On November 15, Robertson had to quit the VTB United League game against MBA-MAI early after landing awkwardly while scrambling for a rebound, and subsequently missed the league games against BETCITY PARMA and Samara.
However, by the time the FIBA international window opened, the player had recovered sufficiently for Team Canada to call him up for two 2027 World Cup qualifyiers against the Bahamas.
For the first game, which took place on November 29 in the Bahamas, Robertson was left out of the roster (Canada won 111:75 that day). And three days later, when the opponents played again in Toronto, the coaches included the Lokomotiv guard in the starting lineup.
In the 3rd minute, Kassius scored his first 3 points, helping to stop the Bahamas’ 7:2 run. He added another point at the end of the quarter, hitting a free throw called for a technical foul by the opponent’s coach.
In the 2nd quarter, Robertson spent 4 minutes on the court, scoring his second 3-pointer of the day. Canada won the 1st half quite comfortably, 52:36.
After the restart, the Bahamas went on another 9:2 run, and once again, the Lokomotiv guard played a role in stopping the opposition, providing a solid assist on Kyle Wiltjer‘s 3-pointer.
Canada entered the final ten minutes with a 13-point lead and managed to hold on, albeit with some nerves–Bahamas got within one possession twice.
Totally, Robertson played 15 minutes, scoring 7 points and making 1 assist for a 3.0 efficiency rating.
With two wins, Team Canada leads Group B of the FIBA Americas World Cup qualifiers. The next window for international games is in 3 months: the bronze medalists of the 2023 World Cup will play in Puerto Rico on February 26 and in Jamaica on March 1.
After all 4 teams in this group play each other home and away, the top 3 will advance to the next round, where they will be joined by the top 3 from Group D (Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, and Cuba). In this new group, teams that have not yet played each other will do it home and away, after which the top 3 places will earn the right to play at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.