Niko Carino vividly remembers rising up in a comparatively unbeknownst suburb within the east facet of Toronto named Scarborough within the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. On the time, basketball was only a area of interest sport in Canada. But, within the Carino family, basketball was every little thing.
A primary-generation Canadian whose mother and father migrated from the Philippines, Niko grew up round hoops ever since he may keep in mind.
“Filipinos basically, we love basketball. That’s what I used to be uncovered to very younger. I obtained okay at taking part in. I performed within the OBA—it’s virtually like AAU however a Canadian model. I performed for a company referred to as the Scarborough Blues, which made plenty of basketball gamers that play within the NBA proper now—whether or not it’s Corey Joseph, Kellly Olynyk.” Niko says. “My dad performed school ball within the Phillipines after which when he got here within the ‘70s to Toronto, he form of discovered his love once more for the sport in these small grownup leagues. He would carry me with him and that’s form of how I fell in love with the sport.”
Finally, the Toronto Raptors arrived to city, and Niko says he nonetheless recollects attending the franchise’s first ever youth camp. Like with most hoopers, although, he ultimately got here to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be one thing he’d pursue professionally. As destiny would have it, it was the music trade he’d enter, serving to his shut good friend Drake turned a worldwide icon.
Nonetheless, Niko nonetheless discovered methods to maintain himself across the recreation. He launched OVO Bounce, a neighborhood summer time pro-am match that drew NBA stars from throughout the border. OVO Bounce blew up and have become a summer time hoops staple. For Niko, although, this was solely the start of his journey with the game.
As his identify and repute grew—recognized for being Drake’s right-hand man since Day 1 as co-founder of OVO and for serving to push hoops in Canada through his OVO Bounce tourney—he says he was ultimately approached by the Canadian Elite Basketball League post-pandemic about serving to set up a brand new skilled workforce in Toronto.
His preliminary response was that he’d solely have an interest if the workforce can be based mostly in his hometown of Scarborough as a substitute. As anticipated, his response raised some eyebrows at first however the league in the end agreed and the Scarborough Taking pictures Stars have been quickly born, with Niko serving as co-owner.
“I gotta shout out the commissioner, Mike Morreale, as a result of initially once I brough that up, everybody was identical to, Why? Why are we doing Scarborough? Scarborough is a small suburb, and so they needed clearly a Toronto workforce as a result of it’s an even bigger market and to capitalize off that. However my coronary heart wouldn’t be in it if the workforce wasn’t in Scarborough. I’m passionate in what raised me… [Marreale] was like, there’s this man that’s simply as enthusiastic about Scarborough as you might be. I’m like, Yeah? Who’s it? And that’s how I met Sam [Ibrahim]—he’s one in every of our companions that contributes tremendously to this group.”
The Taking pictures Stars basically serve two functions: a tradition of group and tradition of successful. Whereas the Raptors have grow to be a worldwide model, and do actually keep lively locally, their demanding schedules and off courtroom obligations in some ways restrict how accessible gamers may be to the group. That’s the place the Taking pictures Stars are available. Niko says the aim has been to host some kind of group occasion each week throughout the season—whether or not it’s camps, clinics, or meet-and-greets. And that doesn’t simply apply to the gamers, he’s utilized that very same accountability of accessibility to himself as properly.
“After we made this workforce, I needed to make it in regards to the youth. For the child that couldn’t afford tickets to the Raptors. I didn’t ever go to a Raptors recreation till I used to be most likely 18 years previous. The Taking pictures Stars is a kind of issues the place it’s accessible,” he says. “Let’s attain out to all of the youth basketball applications and excessive faculties, and provides them tickets. Doing camps and having them meet the gamers and assembly me. And going via a full day of what it’s wish to be knowledgeable basketball participant. Simply looking for a approach to encourage youngsters… I’m simply attempting to remain as related as a I can with them and be personable with them. We’re not unreachable. I need Scarborough Taking pictures Stars to not be unreachable. You may attain out, you possibly can shake arms. Us being a group workforce, we will do this.”
