Zach Edey. Ryan Nembhard. Toronto-area stars take centre stage in Sweet 16 Purdue-Gonzaga matchup at March Madness

Gonzaga will have its hands full with the seven-foot-four Edey, who is likely to be named the Naismith college player of the year for the second straight season.

“He has gotten better every single year. His body’s better, his touch is better — both hands — his basketball IQ has improved and you can just see it,” said Olynyk, who played with Edey last summer when Canada won a bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup.

“He’s dominant on both ends of the floor, on the glass, inside, he’s making free throws … Purdue is going to go as far as he takes them.”

While Edey has gotten all the headlines, Olynyk has been impressed with Nembhard, a six-foot, shifty, playmaking guard who averaged 6.9 assists (seventh in the NCAA) and set a Gonzaga record for assists (235) in a single season.

“He’s been really good for them, obviously he’s playing a ton and he controls basically the whole offence. He was huge in that last game against Kansas,” Olynyk said, referring to Nembhard’s 12 assists against the Jayhawks, a school record in an NCAA Tournament game.

“I think he’s done a fantastic job for them and will continue to.”

Nathaniel Mitchell, an assistant coach with the senior men’s national team, has coached both Nembhard and Edey with Canada Basketball. He started training Nembhard when he was 10 years old through his older brother Andrew, now an Indiana Pacers guard.

“It’ll be kind of cool … to see how many floaters Ryan’s going to hit Zach with, and how many blocked shots Zach is trying to get Ryan (with) and there’ll be a little extra behind it as well,” Mitchell said of the David vs. Goliath matchup.

Nembhard and Mitchell worked out at gyms across the GTA, even spending time at the arena now known as Paramount Fine Foods Centre, where the Raptors 905 team play and where Mitchell was an assistant coach.

“We started working out in the mornings with shooting, mechanics and stuff like that. It’s crazy because Ryan’s jump shot — at 11, 12, 13 years old — was probably one of the ugliest things I’ve seen,” Mitchell said, laughing. “That kid worked so hard and it wasn’t like something’s going to happen overnight.”

Nembhard played high school basketball in Florida at Montverde Academy on a roster that included NBA players Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody, Caleb Houston and Day’Ron Sharpe.

In his first season at Creighton, Nembhard earned Big East freshman of the year honours and last season he led the program to its first Elite Eight appearance before transferring to Gonzaga, where his brother Andrew played.

“To me, (Ryan Nembhard is) hands down one of the top five playmakers in the NCAA,” said Patrick Tatham, who coached Nembhard and Edey when they represented Canada at the under-19 World Cup in 2021.

“His ability to get everybody on one page, get everybody involved in the offence has been remarkable.”

In the bronze-medal game that helped Canada secure its second medal at the boys’ age group level at the World Cup, Nembhard finished with 21 points and 10 assists while Edey had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

“I wonder if Ryan’s telling something to (Gonzaga coach Mark) Few about, ‘Man, this is what he really likes to do. We can’t let him get this,’ ” Tatham said. “And then I also want to know on the flip side if Zach’s like, ‘We cannot allow him to get into the paint or else he’s going to distribute like this.’ ”

Mitchell sees both players being a huge part of the Canadian program in the years to come.

“It’s a good thing to see these guys battle it out,” Mitchell said. “I’m glad they’re from our country and we get to cultivate and see it and help us win a medal one day as well — a gold medal.”