Nash named GM of Canadian men's basketball team
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash has been named the general manager for Canada's men's senior national team.
Nash, a free agent who spent the past eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns, will try to direct his native country to an Olympic berth for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Canada failed to qualify for the 2012 London Games and last made an Olympic appearance in 2000, when Nash helped the team to a seventh-place finish in Sydney.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm thrilled to be able to take on this challenge. We have lots of work to do and I'm excited to get started" said Nash. "With the talent we are developing in this country, Canada has an opportunity to become one of the top basketball nations in the world. There is no reason why, if we nurture and support these great young players and give them the tools they need, that we can't be a medal contender at the Olympics."
Rowan Barrett was named the assistant general manager. The team hasn't had a coach since Leo Rautins resigned in September after seven years at the helm.