Related: News Conference Intro | 1-on-1 With Parrish | 1-on-1 With Nash | Visit basketball.ca

Where some would see a gym, a basket and lacquered floor, Rowan Barrett sees another dot on a map that stretches to Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, France and countless stops within Canada and the United States.

At 39, Barrett is Canada Basketball’s new assistant GM and executive VP of the senior men’s team under Steve Nash and one of the centerpieces in an executive team unveiled Tuesday at Air Canada Centre.

Barrett, one of the country’s [...]]]>

Related: News Conference Intro | 1-on-1 With Parrish | 1-on-1 With Nash | Visit basketball.ca

Where some would see a gym, a basket and lacquered floor, Rowan Barrett sees another dot on a map that stretches to Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, France and countless stops within Canada and the United States.

At 39, Barrett is Canada Basketball’s new assistant GM and executive VP of the senior men’s team under Steve Nash and one of the centerpieces in an executive team unveiled Tuesday at Air Canada Centre.

Barrett, one of the country’s longest serving national team players, will be the eyes and ears of the program in gymnasiums across the country and around the world.

Nash, a Hall of Fame-bound player and perennial NBA all-star, monopolized the media with the announcement that he was returning to Canada to guide the program. Fair enough; the 38-year-old Victoria native plans to visit as many prospects and players as possible. Still, as an active NBA player Nash will depend on his longtime teammate Barrett for much of the legwork.

“There are so many things you can accomplish when you are involved in the players careers, not just 18-year-old players but 10-11 and 12-year old players who are on the way up,” Barrett said.

To Barrett a gym is a workplace. Where he sits depends on what he is trying to accomplish.

“I like to be up as close to the action as possible, to really get a feel for the game,” Barrett said. “But a lot of times, if I’m at a camp for example, I want to be with the NBA people to better answer their questions and talk about our players. Other times I will be sitting with a player’s family. Some like to sit back, others like to hang over the court and cheer their players on.”

Recruiting for the national team, Barrett said, is only part of the organization’s mandate.

“When you go to the gym you are able to help the player cultivate his game. You’re able to talk to his coach and his parents and be as sounding board for all the people involved in helping the player improve. You can’t’ do that unless you put in the time.”

What distinguishes the national program, the chance to play in far-flung gymnasiums with different lighting, refereeing and fans is invaluable in the polishing of the prospect, Barrett said.

“When you’ve played in those places, at altitude in different gyms, you are mentally stronger when you return to North America and play in more pristine environments.”

DeMar DeRozan’s summer just got a little busier with the news that the shooting guard has been added to USA Basketball’s Olympic Select Roster.

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman (and father of Raptors President and GM Bryan Colangelo) announced the addition of DeRozan to the roster of up-and-coming American players during Monday’s edition of the FAN 590′s Prime Time Sports (around the 7:10 mark).

The benefits for the Compton native — who averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and two assists per contest in his third full season with the Raptors — are [...]]]>

DeMar DeRozan’s summer just got a little busier with the news that the shooting guard has been added to USA Basketball’s Olympic Select Roster.

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman (and father of Raptors President and GM Bryan Colangelo) announced the addition of DeRozan to the roster of up-and-coming American players during Monday’s edition of the FAN 590′s Prime Time Sports (around the 7:10 mark).

The benefits for the Compton native — who averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and two assists per contest in his third full season with the Raptors — are two-fold. In the here and now, DeRozan gets and incredible opportunity to train with and scrimmage against finalists for U.S. Men’s team heading to the London Games later this summer, which includes Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Andre Iguodala at the shooting guard position.

The other advantage is the potential to use the Select Team as a showcase and potential springboard to final rosters of future U.S. Men’s teams attending the FIBA World Cup (formerly the World Championship) and/or Summer Games.

Look no further than the 2008 Select Team for proof. Iguodala, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook were all on that team and only Aldridge wasn’t on the 2010 Worlds squad that took home gold for the Americans. All six of those players were named to the pool of finalists for London, with Rose the only player who’s been ruled out due to his recent ACL tear.

