It has been awhile since we have had the chance to catch up with Myck Kabongo. He was just one of a large group of talented people that were part of the workouts for Canada Basketball this weekend in Toronto. He shared the floor with Tristan Thompson, Cory Joesph, Andrew Nicholson, and a list of perhaps the greatest amount of Canadian basketball talent ever assembled in one place at one time for Canada. When you factor in Steve Nash being in the building that might push it to an even higher level. Nash was working out on the Raptors practice court, maybe not in the way Raptors fans would have liked, but in helping take a hands on approach to his job as G.M of Canada Basketball. We got the inside scoop on how this camp was going and how life in general is going for Myck Kabongo. He had his first year at Texas and learned a lot from it and seems to have been working hard towards his 2nd season with the Longhorns. We talk a lot more about Canada Basketball in this however and this whole idea of this great generation of players Canada has that Myck feels blessed to be a part of. He is a great blend of confidence and humility with a real fun nature about him. He even offers his services to join #TeamDNB as part of our staff.. He has an open invitation to do whatever he likes in the Dino Nation Blog. We are always thrilled to have him as a guest or for whatever. That said, Myck says he is completely focused on his work as student and an athlete for Texas Longhorns. No more rap music or anything else it is business of basketball and his Texas team first. He has been working out hard down in Austin getting ready for that. He also is very committed to being a part of what Canada Basketball is trying to build and dreams of being a part of a team in Rio that could really put basketball on the map in this country for casual fans of sports here in Canada.
I wrote last week how truly excited I was for the future of Canada Basketball. Part of that excitement is just my pride as a Canadian. Another part of it is having got to know some of these young guys like Myck. I first got to know him after watching him play in the junior program for Canada basketball. I would later meet Cory Joesph and Tristan Thompson. Both were similar type people to Myck. They all share a confidence in themselves but a true humility to them as well. They are all guys that you can feel good for and proud to support. This is a first step in hopefully all of Canada getting behind basketball like they never have before. It is the dream that we all as basketball fans can share in. What happened this weekend in Toronto was a big first step for Steve Nash and the Canada Basketball program.
That is our guest today Ray Bala hanging out with us on our MGD night. He won the passes by knowing that Master P once was a Raptors if memory serves me correct. But his field of expertise is that of up and coming Canadian Ballers. So seeing as it is Madness time and my bracket is almost busted, lots of time to talk about all the Canadians in the tournament. We break down what happened with Cory and Tristan with Texas. How the addition of Myck Kabongo will help the Longhorns next year. In addition touch on the forth Canadian to join up at Texas from Canada in form of Kevin Thomas, who played in the Canada Grassroots program with all 3. We touch on all the other Canadians that were part of the Madness as well as start to look at what the Raptors could do in the draft.
The piece we talked about at the end on the Juno Celebrity Game Ray wrote is very amusing check it out. Seems like it was a fun event. I found out about it last minute or else I might have went down to check it out. Play in it? Heck no. But it would have been a blast to watch by sounds of it. Ray has been a regular guest with us for past few years to talk NCAA Hoops and I thank him for taking the time to stop by and pay us a visit.
Last night I watched the much talked about Fab 5 documentary. Their impact on college basketball was massive and it impacted on the game of basketball. If it ever does make it to air in Canada you owe it to yourself to watch it. Something is happening with three Canadians in Texas that might have an impact on Canada in the NCAA that could be remembered 20 years later. The Texas Longhorns have Tristan Thompson and Cory Joesph who will be representing Canada in Longhorn burnt orange in March Madness. We have had Myck Kabongo in this blog who will be joining his fellow Canadians at Texas next season. These three young Canadians might not be as brash as the Fab 5 were, but their impact on kids in this country could be pretty big. Thompson and Joesph have already opened up eyes in their rookie year at Texas. Both start for Texas and were battling in the Big 12 tournament this past weekend making it to the Final and falling to Kansas who they beat earlier in the season. They enter March Madness as the 4th seed in the West and are in the same bracket as the defending champion Duke Blue Devils.
