The cavalry has arrived, at the perfect time.

With Canada’s quest for a first Olympic men’s basketball berth since 2000 about to kick into high gear, the excitement was palpable at the Air Canada Centre on Friday as nearly all of the country’s elite players were finally gathered in one spot.

And perhaps nobody had a bigger grin than head coach Jay Triano, who couldn’t turn around without bumping into an NBA player, or someone trying to crack the league.

“We’ve got the most talent we’ve ever had in Canada in a gymnasium at one time now, which is great,” Triano said after putting the likes of rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins, fellow NBAers Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk, Nik Stauskas, Andrew Nicholson, Anthony Bennett, Dwight Powell and Robert Sacre through the paces.

Wiggins, of course, was the top player on hand, the one Canada Basketball’s braintrust, along with every basketball fan in this country have been dying to see finally suit up for the senior men.

“It’s huge. It just gives us so many options,” Olynyk said of having Wiggins available and ready for action ahead of the qualifying tournament in Mexico which starts Aug. 31.

“He’s so explosive on both ends of the floor, he can make things happen. Those guys are tough to handle and to have that guy on your side is way better than playing against him.”

Triano intends to use Canada’s new-found depth and try not to ask too much of Wiggins alone, but he clearly will be a key piece.

“I think every level he’s played at teams have leaned on him, even as a rookie last year in the NBA, playing all the games he did and the possessions that he gets,” Triano said.

“We’re going to make sure we give him the basketball and we expect him to be a big player for us.”

Wiggins is just as pleased to be on hand as his coach is to have him.

“I’m just doing it for pride, for Canada really,” Wiggins said.

“I want to be in the Olympics, something that I haven’t got a chance to witness or experience. So that’s what I’m looking forward to really, just trying to win this, to qualify to make it to the Olympics.”

Stauskas also will be making his senior-level debut (he previously helped Canada win bronze at the under-16 level back in 2009) and though he was also a high NBA draft pick, he said he is willing to do whatever it takes to fit in and help the squad.

“My only goal is to win and qualify for the Olympics,” Stauskas said.

“I think that’s everyone’s main goal right here. Coach Triano talked about there’s got to be sacrifice, not everyone is going to have the role they want, not everyone is going to play the minutes they want, but the main thing is just getting to the Olympics next year, so everyone’s going to have to make a little sacrifice, just play your hardest to win.”

The tryout roster also includes Utah Jazz second-round pick Olivier Hanlan, Melvin Ejim and Sim Bhullar, who both have NBA training camp invites, ex-Carleton legend Phil Scrubb and sharpshooter Brady Heslip, who both signed significant overseas deals, along with cagey veterans Carl English and Aaron Doornekamp.

The 16-man roster will be pared to 12 next Thursday, just before the group heads to Puerto Rico for a tuneup tourney which runs from Aug. 23-27, before the stakes rise significantly in Mexico.

Cleveland power forward Tristan Thompson was in the gym Friday, but will not be playing this summer as he works through contract negotiations with the Cavaliers.

It is still unclear whether incoming Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray, regarded as a potential top-five NBA pick next summer, will be on the final roster, but if not, it won’t be for lack of trying on Canada’s part.

“We haven’t received confirmation either yay or nay on that,” Triano said when asked whether Kentucky and the NCAA had allowed Murray to play in any actual games following this camp.

“It’s something we work on a daily basis and we’re trying to figure out whether that’s going to work or not. Best thing is that he’s here in camp and learning so that if we get a positive answer it’s not catch-up time for him.”

With all the talent already on hand, adding Murray might not be a make-or-break situation for Canada, but having the country’s next elite prospect suiting up at just 18, instead of potentially throwing him into the fire next summer in Rio with so much on the line, wouldn’t do anything but help the program moving forward.

After years of hope and talk, all of a sudden, the future is finally here for Canada Basketball.

OLYNYK JUMPED AT CHANCE

Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk is only 24-years-old, but he’s a wily veteran when it comes to international basketball.

The 7-footer, who was born in Toronto, but raised both there and in Kamloops, B.C., first suited up for Canada’s senior team in 2010 at the FIBA world championship, only a few months after his 19th birthday. Surprisingly, Olynyk immediately became one of Canada’s top players, averaging 8.2 points per game at the tournament, fifth-best on the team, and used that as a springboard to eventual success while at Gonzaga, where he became a consensus first-team All American and the West Coast Conference’s player of the year before the Celtics drafted him 13th overall.

Playing for Canada was a no-brainer for Olynyk for a variety of reasons. His father, Ken, coached Canada’s junior team for over a decade and that gave him some perspective.

“The international thing is a little bit different,” Olynyk said after practice at the ACC on Friday.

“There’s a lot of pride in playing for your country, a lot of emotion, passion that you sometime don’t see at different levels because you can get traded any day ... I wouldn’t say it’s hard to, but it’s different to really feel attached to one place in the NBA if you’re just bouncing around.

“But with Canada, obviously they can’t trade me to Germany, they can’t trade me to Argentina. So when you’re out here for your country, it’s something very powerful, that passion, that love of the game and just fighting for your country, getting your country to that plateau.”