MEXICO CITY

Robert Sacre might not get called on very often, but he is seen as a vital part of Team Canada.

Sacre, the 26-year-old Los Angeles Lakers centre, is regarded as a model teammate, an entertainer who keeps everyone loose, but still takes care of business on the court and makes sure everyone retains their focus.

“He’s one of the best defenders of the pick-and-roll. He knows how to guard it, he’s got a big body that protects the paint, protects the rim,” said head coach Jay Triano.

“But the best thing that he does is he’s vocal and he’s vocal whether it’s on the bus, whether it’s at lunch, or whether it’s on the floor. We keep talking that communication can be intimidating for people and Robert uses it to the fullest advantage. He’s always communicating, let’s his teammates know where he is, that they have support behind them.

“He’s just been good that way. He’s a leader on this team, who has accepted his role, which may not be playing many minutes at times.”

Sacre, who was born in Baton Rouge, La., but was raised in North Vancouver by his Canadian mother, was a provincial champion in 2005, the same year he first suited up for Canada for the junior national team.

He went on to start for quality teams at Gonzaga, before being drafted by the Lakers in 2012. He has been the team’s backup centre ever since and was singled out in Steve Nash’s retirement piece as one of the best teammates Nash had in a career that started in 1996.

“You need guys to pick guys off when they’re tired, fatigued or not playing well and his energy has always been real positive for us,” Triano said.

It comes naturally for Sacre.

“Just stay positive, that’s the key, just make sure that everyone brings their energy every day and just have fun,” Sacre said of his role.

Sacre also has great knowledge of schemes and positioning and tries to help steer his younger teammates to the right places and keep them zoned in on what they need to do.

At this tournament, that means taking advantage of their strengths.

“We’ve just got to limit our turnovers, make sure we take care of the ball and just move,” Sacre said. “We’re an athletic team, we can get up and down with any team so I’m really not worried about any competition. We’re just worried about doing what we need to do to take care of what we need to take care of.”

OLYNYK GETTING CLOSE

Canada hopes to have starting centre Kelly Olynyk in the lineup on Tuesday against Argentina and he appears to be making good progress on that front.

A day after participating in 85% of practice, by Triano’s estimation, Olynyk, who injured his left knee in the Tuto Marchand Cup opener a week ago, went through the whole practice, including a scrimmage at the end.

“He did a little more than yesterday, which is a good sign, he responded well and hopefully he’s able to take another step tomorrow,” was the update from Triano.

HIGH HOPES

Andrew Nicholson says Canada won’t be fooling around at this tournament.

“The goal is set, the bar is set higher, we’re out here to win, play together as a team,” Nicholson said. “It’s a very important tournament for us and our country, we’re just looking to show our best.”

To help prepare the team for what can be some odd officiating at these international tournaments, the coaching staff made some interesting foul calls during the scrimmage that concluded practice on Sunday. Calls that everyone on the court seemed to disagree with.

“It’s a little bit of preparation, we’re getting at each other and we’re all competitors here,” Sacre said. “There’s a reason why we got to this level, and that’s because we want to compete and play at the highest level and push each other. We want certain calls and if some calls aren’t going our way, we get a little upset.”

Nicholson has had some battles with the refs in the past. His take?

“Yeah, it’s the same old same old, you’ve just got to continue to play through it. It’s different,” he said.