Niko Carino vividly remembers rising up in a comparatively unbeknownst suburb within the east aspect 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 the whole lot.
A primary-generation Canadian whose dad and mom migrated from the Philippines, Niko grew up round hoops ever since he may bear in mind.
“Filipinos generally, we love basketball. That’s what I used to be uncovered to very younger. I bought okay at taking part in. I performed within the OBA—it’s nearly like AAU however a Canadian model. I performed for a company referred to as the Scarborough Blues, which made a variety of basketball gamers that play within the NBA proper now—whether or not it’s Corey Joseph, Kellly Olynyk.” Niko says. “My dad performed faculty ball within the Phillipines after which when he got here within the ‘70s to Toronto, he type of discovered his love once more for the sport in these small grownup leagues. He would convey me with him and that’s type of how I fell in love with the sport.”
Ultimately, the Toronto Raptors arrived to city, and Niko says he nonetheless remembers attending the franchise’s first ever youth camp. Like with most hoopers, although, he finally got here to the belief 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 buddy Drake grew to become a world icon.
Nonetheless, Niko nonetheless discovered methods to maintain himself across the recreation. He launched OVO Bounce, a neighborhood summer season pro-am match that drew NBA stars from throughout the border. OVO Bounce blew up and have become a summer season hoops staple. For Niko, although, this was solely the start of his journey with the game.
As his title and fame grew—identified for being Drake’s right-hand man since Day 1 as co-founder of OVO and for serving to push hoops in Canada by way of his OVO Bounce tourney—he says he was finally 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 primarily based in his hometown of Scarborough as an alternative. As anticipated, his response raised some eyebrows at first however the league finally agreed and the Scarborough Capturing Stars had 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, they usually wished 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 all our companions that contributes tremendously to this group.”
The Capturing Stars basically serve two functions: a tradition of neighborhood and tradition of profitable. Whereas the Raptors have grow to be a world model, and do the truth is keep energetic in the neighborhood, their demanding schedules and off courtroom obligations in some ways restrict how accessible gamers may be to the neighborhood. That’s the place the Capturing Stars are available in. Niko says the objective has been to host some kind of neighborhood occasion each week through 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 duty of accessibility to himself as nicely.
“After we made this workforce, I wished 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 in all probability 18 years previous. The Capturing 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 colleges, and provides them tickets. Doing camps and having them meet the gamers and assembly me. And going by means of a full day of what it’s prefer to be an expert basketball participant. Simply looking for a strategy to encourage children… I’m simply making an attempt to remain as related as a I can with them and be personable with them. We’re not unreachable. I need Scarborough Capturing Stars to not be unreachable. You possibly can attain out, you possibly can shake arms. Us being a neighborhood workforce, we are able to try 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 residence, the semis and title video games are performed at a rotating impartial website (final yr was in Vancouver, this yr will likely be in Montreal) throughout a championship weekend. The league, which works from Might to August, has distinctive guidelines that purpose 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 global participant from anyplace 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 observe that rule, it’s an computerized technical foul.
The way in which the season is structured does convey some challenges, after all. The roster is made up of men that play professionally within the EuroLeague and different prime divisions throughout the globe, in addition to NBA G League and Sumer League regulars. A number 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 number 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 workers need to continually navigate by means of with precision, forecasting which gamers they may lose or begin with out and arising with contingency plans. To Niko, navigating by means of 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 way more eyeballs and stress on them (and naturally haters, too) than another workforce within the league on account of 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 discovered from Drake rather a lot by way of, he’s concerned in the whole lot 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 the whole lot. And that’s what I did with this. On a daily 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 wished to win or lose at my very own advantage, 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 wished to be as concerned as doable, so if I misplaced, it was alone advantage.”
“The expectations are excessive. We’re repping a giant metropolis. We’re repping the east aspect of Toronto We’re repping OVO. We’re repping Drake. There’s rather a lot at stake right here. I believe that’s one thing I don’t take frivolously. I wish to be aggressive right here. I discovered rather a lot from Drake, you possibly can’t settle, you possibly can’t be content material. We can not not have a profitable season. Now we have to proceed to search out methods to remain on prime in some way.”
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 finally revolves round discovering your true goal and calling in life, dwelling 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 wished to be the start line 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 wished to be. I went to school for one yr earlier than Drake type of snatched me and introduced me on the highway. I went to school to be a social employee. So, I all the time wished to encourage and assist the youth, troubled children. I don’t wish to say I used to be a troubled child, however I wandered. I didn’t know what I wished to do. I all the time felt caught. I by no means thought I may very well be a sports activities workforce proprietor, working in sports activities professionally. Now, I simply wish to encourage people who appear like me.
“It was powerful, 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.”
Photograph credit score: PlaceNEW.
