Canada to face Turkey as part of Basketball Week in Edmonton

Basketball Week in Edmonton will feature many of the city’s all-time greats in the sport.

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Sisters Katherine and Michelle Plouffe will play for the Canadian women’s team against Turkey in the Edmonton Grads International Classic.

Jermaine Bucknor and Steve Sir will hit the court in the 3×3 Canada Quest Finals.

“Turkey is seventh in the world. We’re fifth,” said Michelle Plouffe. “I’m excited to have games in Edmonton. My family is all here.”

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Canada and Turkey will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Saville Centre. On Friday and Saturday, the Saville Centre will also host the three-on-three event featuring regional champs from across the country.

Bucknor has played pro in Europe for the last 12 years. He starred at Ross Sheppard High School before playing in the NCAA for the Richmond Spiders. He’s glad to see Edmonton hosting high profile events.

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“You’re seeing the Canadian game change so much. The Canadian athletes are doing so much better,” Bucknor said. “When I was growing up, we only had guys like Steve Nash. But we didn’t have a ton of guys to look up to in the NBA. Now we have so many locals. Young ladies in the city can look up to Michelle Plouffe.”

The MVP of the Grads Classic will win the Bryan Anderson Award, named after the former coach and city councillor who was instrumental in having the women’s national team based in Edmonton.