University of Maine junior point guard Kellen Tynes and his Canada Under-23 national team won a silver medal at Sunday night’s GloblJam tournament in Toronto.
The Canadians came back from a 17-point deficit from the third quarter on Saturday, beating Germany 84-81 in overtime. That secured them a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game, which they lost to the University of Kentucky 89-72.
Tynes played a crucial role in the win over Germany as he recorded 12 points, nine steals, nine assists and five rebounds.
“There’s a reason he was picked for the team and there’s a reason we’re signing him. He boosts our defensive intensity,” Canada coach Nathaniel Mitchell told Sportsnet.
“If he keeps growing as his game progresses, I think he’ll have a chance to make a lot of money,” Mitchell added.
Tynes had five points, three assists, two steals and a rebound in the gold medal game against Kentucky.
The Canadians defeated BAL Select, a team made up of players from African nations, 88-62 to open the tournament before losing to the University of Kentucky 93-69 in round robin play.
Tynes, who hails from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, had a rebound and two assists in the win over BAL Select but remained scoreless.
He had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in the loss to Kentucky.
Tynes, a transfer from Montana State, topped all NCAA Division I players from 352 schools in steals (98) and steals per game (3.27) last season and led the Black Bears to 13 wins, their most wins since 2010 /11 season.
He is the first Canadian to ever lead the NCAA in steals and steals per game.
He was America East Defensive Player of the Year and the first Black Bear man to win that award.
He was a semifinalist in the National Defensive Player of the Year contest.
His steals also averaged 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for UMaine.
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