The CEBL, which launched in 2019, is comprised of 10 groups throughout Canada that play about 20 common season video games and a single-game elimination playoff construction, the place after the quarterfinals being performed at dwelling, the semis and title video games are performed at a rotating impartial website (final yr was in Vancouver, this yr can be in Montreal) throughout a championship weekend. The league, which matches from Could to August, has distinctive guidelines that goal to prioritize native Canadian expertise. For instance, solely 4 imports are allowed on every workforce—3 of them being People and the opposite being a world participant from wherever else. The remainder of the roster is all Canadian hoopers. The league additionally requires for 2 Canadians on every workforce to be on the courtroom always. If a workforce doesn’t comply with that rule, it’s an computerized technical foul.
The best way the season is structured does carry some challenges, after all. The roster is made up of fellows that play professionally within the EuroLeague and different high divisions throughout the globe, in addition to NBA G League and Sumer League regulars. A few of the gamers on the roster in earlier years included Jalen Harris, Isaiah Mike, Cam Chatman, Kasssius Robertson, Kyle Alexander, Cat Barber, Kalif Younger…and Grammy-winner J. Cole.
However with high-level expertise comes obstacles. A few of the gamers arrive late if their season abroad goes deep into the playoffs, some have to depart early if their respective abroad groups begin early, and a few have even gotten invited to NBA Summer season League in the midst of the CEBL season. It creates a roster puzzle that Niko and his employees should continuously navigate via with precision, forecasting which gamers they may lose or begin with out and arising with contingency plans. To Niko, navigating via the roster shuffles simply signifies that his guys are experiencing upward mobility of their careers and that the Shooter Stars are taking part in a task of their improvement.
On the courtroom, although, these challenges haven’t affected the workforce’s success in any respect. In simply two years of existence, the workforce made it to the championship recreation of their first yr and gained all of it final yr. The early success is of no shock to Niko, whose ultra-competitive nature helped set up an expectation of claiming the highest spot from the very starting. He knew that the workforce would routinely have rather more eyeballs and stress on them (and naturally haters, too) than every other workforce within the league resulting from their affiliation with OVO and Drake.
Whether or not being within the studio with The Boy, or on tour throughout the globe, or in enterprise conferences speaking technique across the most-streamed male artist ever, all of it ready Niko for this very second.
“I realized from Drake quite a bit by way of, he’s concerned in every little thing of his creation—whether or not it’s ideas for his music movies, the beat manufacturing, writing, hooks, regardless of the case could also be, he’s concerned in every little thing. And that’s what I did with this. On an everyday day, I’m going to coaching camp, I’m watching movie with the blokes, I’m going to coaches’ conferences—I’m simply studying and soaking all of it in, and contributing with something I can,” he says. “I simply needed to win or lose at my very own benefit, and I didn’t it need for it to be a factor the place it didn’t work out however I used to be proper. So, I needed to be as concerned as potential, so if I misplaced, it was alone benefit.”
“The expectations are excessive. We’re repping an enormous metropolis. We’re repping the east facet of Toronto We’re repping OVO. We’re repping Drake. There’s quite a bit at stake right here. I feel that’s one thing I don’t take flippantly. I wish to be aggressive right here. I realized quite a bit from Drake, you possibly can’t settle, you possibly can’t be content material. We can not not have a profitable season. We’ve to proceed to search out methods to remain on high someway.”
Past the wins and losses, the Xs and Os, and the championships, Niko’s story is a really relatable to the pure human expertise. One which in the end revolves round discovering your true goal and calling in life, residing out your ardour not simply your self but additionally ideally whereas pulling up these round you. It’s been fairly the total circle second for the Scarborough native.
“Rising up, I needed to be the place to begin guard for the Raptors. However, clearly, being Filipino, I didn’t actually develop a lot,” Niko says with fun. “I didn’t actually know what [else] I needed to be. I went to varsity for one yr earlier than Drake form of snatched me and introduced me on the street. I went to varsity to be a social employee. So, I all the time needed to encourage and assist the youth, troubled youngsters. I don’t wish to say I used to be a troubled child, however I wandered. I didn’t know what I needed to do. I all the time felt caught. I by no means thought I could possibly be a sports activities workforce proprietor, working in sports activities professionally. Now, I simply wish to encourage people who seem like me.
“It was robust, by way of that feeling of being caught—it’s a scary factor. That feeling of helplessness. Like, what’s subsequent? Waking up each morning and being, like, Yo, what’s subsequent? What am I going to do? Like, I don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s life after that. So long as you retain at it, good issues will occur for you.”
Picture credit score: PlaceNEW.
