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#CanBall Weekly: 2015 Year in Review

Canadian basketball is in good hands with Andrew Wiggins, Kia Nurse, and Jamal Murray.
Canadian basketball is in good hands with Andrew Wiggins, Kia Nurse, and Jamal Murray.

When Steve Nash officially retired from professional basketball back in March, it marked the end of an era for Canadian basketball. For years Nash was the country's only hardwood hero. He carried the national team when he wore the red-and-white and resides in select NBA company as a two-time MVP. Perhaps more important than his many individual accomplishments, Nash helped inspired a generation of young Canadians to basketball greatness.

So while Nash is no longer dazzling fans on the court, Canadian basketball is in good hands. From Andrew Wiggins going first overall in the NBA draft being named Rookie of the Year, to Kia Nurse leading the national team to double-gold and winning a NCAA Division I champions with UConn, to Jamal Murray committing to Kentucky as one of the top high school players in North America, the future looks bright. That's not to mention Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk, and Tristan Thompson, who continue to establish themselves as legitimate NBA players, as well as the record numbers of Canadian-born players flooding the men's and women's March Madness tournaments.

With Toronto hosting the 2016 NBA All-Star game in February, it's the biggest opportunity yet to show the basketball world how far we've come and give them a glimpse of what's next.

Canadian women qualify for Olympics, men come up short

It was a busy summer for the men's and women's national teams. The women took gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto and followed that up with gold at the FIBA Americas in Edmonton to secure a berth at the 2016 Rio Olympics. A youthful men's squad took the silver at the Pan Ams, but a team with a tournament-high eight NBA players lost to Venezuela in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas and must now win a six-team last-chance qualifying tournament in July 2016 to get into next summer's Games.

BEST OF THE REST

Lyles has year to remember: Trey Lyles and his 2014-15 Kentucky teammates came two wins away from going 40-0, losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four to finish the season 38-1. Lyles was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft with the 12th pick by the Utah Jazz.

Carleton wins CIS title again: The Ravens took home their fifth straight CIS championship, crushing Ottawa 93-46 in the final. Playing his final college game, three-time CIS player of the year Phil Scrubb scored 28 points and dished out 10 assists in a MVP-performance.

Achonwa, Fever reach WNBA Finals: Natalie Achonwa was a part of Canada's two gold medals in the summer, but here hard work didn't stop there. Achonwa's Indiana Fever were Eastern Conference champions, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals in a series that went to a decisive Game 5. Devin Gray profiled Achonwa for Eh Game earlier this month.

6-PACK OF COLD SHOTS

1. Murray and this year's Wildcats pulled off a 75-73 victory against their archrival Louisville on Dec. 26. Murray struggled shooting, going 3-for-14 from the field for 12 points, but continues to lead Kentucky in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game.

2. UCLA's Nirra Fields averaged 22 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 steals as her Bruins, ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25, went 2-1 last week.

3. NBL Canada tipped off its fifth season with a full slate of games on Boxing Day. The defending champion Windsor Express opened with a 98-97 win over Orangeville while the expansion Niagara River Lions went 1-1 over the weekend, winning their home opener 106-104 against London.

4. North Pole Hoops' Charles Blouin-Gascon wrote a comprehensive midseason report on the men's CIS season to date with insights on Ottawa and Carleton, UPEI's Tyler Scott, and Canada West's Pioneer Division.

5. NPH also has the goods on Newfoundland high school guard Jason Thompson going off for 63 points in a game in a tournament involving teams from all over the province.

6. Canadian basketball was well represented in Yahoo Canada Sports' Movers and Shakers series.

The top 25 most influential people in Canadian sport: No. 25 Steve Nash (Retired NBA star and men's national team GM), No. 20 Brian Cooper (Canada Basketball board member), No. 16 Drake (Toronto Raptors global ambassador), No. 11 Michele O'Keefe (Canada Basketball CEO), No. 6 Larry Tanenbaum (MLSE chairman)

2015's Top Athletes: Andrew Wiggins, Kia Nurse, Jamal Murray

The Unsung Heroes: Lisa Thomaidis (women's national team head coach, Tony McIntyre (CIA Bounce AAU program founder)

People to watch in 2016: Jamal Murray

More from Yahoo Canada Sports:

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr