the lone CIS-trained defensive end to excel at the same position in th

TORONTO - Until Wednesday night, Raptors rookie Lucas Nogueira was known more for his crazy hair than any heroics on the hardcourt in Toronto.The 22-year-old Brazilian known as Bebe finally made his Raptors debut in Torontos 92-85 win over Israels Maccabi Haifa, scoring eight points in 11 minutes and showing signs of the athletic forward that first caught the teams eye.I was nervous because it was my first game, said Nogueira, who recently took scissors to his long unruly afro — his mom had told him she didnt like how it looked on TV.The people were so excited to see me because nobody knew about me. . . I came to the game a little bit nervous, but my mind said Lucas, do what you do in Spain (where he played professionally for three seasons). Try and show it here in the NBA. Im so glad to help my team win the game tonight.Greivis Vasquez topped Toronto (6-1) with 15 points, while Terrence Ross and Kyle Lowry chipped in with 11 apiece. James Johnson finished with 10. Jeff Allen had 24 points for Maccabi Haifi, while Demontez Stitt finished with 19. Nogueira came on midway through the second quarter, and had two blocks on back-to-back defensive possessions. His first, which he followed up with a rebound, led to a Vasquez driving layup and free throw for the Raptors biggest lead of the game to that point — 15 points. It also brought his new teammates on the bench to their feet.I spoke to my mom in Brazil, and my friends, they said they saw the game, Nogueira said. I spoke about that situation, the veteran guys. I think its very important they give their support because a lot of rookies in the NBA, they dont have the same support because sometimes the veteran guys have the mentality like Oh the rookie has come to get my job.But here, the veterans they give you support, so you can be a very good NBA player. So Im so glad and happy to be here with the franchise.The newcomers were the story of the night. With just one game left in the pre-season — Toronto faces the New York Knicks on Friday in Montreal — coach Dwane Casey went deep into his bench to get a good look at them.That was our main focus, seeing the young guys, and I thought they came in and represented well, Casey said. Lucas came in and he deterred some shots, and thats what he should do. I was really impressed with the way he came in and played.Brazilian rookie Bruno Caboclo, plus the three players who are battling for the 15th spot on the roster — Will Cherry, Greg Stiemsma and Jordan Hamilton — all saw the floor. Stiemsma had six points in 22 minutes, while Hamilton had five points and a team-high six boards in 21 minutes.Caboclo displayed his incredible wing span with a nice dunk in the fourth quarter. Cherry drained a clutch three-pointer with just under three minutes to play that put Toronto in the lead for good.The box score reflected the inexperience on the floor, however, as the Raptors committed 26 turnovers on the night for 33 points.The 22-year-old Nogueira was out six weeks with a hamstring injury, and said it was tough to watch his teammates through the pre-season.Not only the games, but the practices, too, Nogueira said. All of the staff here watched the guys playing. Its tough for me because Im on the outside. I see that if Im there, I can pass it or make the extra pass. When youre outside, you can see the whole game.The Brazilian played three seasons with Club Baloncesto Estudiantes in Madrid, and then was drafted 16th overall by Boston in 2013 — pictures from that night show Nogueira with his Celtics baseball cap perched high atop his wild mop of hair. The Raptors eventually acquired the Brazilian this past off-season. I think the most important thing for the rookie guys is that they know their role on the team, Nogueira said. I know my role on the team. If I have to stay on the bench for 82 games, I’ll stay happy, because I know the most important thing in the first year is to learn from the veterans and develop your game.If I have a chance to play, Ill try to show the skills I learned in Spain: protect the rim, rebound, I can score sometimes. I think right now I dont have to score because we have amazing scoring guys on our team.Nogueira is clearly a newcomer — the pale pink faux fur rabbit hat, with long flaps, that hangs in his locker, is proof. He laughed as he showed it to reporters.K-Lo (Lowry) gave it to me, Bruno and Will, he said. I have a rabbit. Will has a wolf. Bruno has a rabbit, too, but white.The game was played amid heightened security at Air Canada Centre just hours after a Canadian Forces soldier at the National War Memorial was killed by a masked gunman, who then moved up the street to launch an attack on nearby Parliament Hill.Fans at the ACC stood in a moment of silence for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, before the