University of Maine junior point guard Kellen Tynes and his Canadian National Under-23 team earned a silver medal at the GloblJam Tournament in Toronto on Sunday night.
The Canadians erased a 17-point third-quarter deficit to beat Germany 84-81 in overtime on Saturday to earn a berth in Sunday’s gold medal game, which they lost to the University of Kentucky 89-72.
Tynes played a pivotal role in the win over Germany as he had 12 points, nine steals, nine assists and five rebounds.
“There is a reason why he was picked to be on the team and there’s a reason why we start him. He starts our defensive intensity,” Canadian coach Nathaniel Mitchell told Sportsnet.
“As he continues to grow, wth the rest of his game, I think he’ll have a chance to make a lot of money,” Mitchell added.
Tynes had five points, three assists, two steals and a rebound in the gold medal game against Kentucky.
The Canadians beat BAL Select, a team comprised of players from African nations, 88-62, to open the tournament before losing to the University of Kentucky 93-69 in round robin play.
Tynes, who is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, had a rebound and two assists in the win over BAL Select but was held scoreless.
He had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in the loss to Kentucky.
Tynes, a transfer from Montana State, topped all NCAA Division I players from 352 schools in steals (98) and steals per game (3.27) this past season in leading the Black Bears to 13 wins, which is the most since the 2010-11 season.
He is the first Canadian to ever lead the NCAA in steals and steals per game.
He was the America East Defensive Player of the Year and was the first Black Bear man to win that award.
He was a semifinalist for the National Defensive Player of the Year.
He also averaged 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for UMaine to go with his steals.