(Photo: Talbert Johnson)
Canada’s lone professional basketball team has once again set up camp in the nation’s capital. The Toronto Raptors arrived in Ottawa bright and early on Tues. Sept. 29 for their five-day training camp, which is being held at Carleton for the second consecutive year.
After a disappointing season in which the Raptors were unable to qualify for the playoffs, they come back to Carleton this time around almost a completely revamped group. There are only three players remaining on the Raptors squad who were here a year ago: Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, and all-star power forward Chris Bosh – who has spent the last few days rehabbing his hamstring injury instead of practicing with his new teammates.
Among the nine new faces on the Raptors roster, Turkish forward Hedo Turkoglu is clearly the team’s most prominent off-season acquisition.
Not only does the team have a new crop of players, they also have a new coach. Jay Triano replaced Sam Mitchell as bench boss early last season, after the Raptors came slowly out of the gate. Triano, born in Tilsonburg, Ont., is the first Canadian-born head coach in the history of the NBA.
It was the Raptors’ idea to return to Carleton this year, according to Carleton’s director of recreation and athletics Jennifer Brenning.
“We’re lucky to have them back a second year in a row because they do want to move their training camp to different communities,” said Brenning. “It’s really great for our community. They don’t regularly get an opportunity to see that level of athlete and be exposed to the Raptors like that so it was a no-brainer for us to have them back.”
And most Carleton students are happy to see them back. Even though the only chance they’ll get to catch their idols in action is on Oct. 3 when the team concludes camp with an intrasquad charity game, a game that sold out in 30 minutes, according to Brenning.
“I was extremely excited to hear that the Raptors were coming back,” said fourth-year student Nabil Meghji. “Keeping in mind that I was disappointed to not get any tickets last year, I waited for the clock to turn to 1 p.m. on Sept. 23 and ordered my second-row tickets.”
Mike Gibbins, a second-year student, was able to attend the charity game last year and plans to do so again this year with a new strategy in mind.
“Last year we thought we were pretty early; we were there about two hours before they opened the doors but there were already people lined up outside. This year we’re going to bring some chairs and head there about three hours early, maybe even earlier.”