The 2023-24 NCAA men’s college basketball season has kicked off with a bang. A jam-packed, thrilling, and cutthroat non-conference schedule has laid the foundation for what should be another upset-filled season that has already delivered top-notch games typically reserved for late March.
Building on the success and continuing the momentum of previous years, the current season boasts a total of 135 Canadian players participating in men’s Division I basketball.
A busy off-season saw eight of last season’s top Canadian NCAA scorers change teams through the transfer portal. Additionally, seven underclassmen players tested the 2023 NBA Draft waters, while two players were added to the NBA via the traditional NCAA route.
Despite changes in uniforms, a mix of talented freshman players and exceptional upperclassmen (including juniors, seniors, and super seniors) continue to form the foundation and nucleus of what is sure to be a thrilling and unforgettable season for Canadian NCAA basketball athletes.
After testing the 2022 NBA Draft, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, Zach Edey, is back for his fourth season and is once again the front-runner to win college basketball’s top individual award. He could become just the third player (Bill Walton 3x, Ralph Sampson x3) in NCAA history to win the prestigious award two years in a row.
Edey’s impressive off-season conditioning improvements and hot start to the 2023-24 season should continue to elevate his status as a potential lottery to mid-first-round pick in the June 2024 NBA Draft.
The Canadian NCAA talent doesn’t end there. Just like last year, when we witnessed the late emergence of Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Charles Bediako as potential NBA Draft picks, this season could also see the rise of several Canadian players as potential late second-round picks.
Senior players from high-major teams, such as Emanuel Miller from Texas Christian, Tyrese Samuel from Florida, Jahmly Telfort from Butler Bulldogs, Fardaws Aimaq from California, and Ben Krikke from Iowa, are all enjoying breakout seasons and could potentially be involved in the NBA Draft and G League Elite Camp processes come May 2024.
Additionally, the sudden rise of guards Xavian Lee (Princeton), Vasean Allette (Old Dominion), Kellen Tynes (Maine), Miguel Tomley (Idaho State), Hasan Abdul-Hakim (Texas Rio Grande Valley), as well as forwards Nana Owusu-Anane (Brown) and Frank Mitchell (Canisius), shows that there is plenty of Canadian talent at the mid-major level.
Not to mention, there is also a strong cohort of international players with connections to Canada who are ready to make themselves known to Canadian basketball fans.
Dual-citizenship, international Canadian NCAA star power
Sophomore Emanuel Sharp, a six-foot-three guard and former four-star recruit born in Tel Aviv, Israel, who calls Tampa Bay, Florida home, is the second-leading scorer on an extremely talented Houston Cougars team. Sharp’s mother, Justine Ellison Sharp, enjoyed a decorated five-year career with the Toronto Varsity Blues and is highly regarded as one of the top 100 U SPORTS female players of all-time.
Auburn Tigers’ freshman guard Aden Holloway surprised everybody when his name appeared on the list of Canadians at the prestigious 2023 Nike Hoop Summit. Holloway, a five-star recruit and a McDonald’s High School All-American, has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship through his mother, Robin Raimey, who was born in Calgary.
Another highly touted international recruit with direct family ties to Canada is six-foot-eight, Swiss-born Miami Hurricanes freshman guard, Kyshawn George. George’s father, Deon (Pierrefonds, Que.) scored 1288 points during his 111 career games at Saint Francis (PA) and represented Canada at the 1991 World Championship for junior men in Edmonton, Canada. Kyshawn has played for Switzerland at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B.
Upon careful examination of the data, it is evident that Canada boasts a wealth of talented basketball players capable of upholding the continuous three-year (2021-2023) NBA Draft streak. Furthermore, there are numerous student athletes who possess the necessary skills to make significant contributions to U SPORTS, CEBL, G League, EuroLeague, and our senior men’s national team.
Uncover valuable insights by thoroughly analyzing the BasketballBuzz NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker for the 2023-24 season. Use sorting and multi-select filtering options such as name, school, position, class, hometown, province, height, weight, conference, and conference type to discover Canada’s next rising basketball star.
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – per game (subscribers only)
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – minutes vs. points (subscribers only)
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – totals (subscribers only)
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – points vs. rebounds (subscribers only)
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2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – points by city
By now, it is widely known that Toronto and Montreal are the top producers of Canadian talent in both the NCAA and NBA. This is evident from the fact that the top two and soon-to-be third all-time Canadian NCAA scoring leaders, Marcus Carr (Toronto, Ont.), Juan Mendez (Montreal, Que.), and Zach Edey (Toronto), hail from these cities.