We have spoke often in this blog about the chances of these 3 kids taking there talent to the NBA level. Earlier in the season when Oklahoma City rolled through Toronto, Kevin Durant spoke about these kids in glowing terms. He compared Tristan and Cory to himself and D.J Augustin who scored 23 vs the Raptors yesterday. He also spoke in the same glowing terms of Myck Kabongo as well. He talked about a pick-up game down in Texas in which Myck and Cory were on the floor playing against some Texas Alum in T.J Ford and others on the floor. He suggested that they more than held their own on the court. Here is what K.D had to say back in December.
T.J Ford is a former Raptor and Longhorn and was in town this past Friday. Ford has had his struggles this year with the Pacers being pushed to the background in favour of youth. He will be a free agent this summer and hopefully finds a home where he can revitalize his career. T.J was misrepresented in his time here in Toronto as a bad guy. The reality could not be further from the truth. He has always been a guy that has helped others coming up especially those that come from Texas. D.J Augustin benefited from that and now so are Cory Joesph and Myck Kabongo. T.J's passion for his former school has always been great and he, Kevin Durant, Lamarcus Aldridge and other former Longhorns have always given back to the program even after they have come to the NBA. Durant earlier in the interview above talked about Texas as a real family and spoke with some praise and respect for Coach Barnes and the program as you just heard. When you consider he only was there a season, it speaks to how much an impact the program had on him. Ford who led the Longhorns to Final Four also has much love for Barnes, the program and the new Canadian additions to the mix. Here is T.J speaking with me on Texas and it's Canadian kids.
I saw Myck Kabongo playing for Canada in the summer in San Antonio. He blew me away and caused me to reach out to him. He has been in the blog on several occasions and when I started getting the pieces to put this thing together I was able to talk with him back at the start of 2011 to get his thoughts for this feature. We start by talking about that visit that Kevin Durant referenced above. Where Myck and Cory were on the floor with T.J Ford, D.J Augustin and others. We go on to talk about his thoughts about going to Texas and there was a brief point where he was not committed to Texas. He explains about that and how his game was coming along at the time, as well as his thoughts on how Cory and Tristan were doing earlier in the season.
Myck before he goes to Texas will be taking part in the McDonald's High School All American Game at the end of the month in Chicago. We had a interview with him around the All-Star Break in the NBA just after he was named to participate in this game. If you missed that interview here is a link to check that out. While Cory and Tristan's first March Madness will begin at 12:15 on Friday kicking off CBS/TSN coverage taking on Oakland. Texas is the West Region and will be playing in Tulsa on Friday and Sunday. Their bracket includes last year's champion Duke, Former Coach of the Fab 5 Steve Fisher and surprising San Diego State, The UConn Huskies and Kemba Walker who won 5 games to win the Big East Title and Arizona who would be a potential 2nd round opponent for Texas. Others in this bracket include Michigan, Penn State, Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see how they do as Texas had a bit of a slide late in the season but did make it all the way to the Big 12 final before falling to Kansas who they beat earlier in the season.
We have talked a lot about the prospects of all three of these kids not just making the NBA but the chances they could be Raptors in this blog. As well as Tristan and Cory have done, this may just be the start of something big. Both Kevin and T.J really thought of the 3 players Myck potentially could be the best of this trio. When you look at the potential of an NBA work stoppage next season basketball fans could be desperate for some hoops to watch. These 3 kids, should both Tristan and Cory remain at Texas, which with the lockout looming is more likely. It could make their profiles grow by leaps and bounds in Canada with no NBA potentially.
In a world of Big 3's it might just be the start of Canada's Big 3. I have got to speak with Myck on several occasions and he is one of the nicest young men I have ever come across. He is humble and respectful but still very confident and highly skilled. The same can be said for his fellow Canadians at Texas. They are just 3 examples of the growing amount of Canadian Talent that has invaded the NCAA. But these 3 represent a chance for something that has never happened. A Canadian that could be good enough to be a lottery pick in the NBA. Regardless of that it seems they all have NBA in their future if you listen to all the experts and guys around the league that know them.
