The Raptors 905 will play their season opener tomorrow on the road against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and at last, their roster has come together.
Earlier this week, the team selected 11 athletes of the 15 who attended the two-week-long training camp. With the late signing of Ronald Roberts, and today’s announcement that Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira have both been sent down to the NBA’s developmental league, the roster now sits at 14.
Preparing for the regular season hasn’t been without its challenges. NBA teams host month-long training camps that give players plenty of opportunity to showcase their skills and bond with coaching staff. In the D-League, however, training camp lasts less than two weeks. “Our training camp is condensed, and we were trying to pull a lot of stuff out of them. They’re doing a good job of working hard, working through the mistakes and getting better,” said Head Coach Jesse Mermuys the day before announcing his final selections.
Players Jabulani Newby (Mississauga Power, NBL Canada), Kevin Thomas (Troy University, NCAA), Kourtney Roberson (Texas A&M, NCAA), and Shaquille Keith (Kilgore College, NJCAA) were cut from the roster.
The decision to drop them wasn’t a simple one. “It definitely hasn’t been clear cut and easy,” says Mermuys. “The competition has been good. Every guy [at training camp] brings a little something to the table that could help this team. Me, the coaches and Dan Tolsman our general manager, as a group we need[ed] to figure it out and try to make the best decisions that we can.”
Caboclo and Nogueira will be welcome additions. The team purposefully left three spots vacant on its roster to filled with transient Raptors athletes looking for more opportunities to play and develop their skills. For Mermuys, winning will take a back seat to strengthening Toronto’s NBA roster.
“The Raptors are the first priority. If there’s time when their athletes are able to come down, and it doesn’t take away from that team, then that’s what this [D-league] is here for. They’re going to be able to play and get experience and try to get ready for the next time their number is called,” he says. Similarly, Raptors 905 athletes with limited NBA experience need to be ready to step up and fill some big shoes. “It might be only a few minutes. But those few minutes could make the difference in a game,” the coach explains.
For the 12 men signed to Raptors 905, the chance to play on the world’s biggest basketball stage is so close they can taste it. As Mermuys puts it, “If they put the effort in, do things the right way, bring the everyday-grind mentality that [Dwane] Casey is looking for, the chances of them being on [the Raptors] are realistic. There’s no better motivator than the NBA.”
RAPTORS 905 Roster, 2015-16
| NUMBER | PLAYER | POS. | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | 2014-15 TEAM |
| 0 | JAY HARRIS | G | 6’2 | 157 | Illinois-Chicago (NCAA) |
| 1 | SHANNON SCOTT | G | 6’2 | 193 | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| 3 | MELVIN JOHNSON | G/F | 6’5 | 171 | Reno / Delaware (D-League) |
| 5 | SCOTT SUGGS | G | 6’8 | 194 | ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France) |
| 6 | AXEL TOUPANE | G/F | 6’6 | 212 | Strasbourg (France) |
| 9 | ASHTON SMITH | G | 6’1 | 197 | Brampton (NBL Canada) |
| 12 | MICHALE KYSER | F | 6’9 | 199 | LA Tech (NCAA) |
| 21 | MIKE ANDERSON | G | 6’5 | 208 | Washington (NCAA) |
| 32 | KEANAU POST | F/C | 6’10 | 261 | Missouri (NCAA) |
| 33 | WALTER PITCHFORD | F | 6’9 | 234 | Nebraska (NCAA) |
| 34 | SIM BHULLAR | C | 7’4 | 362 | Sacramento (NBA Reno (D-League) |
| TBD | RONALD ROBERTS | F | 6’8 | 219 | Delaware 87ers (D-League) Santa Cruz Warriors San Miguel Beermen Toronto Raptors |
| TBD | BRUNO CABOCLO | F | 6’9 | 205 | Toronto Raptors Fort Wayne Mad Ants (D-League) |
| TBD | LUCAS NOGUEIRA | C | 7’0 | 220 | Toronto Raptors Fort Wayne Mad Ants (D-League) |
