Good Sports: NATIONAL TEAM COACH
Roy Rana, head basketball coach at Ryerson University in Toronto, was recently appointed head coach of the Canadian men’s basketball team, becoming the first Indo-Canadian and visible minority to hold the position.
“It’s incredible that someone whose parents were both born in India can be the national team coach of basketball in Canada,” Rana told CBC Toronto’s Dwight Drummond.
Canada Basketball announced in mid-August that Rana will serve as head coach for the FIBA Americup 2017 and first two FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 qualifiers (November 2017 and February 2018).
Rana’s appointment came on the heels of a historic achievement for him and Canadian basketball. In July, he coached Canada’s Under-19 men’s team to the gold medal at the U19 World Cup in Cairo. It was Canada Basketball’s first-ever gold medal at a World Cup FIBA competition.
“That’s the beauty of sport,” Rana said. “Sometimes when it’s least expected magical things happen.”
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