KWBANA BECKLES last summer had a try-out for his hometown NBA franchise, the Toronto Raptors.

Beckles

hails from Hamilton, just south of Toronto on the east coast of Canada.

The Raptors are Canada's only NBA franchise and boast stars like young American forward Chris Bosh and Europeans, Italian forward Andrea Bargnani and Spanish guard Jose Calderon.

Beckles said: "NBA teams have what they call summer try-outs in July. They bring in 12 guys they want to look at over a three-day basis and each day four guys get dropped.

"They put you through a series of drills and test your ability and health.

"I made it to day three, but nobody was signed and I was dropped."

Beckles is no stranger to sport's biggest stage.

His older brother Gary, 38, was named in Canada's athletics team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, USA.

Gary was first reserve in his country's 200metres, 400m and 4x400m teams, but never actually made it onto the track.

Kwbana, who is 28, said: "Gary pushed me into track when I was younger and I did a little high-jump, but I think basketball was always my first choice."

He added: "I used to play with friends in my lunch-hour and after school, but after getting cut from a team at 13 I started to take it seriously – and as far as I could go.

"After I received a basketball scholarship to go to university when I was 20, I started to consider playing professionally.

"I was a late bloomer, but I think that worked to my advantage, because a lot of players who were ranked above me at college didn't turn professional."

Now in his fourth year professionally, Plymouth Raiders forward Beckles is enjoying one of his most stables seasons, after previously failing to settle in Europe following graduation from Lee University in Tennessee in 2005.

Beckles said: "I like the city of Plymouth and Raiders have a great fan base – one of the best in the BBL. They come consistently to games, so it's a pleasure to play at the Pavilions.

"Win or lose, you know they will be at the next game, which makes it easier for a player, because you know the fans are behind you."

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