playing of both O Canada and the national anthem of Israel.Larry Tannenbaum, the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and Jeffrey Rosen, Maccabis American owner, then met at centre court to exchange jerseys.It was a blessing just to be here to play these NBA games with these guys, said Lery Hickerson, who had 10 points. It is always good to compete at the highest level with some of those guys. Those guys are tough, they are a playoff team and I am looking forward to watching them.Maccabi Haifa plays in the Israeli Basketball Super League, winning the Super League championship in the 2012-13 season, its first Israeli title since the team was formed in 1953. They had a rough go in their North American tour before arriving in Toronto, losing 121-74 to Portland, then driving 10 hours to Sacramento only to be beaten 91-59 by the Kings.A pedestrian first quarter saw the teams tied 19-19, before the Raptors started to put some distance on their guests in the second. The Raptors took a 15-point lead on a driving layup and free throw by Vasquez and then went into the halftime break up 47-37.Ross led the way with eight points in the third as the Raptors put 20 points on Maccabi Haifa midway through the quarter. They led 72-61 with a quarter left to play.The Raptors host the Atlanta Hawks in their season opener next Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre. Brian Dawkins Womens Jersey . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3pm. Rick Ralph hosts the Official Jets Pre-game Show at 5pm. Noah Fant Womens Jersey . Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-John-Elway-Broncos-Jerseys/ . Therrien would not confirm his lineup for the game, but he did have the same line combinations practicing together for the third straight day which is usually a pretty good indication of what the lineup will be. Joe Flacco Womens Jersey . It was a day that saw England slump off a World Cup field once again battered and bruised. This time there was no red card to wonder about, no goalkeeping error or individual mistake. They were thoroughly beaten by something they have nothing of – genuine world class ability. Shannon Sharpe Youth Jersey .com) - Even on the day his New Hampshire football team became the nations top-ranked team two weeks ago, coach Sean McDonnell conceded something about the team they replaced at No.With the 2014 CFL Draft set to take place next Tuesday in Toronto, CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde breaks down the top prospects. Today, he looks at the defensive line. 1. Evan Gill (DT, Manitoba) You Should Know: He has grown up around the Bisons program, as his grandfather, Pat Gill, was the team manager for forty years and his mother, Denise, is the current manager.The Good: He had a tremendous season, earning one of two CIS invitations to the prestigious East West Shrine Game in Florida.The Bad: Expected to shine, his on-field performance at the CFL Combine was underwhelming. He had added muscle to his frame but seemed to lack his usual explosion. 2. Dylan Ainsworth (DE, Western) The Good: He is remarkably athletic for a defensive lineman, with his scores on the movement tests actually stacking up well against the top linebacker prospects. This should allow him to contribute immediately on special teams.The Bad: Hes a little light for a defensive end but currently lacks the experience playing in space to be a linebacker. Keep in mind, however, that theres plenty of time for development, as hes one of the youngest players in the entire draft class. 3. Quinn Smith (DT, Concordia) The Good: He turned in the breakout performance of CFL Combine weekend, running a 4.82 40-yard dash at 300 lbs., and completely dominating the one-on-one session.The Bad: A failed drug test at the Combine for the banned substance Stanozolol casts doubt on much of what he achieved that weekend. 4. David Ménard (DE/DT, Montreal) The Good: The 2010 RSEQ Rookie of the Year was third among draft eligible players in the 2013 CIS sack race (8 sacks in 8 games) and won the bench press competition at the CFL Combine (33 reps).The Bad: Although he posted solid numbers last season, his most productive college season was his first, raising the question of whether he is already approaching his ceiling. 