JUAREZ (Mexico) - The fans have to look way up in Mexico when they check out the tallest player at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup.
Jeremy Gohier wears number 22
Jeremy Gohier, 14, is wearing the Canada jersey and he's causing a stir because of his height.
Gohier, listed at 2.29M (7FT 6IN), played a little more than 8 minutes in Monday's 66-62 win over Venezuela.
It'll be a few years before this young star at Nobel Elite in Laval, Canada, enters the college ranks.
He is already attracting the eyes of the basketball world.
Videos of his Gohier's exploits on the hardwood have been making the rounds for the past year.
He is the latest example that Canada is among the leading countries giving the basketball world giant players.
Zach Edey (2.24M/7FT 4IN) is Canadian and also the tallest player in the NBA, with Memphis.
Edey was an All-Star Five selection at the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Riga, and he also played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup two years later in Indonesia and Manila.
Edey, 23, just finished his rookie season in the NBA with the Grizzlies, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in the regular season.
Edey played for Canada at the 2023 World Cup
Gohier has drawn more comparisons to another Québécois, Olivier Rioux, 19. Rioux is as tall as a skyscraper at 2.33M (7FT 8IN).
He has played at four tournaments with Canada's junior teams, including the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup and the 2023 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
Rioux redshirted for the Florida Gators last season, which means he still has four years of NCAA eligibility left.
Olivier Rioux has played for Canada's youth teams
A couple of months ago, TSN published a story on Gohier and quoted the player, his parents and coach in Laval, Daniel Mulumba.
“His greatest asset, besides him being tall, is his work ethic, and he’s really competitive,” Mulumba said to TSN.
Gohier accepts that there will always be interest in him because of his size.
“Whenever I walk somewhere, everybody looks at me,” he said. “Sometimes, well, I’d like to be 1.5 [M] (5FT), like to disappear, but I prefer to be 2.1 (7FT ) and play my sport."
Americans claim the mythical giant Paul Bunyan to be one of their own, while north of the border, many say the ax-wielding lumberjack is Canadian.
That's a dispute likely never to be resolved.
There is no arguing against the fact that Canada is the land of the young basketball giants.
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Players to watch at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025
FIBA