Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder pointguard who has led Canada to its first-ever semifinal spot at the tournament, played high school basketball in Hamilton before transferring to a school in Tennessee.
Tim Francis, who coached Gilgeous-Alexander in 2012 and 2013 at Hamilton's Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School, says there is a lot of"pride in having someone come out of the Hamilton ranks and to reach really the highest level of competition." Francis says Gilgeous-Alexander was not known as a budding international star early in his high school career, but has become of one"the best players in the world" through dedication to his craft.Dwayne Washington, who taught and coached Gilgeous-Alexander at Sir Allan MacNab, said the guard's poise and physicality were evident at an early age, crediting those traits for having made him a"superpower" on the court.