This year’s full Select Team roster has yet to be officially announced but reports have suggested John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Kyrie Irving could be among those also named to the squad. USA Basketball’s National Team training camp is scheduled to open in Las Vegas on July 6^th.

Jack Armstrong answers your last series of questions in the final Ask Jack of the 2011/12 season.

Full Season-Ending News Conference Playlists: Bryan Colangelo | Dwane Casey | Raptors Players

There is no blueprint without a beginning.

There can be no beginning without a careful study of a blueprint.

That’s where the Toronto Raptors are right now. They have a blueprint. As of last night’s win over New Jersey, they have their beginning.

This was a different kind of end of season. No one said the club was better than their record. No one is kidding themselves about a quick entry into the league elite. The club finished 23-43.

But [...]]]>

Full Season-Ending News Conference Playlists: Bryan Colangelo | Dwane Casey | Raptors Players

There is no blueprint without a beginning.

There can be no beginning without a careful study of a blueprint.

That’s where the Toronto Raptors are right now. They have a blueprint. As of last night’s win over New Jersey, they have their beginning.

This was a different kind of end of season. No one said the club was better than their record. No one is kidding themselves about a quick entry into the league elite. The club finished 23-43.

But everyone believed that a blueprint exists. To quote that noted hoopster Winston Churchill, this is not the beginning of the end but rather the end of the beginning.

“We need to keep building,” said shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. “The improvements on the defensive end are obvious.”

“To go from a team that was basically at the bottom of every area defensively, I went with my gut and my teaching and it came through,” said coach Duane Casey. “I learned that about myself… to go with my gut in these situations.”

His instincts were rewarded. The Raptors announced they had added another year to Casey’s contract. The deal will carry him through the 2013-2014 season.

From day one, Casey delivered precisely what he said he would, a fanatical attention to defence that turned one of the league’s softest teams into a team that competes, often ferociously, when defending.

Those improvements are rendered concrete with a glance at the NBA stats. The Raptors were 9th best in points allowed per game with 94. Their opponents’ field goal percentage of .435 was also ninth. A year before the Raptors surrendered 105.4 per contest, fifth worst in the NBA. Only one team in 2010-2011 had an opponent’s field goal percentage worse than the Raptors figure of .482.

“Statistically, defensively we were off the charts in terms of what we accomplished,” Casey said. “Offensively we didn’t get there.”

Any progress in the standings was undone by the team’s difficulty in scoring. The Raptors offence fell to 90.7 a game from 99.1. Much of that could be attributable to the loss of 20-point a night contributor Andrea Bargnani to a leg injury for more than half the season, but no one doubted recalibrating a team’s emphasis from run-and-gun to grab-and-grunt wouldn’t result in a dip in offence.

“We’re really growing,” said point guard Jose Calderon. “We are just one step short of where we wanted to be.”

Now that young players such as DeRozan, Amir Johnson, Ed Davis and James Johnson have been indoctrinated, Casey will spend more time refining and less time reinventing. He will be gifted with a few new weapons. Lithuanian pivot Jonas Valanciunas will arrive next season after an excellent European campaign. The Raptors are also contestants in the draft lottery and will enter the lottery with the seventh or eighth best odds to win. GM Bryan Colangelo has been open in his desire for a free agent who could help, particularly at small forward.

The combination left the players upbeat.

“You can’t be enthusiastic about not making the playoffs but Coach Casey has changed the culture and we are doing things that are very good,” Bargnani said.

The seven-foot Italian was on his way to his best season when he was knocked out of the lineup for 26 games with a left calf strain. His defence had improved markedly but Bargnani was shut down for the last seven games of the season when the injury returned.

DeRozan at times struggled with the confines of Casey’s system but came out of the season with an average of 16.7 points a games and a dramatic uptick in his defensive play. Just 22, DeRozan had no real experience in a system that emphasized defence. By the last legs of the season DeRozan was consistently asserting his will.

“I thought we saw tremendous growth from DeMar,” Casey said.

“He’s learning how to read situations, how to get to the basket when the team needs him to,” Calderon said of DeRozan. “I think he’s just growing as a player.”

