Unser Chat » allowed to be in the wrong seat, wrong row or

With the Ides of March Madness upon us, one man seems to be at the epicentre of many young Canucks chasing that One Shining Moment beneath the 49th-parallel. Today is the eve of many a Big Dance dream being shattered and powerhouses upset as conference tournaments and, for some, college careers end before Selection Sunday. Canadian Junior Mens and Ryerson Rams Mens head basketball coach Roy Rana is no stranger to winning on almost every level, having been instrumental in the growth of some of the top players who will play in the 2014 NCAA Tournament . I sat down with Coach Rana to better understand his journey and connection to eras past, present and future in Canadian basketball, as we all prepare to fill out brackets for a chance at a cool billion of Warren Buffetts dollars, win office pools, while giving the impression of productivity at work, and cheer on our favorite teams. Is perception about the level of play/competition in Canadian high school ball changing at all? Dramatically. There is a serious respect internationally for the talent we produce here. It used to feel like people looked at Canada as a third-world basketball country, but I believe weve answered a lot of questions there. There is a general perception that the level is down, mostly because many of our best head off to Findlay [Prep] in Vegas or other prep schools in the US for higher end competition and visibility. But many credible, hard-working, talented young players are making names for themselves in this country, too. By scheduling perennially exceptional NCAA teams like Wisconsin and Syracuse for his Ryerson Rams to test their mettle, Roy Rana continues to strengthen the program with an unyielding commitment to basketball in this country. Coach Ranas ability to mold young talent was never more evident than when he led the Cadet National team to a bronze medal finish, the highest honor a Canadian team has ever achieved at the U-16 World Championships last year in Uruguay. What made that cadet team so special? Canada had never fielded that age group before for international play. Expectations were low. We just wanted to give our young guys a chance to compete on the international stage. They were a very exceptional group: so strong… focused… selfless… no egos whatsoever. The way they shared the ball and played the right way was great for us. What gets you most excited about the future of the Canadian National Team system? The depth of our talent. Were young and will take some lumps early, but the experiences will help us grow. What are some things youd like to see changed? We just have to keep working, at every level: Senior National, Junior National, Cadet… every level. We have to stay hungry and never get complacent. Are the 2016 Rio Olympics a realistic goal? Its going to be challenging. Not many have expectations for us to do well. The experience we gain internationally in developing our system is a huge factor. Well take our best shot and see where we land. In addition to major coaching success internationally, Coach Rana also helped the World Select Team to back-to-back titles at the 2012 and 2013 Nike Hoop Summit vs. the USA Basketball Mens Junior National Select Team. Beating any US team in a major basketball tournament is serious. You did it twice in a row. How? Young men like Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, who will be incredible, as well as the multitalented Dario Saric. If you havent heard of Exum and Saric, you will soon enough. With very little practice time together, they gelled well enough and played with the kind of effort any basketball fan would respect. The journey thus far has taken Roy Rana all over the world, but dreams of a higher station in life and through coaching are real. To what college coach would you compare your style? Thats a great question. Ive never really thought about it. Honestly, I couldnt tell you. I really love what Billy Donovan does at Florida. Im a big fan of Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, Bill Self at Kansas. Really admire Gregg Marshall at Wichita State for what hes done with that program. Hard to compare… These guys are in a different world. With all of your international experience, have you ever thought about coaching abroad, say in the US, Europe or other basketball-developing ports? Man, I always dream about learning more about my coaching abilities in different situations and circumstances. I wouldnt rule out the possibilities, but I love the city of Toronto and this country. I am blessed for what I have now and the jobs in front of me at Ryerson and within the Canadian National Team system. What about the NBA? Thats the ultimate dream, you know? Just to be able to touch that level, contribute in my way would be incredible. It would definitely have to be the right situation… right fit… What is Roy Ranas ultimate coaching goal? Max out completely with what I have before me now. Everything is about my team. Any and everything else that comes my way will be as a result of efforts of a great many people, not just me alone. At some level, Roy Rana has coached scores of players who will be chasing the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship. Pinning down his favorite player or team was difficult, but enlightening as Coach Rana showed Canadian love across the board. Best player in the country is…? Well, Doug McDermott (Creighton), with all hes done with his career, is probably the most worthy, but its tough to pick a "best player" in the country. There are close to 10 guys in that conversation. Three Canadians in Andrew [Wiggins], Tyler [Ennis] and Nik [Stauskas]… Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle. Its very tough. Should Andrew Wiggins really stay at Kansas for another year of seasoning? No. If youre a top-three lottery pick and you know it, why not go? Sure, you sacrifice a bit of that college experience, which Im sure is special to him, but if the NBA