fernandez

03/26/2025 11:56 AM

Jordi Fernandez's time with Canada Basketball was, by any fair measure, very successful and unusually short.

Fernandez was parachuted into the men's head coaching job at the 11th hour in the summer of 2023 after incumbent bench boss Nick Nurse had to step away, citing his duties as the new head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers following his time with the Toronto Raptors.

It was Fernandez who helped the men's team win a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and then guided Canada to a 3-0 record in pool play at the 2024 Olympics in Paris before the team lost its quarterfinal to eventual runner-up France. The last game was one of the only contests the Canadian men played below their level under Fernandez's watch.

Fernandez, named the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in April 2024 after a two-year run associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings, and Canada Basketball parted ways amicably in early February.

"He's still a friend of the program," said Canada Basketball chief executive officer Michael Bartlett.

So much so that a small party of men's team staffers are in Brooklyn as guests of the Spain native on Wednesday night as the Raptors take on the Nets.

Still, the nuances of partings, as always, are open to interpretation.

Canada Basketball said after the Olympics it was reviewing both the men's and women's programs with an eye toward identifying any changes it wanted or needed to make in advance of the next quadrennial. On the women's side, head coach Victor Lapena stepped away to pursue professional coaching opportunities Europe, though the sense was Canada Basketball wanted to pursue some different options in any case after going winless in Paris. Denise Dignard, the long-standing women's program general manager, retired in October after 26 years with Canada Basketball.

On the men's side, Fernandez gave indications as recently as his visit to Toronto with the Nets in mid-December that he was at least open to continuing with the men's program. But it can also be taken at face value that coaching an NBA team – especially a young and rebuilding one, like the Nets – is more of a year-round undertaking than it ever has been before, with teams and staffs working together well into the summer and reconvening again earlier and earlier to build up to training camp.

In that context, it's completely plausible that there's nothing more to Fernandez moving on than him having a full plate with the Nets and his young family. And who knows, had Fernandez helped Canada win an Olympic medal, perhaps he might have moved on regardless, having pitched the equivalent of a perfect game in the two most important tournaments the men's program has ever had.

The other possible interpretation is that in taking the country to the brink of playing for an Olympic medal only to have his club fall short, the door was open for Canada Basketball to consider its options heading toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Whatever the subtleties, Fernandez record will stand up exceptionally well over time, as the men's team went 9-3 combined at the World Cup and the Olympics and 14-6 overall, with signature wins over top-ranked opponents such as the United States, Spain, France, Germany, Australia and Greece.

"This was Jordi," says Bartlett. "He deserved the right to make this decision."

And while Lapena did not get the Olympic result anyone was hoping for, leading Canada to fourth at the 2022 World Cup is the program's best finish since a bronze at the world championship in 1986.

Who will try to top either of those standards is a question the organization is hoping to have answered soon, according to Bartlett.

"I think both men’s and women’s, we don’t want to go too far into the spring without knowing the who the head coach is because there’s a whole bunch of things that have to happen connected to that," said Bartlett. "From a head coach perspective, the assistant benches, winter lead coaches … we got to look at all that, so we are hoping we can button this up in the spring on the head coach side and then work out all the other stuff."

Canada has gone international for its last three coaching hires – the American-born Nurse in 2019, followed by Fernandez on the men's side, with Lapena, also from Spain, taking over from Lisa Thomaidis, who led Canada two consecutive Olympics and took Germany to Paris last summer. They may do so again, though the plan is to have strong Canadian representation among the assistants and as head coaches at the age-group level.

"It’s not just because we’re valuing their passport," said Bartlett. "It’s because we value their experience and expertise and what they can bring to the table in our winning environment, too. It is not the default … in order to be eligible or to be considered, but it’s certainly something that we’re weighing as important."

According to men's team general manager Rowan Barrett, the chief criteria for the incoming head coach is international experience and success.

"We believe our team will be ready to go for the podium in the LA 2028 Olympic Games 2028," Barrett said, via text. "And that we are first looking for coaches that have experience winning medals at the World Cup or the Olympics … there (has) been interest candidates from all over the world."

While Canada Basketball wouldn't offer any further comment on their process, multiple sources have suggested that Gord Herbert is the leading candidate for the men's team.

He certainly checks off a lot of boxes.

The former Canadian Olympic team (1984) player has had a long and successful career in Europe and is currently head coach for EuroLeague club Bayern Munich. Herbert was the head coach for the German national team when it won bronze at EuroBasket in 2022 and gold at the 2023 World Cup before finishing fourth at the Olympics in Paris. He was with Canada during World Cup qualifying prior to Nurse being hired in 2019.

But Canada Basketball's coaching pool has never been deeper on the men's side.

Here are some names expected to be considered either for the head coaching position or as part of the national team:

Nate Mitchell: The Toronto native has worked as an assistant coach or player development coach with the Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets and currently is a head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. Was an assistant with Canada at the World Cup and the Olympics and has been a head coach during several winter qualifying windows as well as at the age-group level. Does off-season training with several national team core members, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Jama Mahlalela: A highly respected NBA assistant in his second stint with the Raptors. Played his college basketball in Vancouver at UBC.  Has championship experience with the Raptors in 2019 and with the Golden State Warriors in 2022. Was head coach of Raptors 905 in 2018-19. Has deep ties throughout international basketball with the potential to build a staff with considerable FIBA championship experience.

Scott Morrison: The PEI native is a former assistant coach with the Boston Celtics and is now with the Utah Jazz. Previously head coach of the Celtics and Jazz G-League affiliates, and was G League coach of the year in 2014-15 with the Maine Red Claws.  Was a head coach in the Australian Basketball League and has a successful record coaching for Canada at the age-group level. Was part of Fernandez’s staff in preparation for the World Cup and Olympics.

Ryan Schmidt: Originally from Oregon, Schmidt is an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks and was previously head coach with the Hawks' G-League entry. Before that he was head coach with the London Lions, sweeping all competitions in the British Basketball League and taking the Lions to the quarterfinals of the EuroCup, the second highest competition in Europe. Spent four years as an assistant with Raptors 905 and was head coach of the Hamilton Honey Badgers in the CEBL.

Nate Bjorkgren: An assistant to Fernandez at the World Cup and the Olympics and to Nurse at the 2019 World Cup and 2021 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Head coach with the Indiana Pacers in 2020-21, currently assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, previously an assistant with the Phoenix Suns and Raptors.

On the women's side, one of the candidates is Carli Clarke, currently the head coach with U Sports powerhouse Toronto Metropolitan University. She boasts an extensive track record as a senior team assistant coach at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, as well as podium finishes as a head coach for Canada at the age-group level. Noelle Quinn, head coach with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, and an assistant with Lapena at the 2024 Olympics on the same staff with Clarke, also is in the running.

The plan on the men's side is to hold a senior team training camp in August in advance of the FIBA AmeriCup, Aug. 22-31 in Nicaragua. And while the core members of the men's Olympic team won't be playing this summer, the hope is that they will spend a couple of days in camp to gain some familiarity with the new head coach ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. The plan for the AmeriCup team is to include a mix of younger national team prospects from the NBA ranks, and the European pros mostly likely to make up the core of the World Cup winter qualifying window teams in 2026.

The next women’s global competition is the World Cup in Germany in 2026, which puts more emphasis on the upcoming summer. The plan is the have a training camp in Toronto in June with a new staff in place in preparation for the Women's FIBA AmeriCup in Chile, June 28-July 6. The top six teams in that event will advance to one of four World Cup qualifying tournament in February of 2026.