The players from these two metropolitan cities have dominated the scoring game for over 70 years, ever since Montreal, Quebec native Ernie Vandeweghe of the Colgate Red Raiders became the first Canadian to be named an NCAA All-American and score over 1000 career points. He finished fifth in the country, averaging 20.9 points per game during the 1948-49 season and was selected with the 40th pick in the fourth round of the 1949 BAA/NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.
Led by senior Zach Edey and sophomore Xaivian Lee, seven players from Toronto are currently averaging double figures. Edey is on track to achieve the second-highest points per game average by a Canadian in the history of the NCAA, while Lee has significantly increased his scoring average from 4.8 points last season to a team-leading 17.0 points per game.
Meanwhile, a soon-to-be trio of a 1000+ career point scorers is leading the scoring charge for Montreal. Bruising and versatile six-foot-nine forward Tyrese Samuel is enjoying his best season of his NCAA career and has been instrumental in the Florida Gators’ early success. Journeyman Quincy Guerrier is contributing for the Fighting Illini of Illinois and California Baptist guard Blondeau Tchoukuiegno has proven to be a consistent scoring threat.
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – MIN, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK by class
All the attention is on the Canadian NCAA senior class, and rightfully so. There are nearly fifteen senior players averaging double-digit scoring points. Not to be over looked is the intense rebounding battle between Fardaws Aimaq, Zach Edey, Fran Mitchell, Kyler Filewich and Tyrese Samuel.
Since we started starting tracking the Canadians in the NCAA in 2020-21, only five true freshman players have averaged double figures scoring (Shamar Givance, Jahmyl Telfort, Bennedict Mathurin and Ryan Nembhard).
Demonstrating just how impactful this year’s freshman class is, this season, that number is likely to soar with players like Vasen Allette, former McDonald’s All-American Aden Holloway, reclassified a true point point guard Nathan George, and Valparaiso’s Jahari Williamson having an immediate impact.
Additionally, for further context, during the 2020-21 season, 52 freshmen participated in 640 games, accumulating 10,096 minutes and 3,423 points. The following year, 46 first-year players took part in 746 games, tallying 10,229 minutes and 2,885 points. In the 2022-23 season, 27 freshmen played in only 525 games, earning 7,024 minutes and 1,958 points.
At the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, this year’s freshman class is on pace to surpass all of last year’s production output.
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – total minutes by class
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – MIN, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK by position
This year, there has been a slight shift in Canada’s production of skilled basketball players. In previous years, the country primarily produced talented NCAA guards who excelled in the NBA. However, the spotlight is now on hybrid, mobile forwards and versatile centers who can shoot, space the floor, and impact today’s fast-paced and complex playing styles in a variety of ways.
Of the 135 Canadians currently playing NCAA college basketball, 69 are guards, 45 are forwards, and 21 are centers. There are currently 15 guards averaging double-figure scoring and nine forwards and four centers.
While traditionally dominated by centers and forwards, the rebounding battle is changing. Good rebounding guards are now just as coveted. This season, two freshman guards, Michael Evbagharu and Vasean Allette, both measuring under 6-feet-5 inches, are averaging nearly 5.0 rebounds per game. Other strong guards who aren’t afraid to bang with the big boys include Elijah Fisher, Jahmyl Telfort, and Josiah Davis.
2023-24 Canadian NCAA men’s basketball stats tracker – points by conference
Valparaiso’s former standout forward, Ben Krikke, has made a move from the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) to the Big Ten during the off-season. This has resulted in two of the highest-scoring Canadian players in NCAA history now playing in the same conference.
As they strive to potentially catch Marcus Carr (2350), the all-time leading scorer in Canadian NCAA basketball history, both Zach Edey (1834) and Krikke (1817) are neck and neck in total career points.
Notably, Carr also competed in the Big Ten, spending two impressive seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In addition, Quincy Guerrier, a super senior transfer who has played in both the Big East and Pac 12, is helping the oldest Division I athletic conference reach the top of Canadian scoring charts.
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the American East Conference (AEC) and its member institutions have traditionally benefited from recruiting Canadian basketball players due to their proximity to the Canadian border.
The AEC currently leads the pack with twelve Canadian players on rosters this season and is seeing strong scoring output from a trio of Maine Black Bears: Kellen Tynes, Jaden Clayton and Ja’Shonte Wright-Mcleish.
Other conferences involved in the scoring action include the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), with players such as Frank Mitchell, Yaw Obeng-Mensah, Wenza Panzo, and Michael Evbagharu. The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is also seeing strong performances from Hasan Abdul-Hakim, Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, and Kaosi Ezeagu.