Likewise, Calderon delivered one of his best seasons in a defensive scheme that gave him more help. He finished the campaign averaging 10.5 points and 8.8 assists, comfortably above his career average. Colangelo said Calderon, frequently the topic of rumors as a possible target with the team’s amnesty clause, looked much more confident embedded in Casey’s defensive scheme.

“I thought Jose was a much more effective defender” Colangelo said. “There were far fewer blow-bys.”

Calderon led the league in assists-to-turnover ratio with 4.50,12 percentage points better than the Clippers Chris Paul and continued to exert a calming influence in the dressing room. The chances of an amnesty seem more remote than ever.

“There is tremendous value on this team for Jose Calderon,” Colangelo said.

James Johnson delivered a tantalizing skills set. He led the team in both blocks and steals (a first for a Raptors player), but his offence remains a work in progress. Johnson finished with nine points a game.

Ed Davis’ wonky jump shot continued to bite into his offensive production. If you throw out his 24-point effort in the season finale against New Jersey, Davis didn’t score more than 13 points in any game this season. Davis’ rebounding numbers were a different story and reached double figures in rebounding 16 times.

A better offence, built around better shooting, especially from distance, will be the Raptors’ greatest need. The team was 20th in three-pointers made.

[View the story "Top #RTZ Tweets: Raptors vs. Nets" on Storify]

Last Time They Met: Raptors 84, Nets 98

Probable Starters

TOR – Ben Uzoh (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Alan Anderson (F), James Johnson (F), Amir Johnson (C) NJN – Sundiata Gaines (G), Marshon Brooks (G), Gerald Wallace (F), Kris Humphries (F), Jordan Williams (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jose Calderon (swollen right eye) – day-to-day, Jerryd Bayless (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out, Andrea Bargnani (sore left calf) – out

NJN – Damion James (right foot surgery) [...]]]> Last Time They Met: Raptors 84, Nets 98

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Probable Starters

TOR – Ben Uzoh (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Alan Anderson (F), James Johnson (F), Amir Johnson (C)
NJN – Sundiata Gaines (G), Marshon Brooks (G), Gerald Wallace (F), Kris Humphries (F), Jordan Williams (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jose Calderon (swollen right eye) – day-to-day, Jerryd Bayless (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out, Andrea Bargnani (sore left calf) – out

NJN – Damion James (right foot surgery) – out, Brook Lopez (right foot) – out, Jordan Farmar (sore right groin) – out, Deron Williams (sore right calf) – out, Shelden Williams (hyper-extended right knee) – out

Click here to view last week’s feature

Jack Armstrong has answers to more of your recent Raptors questions.

We’ll be asking Jack more of your questions very soon. Submit them below or vote other ones up and down and he’ll answer a few every week. Don’t forget to include your name with your question so Jack can personalize his response to you.

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Voices Heard Media

Last Time They Met: Raptors 99, Bucks 105

NBA.com Preview | Game Notes

Probable Starters

TOR – Ben Uzoh (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Alan Anderson (F), Amir Johnson (F), Aaron Gray (C) MIL – Brandon Jennings (G), Monta Ellis (G), Luc Mbah a Moute (F), Ersan Ilyasova (F), Drew Gooden (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jose Calderon (swollen right eye) – day-to-day, Jerryd Bayless (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out, Andrea Bargnani (sore left calf) – out,

MIL – Carlos Delfino (right groin injury) – day-to-day, Kwame Brown (torn pectoral muscle) – out

Last Time They Met: Raptors 86, Pistons 105

NBA.com Preview | Game Notes

Probable Starters

TOR – Ben Uzoh (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Alan Anderson (F), Amir Johnson (F), Aaron Gray (C) DET – Brandon Knight (G), Rodney Stuckey (G), Tayshaun Prince (F), Jason Maxiell (F), Greg Monroe (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jose Calderon (swollen right eye) – day-to-day, Linas Kleiza (sore right knee) – probable, Jerryd Bayless (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out, Andrea Bargnani (sore left calf) – out,

DET – None