Carl ENGLISH
Guard

You could say Carl English might arrive in Turkey feeling somewhat jaded after a gruelling season with club side Caja Laboral which stretched well into June.

Then again, when you have clinched the ACB Championship by sweeping Euroleague champions Regal Barcelona, he might still be on a real high since winning silverware in a basketball city like Vitoria, Spain is a special experience.

Then again, English was not exactly used extensively by his club and his influence eventually faded on a deep Caja Laboral roster although a broken rib didn’t help his cause.

He remains one of the most consistent shooters around and has a potentially devastating perimeter game that can earn him MVP status in any game he plays. Last year his shooting was impressive both domestically in the high quality ACB and also in Euroleague.

At National Team level meanwhile, English has more motivations than most to have a good tournament. After enduring a disappointing time at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship when he didn’t perform anywhere near his best, he then found rhythm in last years FIBA Americas tournament only to miss out on the semi-final game.

Added to that is the fact that it is now a decade since English first pulled on a National Team vest at U21 Level and you sense his time has arrived - especially with the World Championships taking place in Europe. It is a continent he knows well after three impressive seasons in the Spanish League and an equally successful time in the Adriatic League a few years ago.

The player has found himself in a variety of roles, even running the point briefly but shooting guard or small forward is where he will be found. He has an ability to score points in a hurry and while a little streaky at times, he has more firepower than any other Canadian player.

At one time it looked like he might end up becoming a shooter off the bench but now, his status is such that Canadian basketball is effectively handing him the responsibility of being the main-man.

Is he is capable of assuming that mantle and delivering? We will see.