March Madness is starting to mean more than just your office pool if you are a fan of basketball in this country. If you are a fan of the NBA in Canada it makes you hopefully that the NBA will have more than just Steve Nash to be proud of. If you are a Raptor fan you hope that all 3 of these Toronto based guys can be as good as advertised and some day come home to Toronto and the Raptors. There is still work for them to do but these kids work hard and play just as hard. They are young men that if you love the sport of basketball and are Canadian you can be proud of.
That guy on the left is Myck Kabongo and he along with two other Canadians is going to the High School equivalent of NBA All-Star Weekend. The McDonald's All American Game in Chicago Illinois in which his soon to be teammates next season at Texas Tristan Thompson and Cory Joesph played in last year. The game takes place on March the 30th and features the top high school prospects in North America. We talk with Myck about that honour about his future team the Texas Longhorns and have some fun previewing the NBA All-Star Weekend coming up in just over a week. It is always fun to have Myck pay us a visit. He is just a super young man and is easy to root for. I heard his name before, but first got to see him by watching are Junior National Team play in San Antonio. I happened to find out by accident from Jonny Flynn of Minnesota T-Wolves on Twitter that Myck had an account (@1mk2). So after watching him represent our country so well just tweeted some kind words to him about his play. Later that night there was a direct message from him thanking me. That is how I got to know him and since that time he has been a guest here a number of times. We always have a good time and he really enjoys talking with us and the feeling is mutual. So it is a great thrill to get to talk with him on a pretty exciting day for him. Here is the interview as we talk about a whole host of topics. Including me busting his chops about saying in the NBA Preview he helped us out with saying the Cavs were going to be good. He didn't get that right but on the floor he doesn't make many big mistakes like that. He is truly a fantastic young man and a joy to talk with.
You heard him say it, we hope to make it happen and bring you all 3 of our Canadian Kids at Texas in the blog sometime in the summer. I have been happy to show some love to Myck, Tristan and Cory these kids work hard and represent Canada well. I have made it no secret that the Raptors need to take note of these kids. All from the Toronto area and Myck has always made it known that "His Dream" is to be a Raptor. Earlier in the year covering the Raptors vs OKC and heard straight from Kevin Durant how good Myck is, as well as Cory and Tristan. Canada is creating some serious ballers. As bad as things have been for the Raptors, the franchise has worked hard to help develop basketball at the grass roots level and finally a generation later you are seeing some guys with elite talent in the sport. Hopefully they can benefit from it and have some Canadians play for Canada's team in the NBA. We wish Myck nothing but the best on his basketball journey and honoured he takes the time to talk with me.
I am excited today because I am going to be live blogging an NCAA Game with the Texas Longhorns in action. Texas has 2 Canadian freshmen in Cory Joesph and Tristan Thompson. MyckKabongo is coming next season to make 3 potential NBA talents on this team all Canadian. All the first wave of a generation of kids that have always had the NBA in Canada in their lifetimes.
When you look back and think of where things went wrong in Vancouver with the Grizzlies you can come up with a lot of answers. But one thing that you will always wonder is what might have happened if they drafted Steve Nash. At the time of his draft, no one could have seen that the Santa Clara point guard would become a 2-time M.V.P, and a safe bet for the Hall of Fame someday. However, to have a hometown kid, that clearly was at worst an NBA prospect would have done Vancouver a world of good. Who knows what might have happened. You might still have a team in Vancouver. Sure that is all speculation. But it clearly would not have hurt the Grizzlies, and it is not like they had a sparkling draft history. So the risk in taking him was not that high if they could have acquired a pick.
When you look to Toronto the Raptors in their 16 years have never had a Canadian player. They do have a Canadian coach, but I am not sure that any coach in the league puts butts in seats. Jay Triano is not nearly has entertaining as a Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines. Jokes aside people come to see the players on the floor. I think for Toronto to add a Canadian or even better a Toronto native would be huge. Think how many times over the years people threw out the name Jamal Maglorie as a potential Raptor. It was proof of the appetite to have a home grown product. No idea if there was truth to it, but Raptors were said to be trying to get Joel Anthony included in a Bosh sign and trade in the summer. Only speculation of course but it would have been nice.
