Team Canada will introduce its next generation at U19 World Cup

As the U19 squad prepares to head to the World Cup in Brno, Czechia, from July 12-20, Canada’s next generation of superstars will be in the spotlight.

U19 is an interesting age group, given the mix of high school and college players on the team. For the oldest set of players, it’s their last chance to play age-group hoops before they are only eligible to be considered for the Senior Team. When you look at Canada’s potential lineup, it includes an Olympian (Syla Swords), a top recruit about to head into her freshman season on Dawn Staley‘s South Carolina team (Agot Makeer) and a Big East Villanova Wildcats standout (Jasmine Bascoe). It will be an interesting situation for this team, as most of them have been training together at camp in Toronto, while their leader in Swords is currently with the senior team at the AmeriCup.

“It’s been really exciting to be able to come back [to Canada], it’s an honor to wear the jersey,” said Savannah (Savvy) Swords, the younger of the two Swords Sisters. “Most of our team plays in the US, but to be able to come back and represent and also play at this level has been really fun.”

Savvy, who isn’t playing this summer due to injury, is about to head into her senior season at Long Island Lutheran High School. The Swords family moved there from Sudbury, Ontario, when her dad, former Canadian Olympian Shawn Swords, got a job coaching for the Long Island Nets in the NBA G-League. Swords recently committed to play for Kenny Brooks in Kentucky for the 2026-27 NCAA season. If she were playing in the World Cup, she’d be among the team’s core as an energetic player who can do it all on the floor.

Her sister, Syla, is a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, along with fellow U19 training camp player Mila Holloway. Agot Makeer is headed to South Carolina this fall after spending her senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida. Avery Howell spent her freshman season at USC before recently transferring to Washington, and Jasmine Bascoe plays at Villanova. The next wave of talent for Canada already includes world-class players on successful NCAA and high-school teams.

“When we’re playing in the States, we’re Canada all the way. If anyone mistakes that, there are problems,” Savvy joked. “We are on the rise, and people need to notice. Being Canadian, you get underestimated.”

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These high-level players serve as leaders on this U19 squad, and Howell specifically has been learning how to step up as one of the older players. “It’s about taking advantage of all the moments, all the time you have together,” she said at U19 media day. It’s the first time a lot of these players have met, and having to build chemistry quickly will be essential to their success at the World Cup. Canada has an edge, though, given the college experience of players like Howell and Swords.

“No matter what you experience in your first year of college, good, bad, everybody grows and learns something – I think I learned a ton,” Howell recounted of her freshman year at USC. “I learned about what I wanted, what I needed, my strengths and weaknesses, and what I need to get better at. I learned about my own leadership,” she continued. Despite transferring out of USC, Howell says she is “extremely grateful for the year [she] had.”

What stands out about these U19 players is the fact that they will be the foundation of the future of Canadian basketball. As they continue and start their college careers, eventually play on the professional level, and continuously come back to represent Canada internationally, they are among the best prospects in the world. Syla is already expected to be a key part of the Senior Team as they begin the qualification process for the World Cup in Germany next year, and beyond that, for the Olympics. Canadian players also received NCAA awards in 2024-25, including Swords’ Big Ten All-Freshman team and second-team honors, Bascoe’s All-BIG EAST honors, and more.

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These players envision a future that their older mentors never had: the chance to play in the WNBA in Canada. By the time players like Syla and Savvy Swords, Howell, Makeer, and more are eligible to be drafted into the WNBA, the Toronto Tempo could very well draft them.

If they could be drafted right this second, both Savvy and Makeer say they’d love to play for Toronto. Makeer also added Minnesota as a favorite in her eyes, given its proximity to where she lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Swords mentioned the Valkyries as well because she loves the team’s Violet color scheme.

For now, though, both are excited to get their college careers started.

“SEC is super competitive, given the physicality,” said Makeer. “I’m excited to play LSU in particular.” Makeer knew South Carolina was the place she wanted to play in college because she wanted to be surrounded by teammates who would make her better, and play against tough opponents in the SEC. As for her future coach in Staley, Makeer says: “She’s just a pro who knows what it takes to get me to that next level. I also just love her as a person.”

While Swords has another year before she joins the team at Kentucky, she has one big game she’s ready to circle on her calendar: Michigan. “I’m excited to play against Syla,” Savvy said with a smile.

As for who will win? That depends which Swords sister you ask: Syla said in a Locked on Women’s Basketball interview back in March that she was confident in her ability to beat Savvy one-on-one, while Savvy has a different opinion, of course, and knows a game against her sister would be extremely fun.

For now, though, she’s just relieved her college decision has been made. Savvy, who looked to players whom Brooks coached, including Georgia Amoore and Canada’s Sami Hill, and knew he could help her reach her goals as a player.

“Coach Brooks felt like a family, like the connections felt authentic, and it didn’t feel forced at all,” Savvy said of her decision to commit to Kentucky. “The way Coach Brooks coaches is very free; you can try different things constantly. Then, of course, just his player development.”

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Makeer and Howell, along with Swords after the AmeriCup wraps up, will be major players in Canada’s quest for a spot on the U19 World Cup podium.

“I want to prove I still belong,” Makeer said of her goals for this tournament, as she’s returning from missing time in the past year due to injury. “I think we want to prove that we are gold medal contenders.”

The team has another unique opportunity, given that Canadian Olympian Natalie Achonwa is on the coaching staff for their tournament. “She’s been talking to me a lot, on and off the court,” says Howell. “She unites this group, shows us all what’s possible. She can elevate our game and hold us to a high standard.”

Canada will be in Group B during the World Cup group stage with Portugal, China and Nigeria. They won Silver at the U18 World Cup in 2024 and have bronze medals at the 2017 and 2023 U19 World Cups. Canada’s first game is Saturday, July 12, against Portugal.