With 'nothing to lose,' Steve Sir leads a hungry Canada into 3x3 basketball World Cup

A dejected Steve Sir stood on a basketball court with his Canadian teammates on June 12, 2018 following a quarterfinal loss in the team's FIBA 3x3 World Cup debut in Manila, Philippines.

Sir has played basketball since he was six years old and was an NCAA standout at Northern Arizona, but he was green when it came to the fast-paced 3x3 format played on a smaller court with fewer players than the traditional five-on-five game.

The Netherlands scored four points in 80 seconds on that June day for an 18-16 victory in a 10-minute contest that included five lead changes. Canada held a 16-15 edge with 73 seconds remaining on the clock.

"The semifinals were right there for us. Knowing that you are an inch away from a chance to play for a medal for your country, those aren't opportunities you get every day," Sir recalled last week. "It was heartbreaking not to take the next step."

Seven years later, Canada will have another chance at a World Cup medal when 20 teams gather in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the ninth edition starting June 23. Sir is the lone returning member of the squad, which opens pool play the next day against European powerhouse Austria and then China, which captured an Asia Cup silver medal in March.

WATCH | Canada eliminated in quarterfinals of 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup;

With family and friends watching back home in Edmonton, Sir expects the sweat, anticipation and nervousness to return when he's introduced for the Austria matchup with teammates Grant Audu, Jérôme Desrosiers and Alex Johnson.

Representing Canada and wearing the family name on his back has been a lifelong dream for Sir.

"One of my favourite Christmas gifts was getting the book Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA when I was a teenager," Sir remembered while speaking with CBC Sports recently. "A heavy part of that book was Steve [the two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer] talking about what it meant to play for Canada and how it was a lifelong dream. It left a major impression on me.

"My big dream was playing Division 1 [college basketball] in the [United] States, but my apex was always getting the chance to play for Canada."

FIBA 3x3 World Cup action from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia will stream live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem beginning June 23 at 11 p.m. ET and continue through June 29. For a full broadcast schedule of 3x3 basketball events this season, click here.

Wearing a red zip-up top with "Canada" written in white lettering above his heart, Sir added the support from home during the 2018 World Cup has "kept me motivated, kept me playing and pursuing. It was a special feeling."

From 2007 through 2016, Sir carved out a professional career in five-on-five basketball as an integral member of teams in Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Edmonton and Halifax.

WATCH | Steve Sir, 42, on how long he'll play 3x3 basketball: