Canadians showcasing skills with Oregon men's basketball team during exhibition series on home soil

For their teammates, the five-game exhibition tour in Canada is simply preparation for the upcoming season.

However, Ethan Butler, of Toronto, and Keeshawn Barthelemy and Quincy Guerrier, both from Montreal, have revelled in the opportunity to show off their skills on home soil.

"Being able to play in front of our family and friends, it's a blessing," Guerrier told CBC Sports. "I'm grateful to show my talent with my college team to my city."

Butler, Barthelemy, and Guerrier have enjoyed a homecoming of sorts as their University of Oregon men's basketball squad completes a pre-season trip north of the border.

The Ducks kicked off their U Sports tour on Sunday against the McGill Redbirds. Oregon made a strong first impression, dominating McGill 102-48, to claim their first win of the tour.

For Barthelemy, putting on the Ducks jersey for the first time against McGill was a dream start to his playing career at Oregon.

"I haven't played a collegiate game in Canada before, but Sunday's game definitely felt like a homecoming for me. I'm from Montreal, born and raised. It was great to play in front of that crowd," Barthelemy said.

The 6-foot-2 junior guard posted 14 points in the contest. All three Canadians got on the board with Guerrier, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, putting up 11 points, and Butler, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, claiming his first points as a Duck with six.

They received a warm welcome from fans packed into the Love Competition Hall in Montreal. Among the hundreds of fans was Toronto Raptor and Ducks alum, Chris Boucher.

"The gym was packed. Knowing those three young men were in the city, it was great for Montreal to see some of their homegrown talent in the building and competing," said Ryan Thorne, head coach of McGill.

"It brought out a lot of people."

Unfortunately the Redbirds were no match for the more experienced and larger Ducks. McGill struggled below the basket as Oregon dominated the glass with a 42-25 advantage in rebounds. Three-point shooting also proved to be a decisive factor in the outcome. Oregon sank 11-of-27 from three-point range, a distance from which McGill only converted four-of-24 baskets.

Thorne was critical of his team's performance. Statistics and skills aside, Thorne hopes this exhibition match showed his team the importance of competing for the full 40 minutes — no matter who the opposition is.

"Overall I think the big takeaway for me is that we gotta compete no matter who is on the floor," Thorne noted. "We didn't do enough of that — the grind, the compete, the fight — against a more talented — a little more seasoned team."

Following the high of the home crowd and victory in Montreal, Guerrier, Barthelemy, Butler, and the rest of the Ducks were sobered by a nail-biting 78-76 win in Ottawa on Monday.

Despite the Ducks' victory, the Gee-Gees were superior in all three major shooting statistical categories. It was also Ottawa's push in the second half that nearly stole the win from Oregon. The Gee-Gees outscored the Ducks 23-20 in the third quarter and 16-14 in the fourth.

The Carleton Ravens then played host to Oregon on Tuesday night as the current U Sports champions couldn't handle the Ducks' swift passing and sharp shooting in a 92-64 defeat.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the Ravens Nest in Ottawa, Oregon had a 30-point lead heading into the fourth quarter as the Ducks improved to 3-0 on their Canadian tour.

'I know they can play basketball'

Guerrier never intended to stay in Canada for his collegiate career but holds the U Sports circuit and the players pushing the game to new heights in high regard.

"I was being highly recruited by D-1 schools in the States. I knew that I was not about to go to a Canadian school. It was never really on my radar," Guerrier said. "But I have a lot of respect for some of the teams. Like [in Monday's game] we just won by two.

"I know they can play basketball."

Thorne believes more athletes from Canada are considering U Sports as a viable option for their collegiate careers.

"I think there are some student-athletes that are weighing the option and understanding that 'you know what. I can get a great education in Canada. My pursuits may not be fully to be a pro athlete and that I can benefit by playing great basketball in Canada at a U Sports school and receive a great education'," Thorne said.

"I think they're weighing those options a lot more."

Oregon will complete their U Sports tour in Toronto against McMaster on Thursday and Toronto Metropolitan University on Friday.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.