5. Nigel Romick (DE, Saint Marys) The Good: Hes 65", 240 lbs. and moves very wellThe Bad: He may be the ultimate "tweener", with the body type of a defensive end, skill set of a tackle, and many scouts projecting him as a linebacker. Other Contenders:• Mathieu Girard (DT, Montreal) – 64", 290 lbs.; among national leaders with 16.5 sacks over last two seasons; missed CFL Combine due to injury; also a highly regarded long snapper• Dylan Roper (DE, Simon Fraser) – high motor; 6 sacks in 2013; 27 bench press reps at CFL Combine• Derek Wiggan (DE, Queens) – 61", 250; smart, technically sound player is a three-time OUA All-Star• Kirby Fletcher (DT, Acadia) – 63", 300 lbs.; two-time AUS All-Star• James Tuck (DE, York) – at 511", 225, a shift to LB is likely; athleticism and effort make him a strong special teams candidate Also on the Radar (alphabetically): Sanmi Adereti (St. Francis Xavier), Shaquille Armstrong (Concordia), Ranji Atwal (Manitoba), Michael Dadzie (Regina), Vincent Desloges (Laval), Adam Dickson (McMaster), Jeffery Finley (Guelph), Jean-Christophe Gagnon (Sherbrooke), Steven Giang (Alberta), Pacome Matulu (Manitoba), Stephon Miller (Windsor), Ryan Northfield (Western), Martin Pesek (Acadia), Ben Rush (Saskatchewan) Analysis: When news of Quinn Smiths positive drug test broke, the immediate question that arose was "How will this affect his draft stock?" The Concordia Stingers defensive tackle will likely be negatively impacted for two reasons – trust and doubt. In pre-draft interviews, teams frequently ask questions along the lines of "Would you ever use an illegal substance if you knew it would help you make the team?" or "Whats the biggest secret youve ever kept about yourself?" If Smith was, in faact, asked those questions, he likely didnt respond by saying, "Yes," and "I took Stanozolol," - a perceived deception that might lead to a lack of trust from some teams.dddddddddddd The second, and I believe far stronger, reason why this incident will hurt his stock is simply the doubt now cast upon a Combine performance that directly led to Smith replacing Gill as the top defensive line prospect in the Canadian Scouting Bureaus most recent rankings. Rest assured that all nine CFL scouting staffs have already asked themselves whether Stanozolol or hard work was the biggest contributor in Quinn Smith shaving three-tenths of a second off his 40-yard dash time and adding five reps to his bench press performance since last Mays East West Bowl. As for the question of how much his stock drops, I anticipate that teams will downplay the trust factor but will be left with no choice but to eliminate his CFL Combine performance from their evaluation of him. The net result would have Smiths stock landing right back where it was pre-Combine, which is as one of the top three defensive tackles on most boards. I dont envision him being "penalized" beyond that by a community of general managers who have historically welcomed players who have committed far worse transgressions. Another, less controversial discussion surrounding the D-Line group revolves around the difference between drafting tackles and ends in the CFL. The simplified explanation of this is that non-import tackles have a role on every teams defence, whether as starters or backups, and any potential to contribute on special teams is viewed more as a bonus than an expectation. In terms of projecting how a tackle prospect will fit into the CFL, there are always plenty of "comparables" among current or recently retired CFLers at that position to make the process easier. For Canadian defensive ends, like Dylan Ainsworth, however, things are a little more complicated. The main issue is that only a handful of CIS-trained defensive ends ever get the opportunity to play that position regularly in the CFL. There are, of course, exceptions but the concern is that typically, upon reaching the CFL, the top pass rushing ends in Canadian university football are considered either (a) not explosive/athletic enough to play end but too small to move inside to tackle or (b) too small to play end but not athletic enough to play in space as a linebacker. In fact, over the last 25 years, the only non-import draftees who have emerged as consistent impact players at defensive end are Leroy Blugh (7th overall, 1989 Draft), Brent Johnson (20th, 2000 as a redshirt junior), and Ricky Foley (4th, 2006). Considering that Johnson was selected after playing four years at Ohio State and Blugh was actually drafted as a linebacker and later moved to end, that makes Foley the lone CIS-trained defensive end to excel at the same position in the CFL. Revisiting the 06 Draft, part of Foleys value to the B.C. Lions, who selected him, was that they already had an established non-import starting end in Johnson. His backup, Nautyn McKay-Loescher was entering the option year of his contract so B.C. needed depth at the position. Other teams may have been less likely to pick him that early. In terms of size and athleticism coming out of the CIS, Ainsworth comes as close to Foley as any defensive end prospect in recent years and his draft stock will vary from team to team, like Foleys did, depending upon whether they project him as a future starting DE, a backup DE and full-time special teamer, or as a linebacker. In a draft where there are few certainties, I would anticipate Ainsworth being chosen in the Top 10 and given an opportunity to compete and develop as an end. ' ' '