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Head coach to lead at Nike Hoops Summit

By Charles Vanegas

For the third time in as many years, Ryerson head coach Roy Rana will lead the World Select squad at the Nike Hoops Summit, an event that pits the top American high school players against an international squad filled with the top players under 19.

Current NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett are former participants in the summit.

Rana, who is also the current head coach of the Canadian Junior National team, said the Summit is a much different – and much easier – experience than coaching at the high school or university level.

“Much of the World team are professionals already, so they’re coming in with a different level of understanding of the whole process. The stakes are a lot higher for them because they’re basically playing for an NBA contract,” said Rana. “It’s different because the time you have with them is shorter, and it’s much more business. At the same time, the level of talent is pretty spectacular.”

The World Select team will once again feature Canadian Andrew Wiggins, the top high school prospect in North America. The 18-year-old Wiggins is considered the front-runner to be selected first overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and has even drawn comparisons to LeBron James.

“It’s lots of fun [coaching Andrew],” said Rana. “He’s a great kid, a great talent – just a very easy kid to coach.”

The 2013 Nike Hoops Summit will be played on April 20 in Portland, Oregon.

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