We have watched a number of U.S based players come to Toronto and eventually leave like Bosh, Carter and you know the list. The real answer to the problem to me is hoping for one these kids in the NCAA right now to come through and be a legit lottery pick. Be it these 3 at Texas or someone else. Steve Nash being a Raptor has always been a dream for some Raptors fans. But let's face facts, the days of Nash being in the NBA are coming to close sooner rather then later. If we can find a young Canadian star that is the dream.
Gone are the excuses of not having their friends and family being able to see them that we have heard in the past from American players. No complaining about the metric system, No worries about not getting ESPN. Someone that grew up with a dream not just to be an NBA star but a NBA star in Toronto.
So while some Raptor fans are already starting to talk about the draft. If you are going be watching the NCAA anyway, you might want to start looking for all these up and coming Canadians. There are a lot more of them down south these days. No matter what you do Canada will always be Canada. Bosh is correct about one thing. Canada is different and someone who is from here already gets that.
So while we cheer and hope for DeRozan to improve and grow into a star. If he is successful that next thing will be... will he be the next one to get good and get gone. Not great English there, but I think you get the point. It might be wise to cheer just as hard for Joesph, Thompson, Kabango and others that are from the true north strong and free, as you do for the Young Onez.
Hook'em Horn EH!!!
If the Raptors could land a Canadian Star that could be the way this franchise can finally have a star that fans could embrace without the worry in the back of their heads thinking will they stay or go. The chances a home grown Raptor star would leave become far less.
So if this got you interested or if you already were. Join me tonight for Texas vs Illinois at 9pm on The Score.com and Mobile. That is what we call cross promotion. But it is also what I believe so it works.
DNB Scavenger Hunt Clue #1 -We love all our guests but he has always been billed as our favourite guest because he is.
So find a link to one of his interviews and Mail it to Dinonationblog@gmail.com. A reminder there will be more clues and you can not have more then 1 entry. So if you are not confident in your answer wait for the next clue for a different guest. Also make sure you include the clue along with the link. More clues to come and chances to win. All entries must be in by Midnight Tuesday.
Congratulations to Lanny from Whitby our first winner of a pair of tickets for MGD's Best Seats in The House. Good Luck to those of you trying to join him and me.
Avery Bradley was in Toronto for a workout with the Raptors. He is one of the biggest wild cards in the draft. I also have mentioned Damion James who was part of the same Texas squad as a possibility for the Raptors. In an attempt to get some insight on them the DNB talked with Mark Rosner a writer for The Statesman a local newspaper in Austin,Texas. In addition to the conversation we had about the draft eligible players we talked about the future for Texas that has a very Canadian connection. Tristian Thompson and Corey Joseph both have committed to Texas for next season. Both took part in the McDonald's High School All American Game. The first time 2 Canadians have done that in the same year. They will now hope to make more history together at Texas. So here is my chat with Mark on all things Texas with a Raptor and Canadian twist to it.
Our friends over at Raptors HQ were in the house and talked with Bradley after his workout with the Raptors. Still no word on if we will see Damion James pay a visit to the Raptors for a workout look see. Raptors have had Texas players in the past in the Dino Blogger's favourite T.J Ford and P.J Tucker was a 2nd round pick for the Raptors as well. In the future could Joesph or Thompson on day be picks for the Raptors? That would be a real dream come through for a lot of Raptors fans to see a Canadian Raptor. It is something that is missing from the Raptors 15 year history. Joseph and Thompson have a real chance to be NBA players and would likely be of interest to Toronto. Both being from the area makes them an ideal fit. I will watch there progress with Texas with great interest. Thanks to Mark it was great to talk with him and I am sure we will in the future again with these Canadian kids making news for the Longhorns in the coming NCAA season.
If you ever have a question or concern or request. You can always contact the Dino Nation Blog @t Dinoblogger@gmail.com
I am always willing to talk with folks for interviews etc. I currently am doing 2 regular radio appearances weekly. But I am always willing to do more stuff large or small. Whatever it is you would like to discuss I will be happy to reply.
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