thinks youre That Guy, you go, no question. Is Tyler Ennis ready to run an NBA team now? No, probably not right now. Can he come in at what 19, 20 and be a contributor immediately? Absolutely. But over time in a couple years, I believe hell be more than capable of running a team in the NBA quite well. Name your All-Canadian NCAA team. Can I have two first teams (laughs)? All of these young guys are great, but Id go with Ennis, Wiggins, [Melvin] Ejim (Iowa State), Khem Berch (UNLV) and Nik Stauskas, who had a fantastic season. I coached all of them at some point, so I dont want to leave anyone out. All had incredible years in their own right: Daniel Mullings (New Mexico State), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga), Jordan Bachynski (Arizona State), Dwight Powell (Stanford)… Whos that darkhorse Canadian who will shine in March Madness? DyShawn Pierre of Dayton. He fills the stats sheet. Hes exciting, can do it all, multi-talented. I believe he can win a game virtually on his own in the tournament. DyShawn has real NBA potential. Who do you think will make the Final Four? Hopefully, four teams with Canadians on them. Then itll be real tough for me to pick a team to win it all! I wish all the young people well, but I cheer for the Canadians! Andrew Whitworth Youth Jersey . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Joe Namath Youth Jersey . Siddikur, who led on all four days and took a four-stroke lead going into the final day, bogeyed four out of six holes starting at the sixth and continued a forgettable last round in which he returned a three-over 75 to finish with a 14-under 274. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/darrell-henderson-jersey/ .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. Joe Namath Rams Jersey . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. Clay Matthews Womens Jersey . Tyutin has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury which occurred while playing for Russia at the Olympics. The top-two defenceman has four goals and 20 assists, 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with Columbus this season.Lets start with hoping that the Rogers Centre roof will be invisible the next time the Blue Jays take the field, horrible washed-out shade of green carpet that it is. The turf is scheduled to give way to actual grass that is bright green, so we dont have to complain any more—we just have to wait a few years. Instead, do feel free to complain if the roof is closed for any reason other than to allow a game to be played. After (or during?) the winter of 2013-14, it might tempt fate to declare that it will no longer be too cold to watch baseball outdoors, but it wont. Not a week from now. Close the roof only if you must, not as you wish, Rogers Centre Roof Department. Baseball fans will love you for it. They dont mind bringing jackets. The next policy that has to change involves the selling of beer. I received an e-mail from a disgruntled husband who wanted to share a can of beer with his wife and asked for a glass for that purpose. He was told that wouldnt be possible. He could have the beer in a can, or the beer in a glass, but not both. It gets sillier. At the home opener, my friend Neil stepped into the aisle and down a few rows to hail a vendor and to ask for two cans of beer—WE dont share—and he was told he could buy just one beer. But he wanted two, one for himself and one for his friend Dave sitting a few rows up. Sorry, he was told—he had two choices. He could tell me to get my own beer, or he could bring the one he was allowed to buy to me and return to buy a second one in a separate transaction. He even reasoned that he should be able to buy a second beer and give it to a stranger sitting nearest these negotiations, but the vendor was too savvy. He realized that the gifted beer would quickly make it back to Neils hand and then to mine, and the beer salesman wasnt about to be fooled that easily. Suffice it to say I got my beer, and I didnt spill it when I stood up to do the wave. Thats because I didnt stand up to do the wave. I woould like to propose a rule for the wave and add it to my rules for the roof and the beer.dddddddddddd The wave is permissible once per game. When the crowd is asked to stand for the anthems, it may do so section by section and remain standing, to sing and to congratulate itself for doing the wave in advance of the game, but never during it. There should be other rules for fan behaviour. A fan is allowed to heckle a player only if that player has a remote chance of hearing the humourless yell. Theres something empty and mindless about trash talk that only one person thinks is funny and is heard only by people to whom it is not directed. A fan is allowed to be in the wrong seat, wrong row or wrong section if he or she has actually looked twice at the ticket or has even thought about asking for help. Poor eyesight or a careless usher can then be blamed. But guessing at the proper location doesnt work very well. A fan is allowed to act and talk like a baseball expert if he or she can pass the simple test of knowing that its not correct to yell "Balk!" when the pitcher wheels and fakes a throw to second base instead of delivering the ball to the plate. Heres the opposite of that. A guy sitting behind me was trying to impress his female companion with his baseball knowledge and he invited her to ask him to explain anything she might not understand. As the game was about to begin, she wanted to know how they decide which team bats first. There was a long, uncomfortable pause before her friend guessed at the answer—he reasoned that they probably flip a coin. I sincerely hoped she wouldnt ask him why the roof was closed, or why he couldnt bring her back a beer when he left to get one for himself. If any of this resonates with you, pass it on. But please…..not like a wave. “Up on the Roof”—James Taylor“Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers”—ZZ Top“Wave Babies”—Honeymoon Suite ' ' '