#Madlove: Canadian talent excited to shine on home court

Three. That is the amount of Canadians currently on a roster in the WNBA.

The league is one of the hardest to get a roster spot on with just 12 teams and does not have a farm system like the NBA (Raptors 905).

Hoping to grow that number of Canadians in the league to five in the near future are two basketball superstars from Canada: Latasha Lattimore and Shayeann Day-Wilson.

“We need a WNBA team in Toronto,” Lattimore says to CityNews. “We need a women’s team so for people like me and Shy (Day-Wilson) and all of those good athletes coming out of Toronto and Canada, we don’t have to leave and go to another country to play.”

There are multiple rumours that Toronto will be announced as one of the league’s expansion teams later this year. WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, said early this year the league wants to expand to cities that have shown support for women’s teams.

According to reports by The Athletics Chantel Jennings, the WNBA has reportedly “given the checkmark” to Toronto as a city with viable infrastructure for an expansion team.

“It would be really good for the Canadian culture,” Day-Wilson added. “The WNBA has never been down in Toronto. So hopefully by the time I finish college they can get a team.”

The two Toronto natives have been praised as two of the elite female basketball players to come out of the city in the last few years. Day-Wilson is coming off a co-rookie of the year award for her season with the Duke Blue Devils while Lattimore just announced she is transferring from the University of Texas to the University of Miami.

Both will be playing in the upcoming inaugural GLOBL JAM Games which is a five-day Under-23 tournament in Toronto put on by Canada Basketball and Sportsnet.

It will put an international spotlight on the game’s rising stars on both the men’s and women’s side of the game. It will also mark the first time in almost three years that both Lattimore and Day-Wilson will be able to play in front of friends and family in Canada.

“Everyone’s excited in my family,” Lattimore said.

During the five-day showcase, there will be a night that celebrates the women in basketball while also inspiring the next generation. The evening is being marketed as the #madlove night with Canada Basketball along with the Toronto Raptors and MLSE celebrating those in and around the game.

“The Raptors are pretty big. So for them to be able to like this and take the time to want and come and support us, I mean, that’s really big,” Lattimore said.

“Women’s sports is growing day by day,” said Day-Wilson, “And it will feel good to be playing back in front of my home crowd and have the support behind it.”

GLOBL JAM will also host the Canada Basketball 3×3 National Championships at Yonge-Dundas Square during the tournament between July 5th and 10th. Tickets are on sale now.