Canadian basketball players making a splash at U.S. colleges

It's no longer a secret that Canada produces more than just hockey players.

In recent years, the NCAA has served as a pipeline to the NBA for emerging Canadian basketball talent.

Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompsonand Cory Joseph are among the latest notable NBAdraftees who playedtheir college basketball south of the border.

Canada Rising: Wiggins provides star power on the court

8 years ago

Duration 1:23

No player epitomizes the rise of Canadian basketball more than Andrew Wiggins. At 21, he's already established himself as one of the most exciting players in the NBA, and has been a key contributor for the national team.

Canada has produced 32 NBA players the most of any country outside the United States and that number is expected to rise with more than 100 CanadiansonNCAADivision I men's teams this season.

With the college basketball season officially underway, let's take a look at some of the Canadians who are ready to make their mark.

Dillon Brooks

Fresh off a Pac-12 Conference championship and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA tournament, expectations are sky high for Brooks and the fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks.

The Mississauga, Ont., native became the first player in Oregon'shistory to be named to The Associated Press' preseason All-America team, an honour reserved for the best players in the NCAA.

Canada Rising: Dillon Brooks raising his game

8 years ago

Duration 1:09

After an Pan Am silver medal and an All-American season in the NCAA, Dillon Brooks is peaking at just the right time

Last season, Brooks led the team in scoring (16.7 points per game), assists (3.1 assists per game), and free throw percentage (80.6 per cent) en route to earning first-team All-Pac-12 honours.

The junior forward will be one of the leaders on a talented squad that's expected to compete for a national championship but will miss the start of the season following off-season foot surgery.

Chris Boucher

Brooks isn't the only Canadian making noise at the University of Oregon.

Chris Boucher also played a significant role in the Ducks' success last season, leading the team in rebounding and blocked shots while averaging 12.1 points per game.

The 6-foot-10power forward/centre was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview issue.

The Montreal native is an elite rim protector averaging just over three blocks per game to lead the Pac-12 Conference.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes

While all eyes were on Andrew Wiggins at Huntington Prep School, another Canadian was quietly putting together a solid audition for scouts in attendance.

Rathan-Mayes ranked 44th on ESPN's top-100 college basketball recruits for the Class of 2013 and earned himself a scholarship to play for the Florida State Seminoles.

After redshirting his freshman year, the Markham, Ont., native shined in the 2014-15 season, leading the Seminoles with 14.9 points and 4.3 assists per game.

The highlight of his season came against the archrivalUniversity of Miami, where the six-foot-four guard scored 30 points in the last 4:38 of the game.

Despite a slight drop in scoring last season, a strong junior season could solidify Rathan-Mayes as a first-round pick in next year's NBA draft.

BioSteel All-Canadian game graduates

NCAA and NBA scouts got a look at the top Canadian-born high school players at the BioSteel All-Canadian game, which had its inaugural edition in2015 and washeadlined by Denver Nuggets first-round pickJamal Murrayand Milwaukee Bucks first-rounderThon Maker.

Both attended Orangeville Prep outside Toronto,where they had the luxury ofplaying against top-level competition fromthe United States, provingthat going south of the border for high schoolisn't the only route to the NBA.

• Canadian prep schools offer new path to NBA

The game has already paid dividends for its participants with Nelson Kaputoand Jalen Poyser, the co-MVPof the 2015 game, playing for St.Bonaventure and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas,respectively.

With more editions of the game, the trend may eventually become the norm.