R.J. Barrett and Chris Boucher were born in Canada and play for the hometown team, the Toronto Raptors. Their place on the roster of the country’s team has sparked the dreams and hopes of other Toronto kids.
Players on the Westview Centennial Secondary School Wildcats basketball team, nestled in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue West community at 755 Oakdale Rd., yearn to play for the Raptors in the future.
Jahdon Burgher, a shooting guard for the Wildcats, says he would love to play for his city one day.
“It will mean the world to me especially knowing that my whole family lives here and they can come to see me, it will mean everything to me, but I must say I would be nervous,” he said.
Point guard Jahdon Burgher is aiming to play for his city's pro team, the Raptors. Photo credit: Delroy Davidson
The Wildcats are 6-0 in the regular season as of Jan. 22.
D.J. Green, who is in his final year at Westview and has been playing basketball since the eighth grade, said it would be a dream come true to play for his hometown team once he gets to the draft stage, even if it involves being picked by one team and then traded.
“Playing for the Toronto Raptors would be huge for me because I would be able to give back to the community that grew me into the young man I am today. It is a wonderful place to live, and I am proud to be Canadian,” he said.
D.J. Green of the Westview Wildcats says he's hoping to one day play for the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Photo credit: Delroy Davidson
Green says a few colleges and universities have already been reaching out to him.
” I have York, Seneca and Humber too that are eyeing me down, so I’m trying to take it more seriously and come into every game with more confidence and bring the energy to the team,” he said.
Green says in five years from now, he hopes to have played at least three years in college, and then go overseas and eventually end up in the NBA.
Ricardo Johnson, who is the starting point guard for the Wildcats, is also in his final year and says he knows the day will come when he represents his hometown.
Ricardo Johnson, in his final year of high school, knows the day will come when he represents his hometown. Photo credit: Delroy Davidson
“OMG, I could already envision the huge support that I will get just playing for the Toronto Raptors,” he said. “I want to bring more championships North of the border and the only way that can happen is if I get drafted or traded once I get to the professional league.”
Wildcats coach Chris Blackwood said local athletes receiving attention for their talents nationally is a huge step in the right direction for Canadian athletes.
“To have several scout reporters from the United States, travel to Canada to check out local talents is every young basketball player’s dream. They want to be heard and seen just like America,” he said.
Johnson had some words of encouragement for the future young athletes who want to play professional sports.
“Keep your head up, and keep pushing, it’s all about academics, it’s all about your grades, you need to have good grades or else it won’t get you anywhere,” he said.