By Eli Silverstone

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) women’s basketball team head coach Carly Clarke continues to shine on the international stage—this time though, on a court she’s very familiar with.

Last month, Clarke led the under-23 (U23) Canadian women’s team to gold at the Globl Jam tournament, hosted at the Mattamy Athletic Center (MAC) from Aug. 13 to 17. The four-day tournament featured the best basketball players aged 23 years old and under from Canada, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the U.S., which was represented by the Texas Longhorns. This was Clarke’s second time as head coach of Canada in the three-year existence of the tournament. Canada has won gold both times with her at the helm.

Coaching on the international stage is not a new experience for Clarke in the slightest. But as Canadian basketball culture has grown over the past few years, being able to lead and win an event like Globl Jam continues to add to Clarke’s career momentum. The veteran has travelled around the world to coach Canadian hoops, most noticeably serving as an assistant coach at the Summer Olympic Games, first for Tokyo 2020 and more recently for Paris 2024.

“You just constantly feel the energy and buzz around what’s going on with all of our teams and with the tournament being in Toronto, there’s a few more in-person interactions where you can really sense and feel that,” said Clarke.

Clarke’s team got out to a hot start, defeating Brazil 104-56 in their opening match. Canada’s second match-up of the competition was against Texas who were a one seed in last year’s March Madness tournament and made it all the way to the Final Four. Texas took the win 70-61 but Canada bounced back to beat Puerto Rico in group play and clinch a rematch with Texas in the finals.

In a close and tense championship game, Canada defeated Texas 72-65 on the back of tournament MVP Avery Howell.

“[Howell] demonstrated a great ability to adapt from the first time we played Texas to the second,” said Clarke.

Howell had 28 points and was a perfect six for six on three-point range in the championship match against Texas. She was also an alternate on the 2024 Canadian Olympic team, put on a shooting clinic, making a scorching 71 per cent of her three point attempts overall in the tournament.

“I’ve spent a lot of work on [three point shooting] so it felt good to see it pay off,” said Howell. “That’s what my team needed from me tonight and if I have any space I’m going to let it fly.”

While winning is always an objective, the young age of the players makes Globl Jam rosters keyed into development. The goal for coaches and leaders of the Canada Basketball organization is to have these U23 players contribute to the senior women’s team in the very near future. There’s an expectation that, despite the small amount of time Clarke gets with her team before each game, they will win games and players will stand out.

“I think you’re able to [win and develop players] if you’re valuing and emphasizing the right things day-to-day in your training and competitive environment,” said Clarke who is the only coach to lead Canada to multiple medals at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup. “Ideally those values are meshing to what’s going to lead to success and winning in the end.”

A clear example of this process throughout the short four-day tournament was Canada’s point guard, Shayeann Day-Wilson. The electrifying Day-Wilson had been selected to Canada’s Globl Jam roster all three times and was expected to step into a leadership role for Canada.

“We want to really continue to try and work with her, develop her as a point guard and improve her decision making [to] be an offensive leader and facilitator for us,” said Clarke in a post-game interview after Canada defeated Brazil in their first game.

Three days later in the finals against Texas, Day-Wilson did exactly what Clarke was looking for. She was the primary ball handler and set the tone for Canada’s offense before eventually taking over the fourth quarter. She finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, with 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter off an array of difficult shots. The clutch performance down the stretch showed quick development from Day-Wilson and was crucial to Canada’s tournament win.

“That’s just confidence. That’s just believing in my craft. I’m in the gym everyday,” said Day-Wilson after winning gold. “We stayed together in the fourth quarter when it mattered…great team win overall.”

Being exposed to these international team situations where development and success are prioritized has paired perfectly with Clarke’s coaching skills at TMU. She was named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Coach of the Year in the 2021-22 season after the TMU Bold women’s basketball team won the OUA and U Sports championship. Since then, she has coached Canada in the inaugural Globl Jam tournament, the Olympics, Women’s World Cup, Americup and obviously last month’s Globl Jam tournament.

“Every national team gives different learnings, exposures, tactics that I want to try and implement in the university setting,” said Clarke. “And the same goes the other direction. Every university season gives me new thoughts and ideas that apply to how I show up for the national team.”

Last season, the Bold women’s basketball team went 18-6 in the regular season and made it to the OUA semifinals. It was a good year for the Bold and it matched up with the type of consistent success the program has come to expect under Clarke. The Bold have put together 11 straight seasons with a winning record under Clarke and this year’s team is quickly forming an identity to maintain their streak.

“I think we’ve got a pretty exciting dynamic group that will continue to play with pace and get up and down [the court],” said Clarke.

Globl Jam is expected to return to the MAC next summer and Canada will attempt to defend home court once again. The TMU women’s basketball team will play exhibition matches and tournaments before the regular season kicks off on Oct. 24 in Hamilton against the McMaster University Marauders before their home opener on Oct. 31.