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Leo Rautins was just a teenager when he first joined the Canadian men’s basketball team, and he’s been a passionate supporter of the program ever since.
It was no surprise then that he became emotional Thursday when he announced he was stepping down as head coach of the national team after six years at the helm.
“This hasn’t been a job, this has been a passion,” Rautins said, before pausing to compose himself. “Something that I’ve loved doing. I love this program. I want to be involved in this program. I want to help this program. We’ve got a lot of great kids. I want to help all our kids at different levels in this country.
“I was a part of this program as a youngster when we were among the best in the world, and that’s where I see this program. What’s next for me is doing whatever I can to make that happen. That’s priority for me.”
Rautins, 51, made the announcement on a conference call with reporters Thursday, after the Canadian team was eliminated from contention for the 2012 Olympics with a 91-89 loss to Panama at the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.
The winner and runner-up at the FIBA Americas tournament earn Olympic berths, while the next three best teams advance to a last-chance qualifying tournament next summer.
Canada’s loss to Panama gave Venezuela fifth spot.
“I think for the benefit of this program, a new voice in the locker-room will be the best thing,” Rautins said. “I love this program. I didn’t take this job to enhance my reputation, to become an NBA coach, to use it as a launching pad. I took this job because I love this program and I want to see this program succeed.”
Before Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash of Victoria took the mantle, Rautins, a six-foot-eight Toronto native, was considered the face of Canadian basketball. He starred at Syracuse University in the 1980s and was selected in the first round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, 17th overall. His association with the national team goes back to when he made the squad as a 16-year-old.
Rautins would like to remain connected with the program in some capacity, a notion that Canada Basketball chief executive officer Wayne Parrish would welcome.
“Leo has been for many, many years the heart and soul of this program — and I don’t think that’s going to change,” Parrish said. “I just know that the success that this program is going to have in the future is going to be tied in large part to what Leo has achieved to date and what he’ll continue to help the program achieve in the future.”
Rautins said he received nothing but support from Parrish and Canada Basketball managing director Maurizio Gherardini, and made sure to praise the team’s players.
“I had a lot of fun with this group,” he said. “They’ve matured, they’ve grown. Nobody cared about who started, or how many minutes anybody played, who took the shot. These guys just came out and played.”
Although Canada hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since 2000 in Athens (twice missing out with Rautins as coach; once with Jay Triano at the helm), Parrish said the future is bright for the program, with youngsters Cory Joseph of Pickering, Ont., Jevohn Shepherd of Toronto and Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., joining the team in recent years.
He credited Rautins for helping lay the foundation.
“We all hoped we’d be in position to be in the qualifier next summer,” Parrish said. “The fact that we aren’t doesn’t change the success that’s been born. When you look at a number of games over the last week, you realize that our players are talented. It’s coming, it’s growing.
“We’ve got to continue further down that road to come into these tournaments where we’re one of the two or three teams — in the way that Argentina and Brazil and Puerto Rico are now — that everyone else in the tournament are fearful of.”
Rautins made it clear he doesn’t not criticize some of the country’s best players who choose not to play for the national team, but lamented the fact that Canada often doesn’t field the best lineup it can in international play.
“Somehow, in our country, we have to look at playing for the national team as an honour as something that is very special,” he said. “It’s not only beneficial to your game and your development, but it’s something that’s unique.
“As (former national team coach) Jack Donohue used to say, ‘There are two ways to represent your country: in war and in sports.’ And I think this is a hell of a lot better way to do it. I’d love to see all our best players play for Canada and I think it’s going to happen.
“I can sit here and watch Argentina step on the floor and all of their best players are on the floor. That’s special.
“It would be wonderful if our country were to be able to put the best players we have on the floor.”
Read more: Rautins steps down as national basketball coach
It was no surprise then that he became emotional Thursday when he announced he was stepping down as head coach of the national team after six years at the helm.
“This hasn’t been a job, this has been a passion,” Rautins said, before pausing to compose himself. “Something that I’ve loved doing. I love this program. I want to be involved in this program. I want to help this program. We’ve got a lot of great kids. I want to help all our kids at different levels in this country.
“I was a part of this program as a youngster when we were among the best in the world, and that’s where I see this program. What’s next for me is doing whatever I can to make that happen. That’s priority for me.”
Rautins, 51, made the announcement on a conference call with reporters Thursday, after the Canadian team was eliminated from contention for the 2012 Olympics with a 91-89 loss to Panama at the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.
The winner and runner-up at the FIBA Americas tournament earn Olympic berths, while the next three best teams advance to a last-chance qualifying tournament next summer.
Canada’s loss to Panama gave Venezuela fifth spot.
“I think for the benefit of this program, a new voice in the locker-room will be the best thing,” Rautins said. “I love this program. I didn’t take this job to enhance my reputation, to become an NBA coach, to use it as a launching pad. I took this job because I love this program and I want to see this program succeed.”
Before Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash of Victoria took the mantle, Rautins, a six-foot-eight Toronto native, was considered the face of Canadian basketball. He starred at Syracuse University in the 1980s and was selected in the first round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, 17th overall. His association with the national team goes back to when he made the squad as a 16-year-old.
Rautins would like to remain connected with the program in some capacity, a notion that Canada Basketball chief executive officer Wayne Parrish would welcome.
“Leo has been for many, many years the heart and soul of this program — and I don’t think that’s going to change,” Parrish said. “I just know that the success that this program is going to have in the future is going to be tied in large part to what Leo has achieved to date and what he’ll continue to help the program achieve in the future.”
Rautins said he received nothing but support from Parrish and Canada Basketball managing director Maurizio Gherardini, and made sure to praise the team’s players.
“I had a lot of fun with this group,” he said. “They’ve matured, they’ve grown. Nobody cared about who started, or how many minutes anybody played, who took the shot. These guys just came out and played.”
Although Canada hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since 2000 in Athens (twice missing out with Rautins as coach; once with Jay Triano at the helm), Parrish said the future is bright for the program, with youngsters Cory Joseph of Pickering, Ont., Jevohn Shepherd of Toronto and Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., joining the team in recent years.
He credited Rautins for helping lay the foundation.
“We all hoped we’d be in position to be in the qualifier next summer,” Parrish said. “The fact that we aren’t doesn’t change the success that’s been born. When you look at a number of games over the last week, you realize that our players are talented. It’s coming, it’s growing.
“We’ve got to continue further down that road to come into these tournaments where we’re one of the two or three teams — in the way that Argentina and Brazil and Puerto Rico are now — that everyone else in the tournament are fearful of.”
Rautins made it clear he doesn’t not criticize some of the country’s best players who choose not to play for the national team, but lamented the fact that Canada often doesn’t field the best lineup it can in international play.
“Somehow, in our country, we have to look at playing for the national team as an honour as something that is very special,” he said. “It’s not only beneficial to your game and your development, but it’s something that’s unique.
“As (former national team coach) Jack Donohue used to say, ‘There are two ways to represent your country: in war and in sports.’ And I think this is a hell of a lot better way to do it. I’d love to see all our best players play for Canada and I think it’s going to happen.
“I can sit here and watch Argentina step on the floor and all of their best players are on the floor. That’s special.
“It would be wonderful if our country were to be able to put the best players we have on the floor.”
Read more: Rautins steps down as national basketball coach
