the Pac-12 with nine players. Thirty-four (34) players are in power six conferences, playing on high-major teams.
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Paul Osbourne
January 12, 2023 at 11:52 AM
Why is Scarborough not included in Toronto stats?
Edilson J. Silva
January 12, 2023 at 1:07 PM
Hey Paul. Thanks for your comment!
The great hometown debate. This one is always a tough one, specially within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Generally speaking, Toronto area players are more specific about representing their ‘boroughs’ within the GTA. While players from areas like Pickering, Oshawa etc. claim themselves from Toronto.
The same case can also be made within the Montreal/Quebec region region.
As a general rule of thumb, we go with what players and NCAA schools publish on player profiles. Necessary adjustments are made when required based on previous historical information.
Hopefully that’s a valid response. What are your thoughts on this?