It's a Canadian basketball first. The U19 Men's team beat Italy 79-60 to claim gold at the World Championships in Cairo. The gold medal is the first ever, at any level, men or women, for Canadian basketball.
Mississauga's R.J. Barrett scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Nate Darling of Lower Sackville, N.S., and Abu Kigab of St. Catharines, Ont., each added 12 points.
The 17-year-old Barrett finished the game 3 for 13 from the field and 12 of 14 from the free throw line while earning tournament MVP honours. He's the son of Rowan Barrett, a former Canadian national team member who represented his country at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.
Barrett is considered the world's best player for his age and has been the consensus top basketball prospect from the Class of 2019 for well over a year. He plays high school basketball in Florida.
Canada advanced to the final by stunning the United States 99-87 on Saturday.
Canadian head coach Roy Rana also guided a team that Andrew Wiggins, now with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, to a bronze medal at the 2010 world under-17 championship.
with files from TSN.ca