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TORONTO - As anticipated, Thursday nights NBA Draft turned out to be a historic evening for Canadian basketball, however the Raptors, the countrys lone team, became reluctant spectators despite their best efforts to get in on the festivities. In many ways it was a celebration of how far the country has come and how much the sport has grown within it. In total, four Canadian players were selected - setting a league record - including three in the top 18, all from the Greater Toronto Area. For the second consecutive year Canada produced the top pick, 19-year-old phenom and Vaughan-native Andrew Wiggins, who will join last years No. 1 selection Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson and Dwight Powell - picked in the second-round of Thursdays draft - in Cleveland. Mississaugas Nik Stauskas followed suit, going to the Sacramento Kings at pick No. 8 before the Phoenix Suns - owners of the 18th pick - nabbed Brampton point guard Tyler Ennis, a player that sat atop the Raptors board when he heard his name called. It was a bittersweet moment for the 19-year-old Ennis, who was finally realizing his lifelong dream, albeit two picks away from beginning his career with his hometown team. The Raptors, drafting 20th, struck out on their top target but it wasnt for a lack of effort or interest. "We tried everything," Dwane Casey admitted shortly after the first-round concluded. "It just didnt work out." Masai Ujiri and his staff tracked Ennis throughout his freshman year at Syracuse and quickly became enamoured with his poise at the point guard position. Until recently they believed there was little chance he would fall to them, or even come close. With his stock fluctuating leading up to the draft, Ujiri hoped Ennis would be available to them, also exploring several scenarios to trade up and even entice the Suns to give him up after the selection had been made. With Ennis off the board, Ujiri opted for the next player on his wish list, Brazilian mystery man Bruno Caboclo "We decided we lost one," said the Raptors general manager, "were not going to lose the other one. So we jumped on it." The Raptors came that close to drafting what would have been the first Canadian selected in their 20-year franchise history, but given the rate in which the country is producing high-level talent its only a matter of time until that vision - which once seemed like a pipe dream - becomes a reality. "Ennis was a target for us but he was picked by another team," Ujiri lamented. "We will have Canadians on our team. Definitely we will have Canadian players on our team. Theyre all over the league now. The last two first picks have been Canadian." "We tried and it didnt work out this time," he continued, "but were glad theres a lot a lot of them in the league and eventually well get a couple of Canadians here, trust me. Itll come, well get them here." Thursday served as a friendly reminder, Canada isnt going anywhere. After hemming and hawing for weeks, the Cavaliers finally decided on Wiggins with their No. 1 overall pick. Decked out in a captivating black suit decorated with white floral print and topped off with a black bow tie, the one and done Kansas star couldnt hide his joy when first-year commissioner Adam Silver called his name. "A thousand thoughts are going through my head right now," Wiggins said minutes later. "Its a dream come true. Ive been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid. My dream was just to make the NBA and now going to high school and college the opportunity of going number one came into talk and now I accomplished that. So its a crazy feeling right now. I dont even know how I feel. It doesnt feel real right now." "I always believed it," Stauskas added. "I believed in myself and I dont think many other people did but this is something Ive always felt is a possibility for me and I just kept working my hardest to make it happen. Its a cliche but dreams really do come true when you put all your effort into it." What could this night mean for the country? "I just think its huge," Wiggins said. "It opens doors for all the youth and everyone in Canada. It gives them hope. Because coming up when I was Canada, I wasnt ranked or nothing, I wasnt known. I didnt have no offers or anything like that. But I just kept my head straight and kept working on my game and look where I am today. So I just think it gives everyone hope that they can do the same thing and accomplish whatever I do because its possible if they work hard." The Raptors, like most of the 29 other teams, did pass up on four other eligible Canadians that went undrafted Thursday. Montreals Khem Birch, Calgarys Jordan Bachynski, Toronto-native and reigning Big 12 player of the year Melvin Ejim and the 7-foot-5 Sim Bhullar, also from the Toronto area, didnt hear their name called. Instead, Toronto opted for UConn forward DeAndre Daniels with an early second-round pick and traded the 59th overall pick to the Brooklyn Nets. Ujiri has maintained that if and when the Raptors do add a Canadian he wont be employed for his passport and he wont be sitting at the end of the bench. The pressure surrounding that type of player in that situation would be unfair, hes said. All four of the undrafted Canadian players are expected to catch on with Summer League teams, hoping to earn a spot on an NBA roster before weighing their options overseas or in the D-League. Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Adam Butler Jersey . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery. http://www.officialnewenglandpatriotsfoo...t-jersey-womens. -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. Josh Gordon Jersey . LA (SportsNetwork. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . By then it was clear: The 76ers were going to win for the first time in two months, and they were going to do it with ease. The 76ers snapped their NBA record-tying, 26-game losing streak, routing the Detroit Pistons 123-98 on Saturday night to avoid establishing the longest skid in U.College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Dez Wells totaled 17 points and eight rebounds, as No. 14 Maryland shook off a challenge from Rutgers and posted a 73-65 victory on Wednesday. Jake Layman picked up 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Terrapins (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten), who have won two in a row since losing at Illinois. Jared Nickens added 12 points as well, while Melo Trimble finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Myles Mack poured in a game-high 19 points for the Scarlet Knights (10-8, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last five. Bishop Daniels and Mike Williams each had 12 points in a losing cause. Malick Kone split a pair from the line with 3:52 left and Rutgers pulled into a 62-62 tie, the games seventh and final deadlock. Evan Smotrycz followed with two free throws and after Greg Lewis hit 1-of-2 from the line, Nickens connected from long range for a four-point spread. Layman added two more from the line and Maryland was up 69-63 with 1:19 showing. Daniels made his two free attempts, then Wells added two more at the charity stripe, and a Daniels turnover resulted in a Trimble free throw and 72-65 score in the final 65 seconds. Rutgers was up 8-0 early, but Maryland countered with 10 straight thanks to Trimble and Wells cconnecting from beyond the arc.dddddddddddd The hosts gained separation with an 11-3 run late in the first half. Down 22-20, Layman began the clip with a triple and added a dunk on the next trip down the floor. Nickens then contributed back-to-back treys and the Terps were up 31-25 with 2:03 left. It was 38-31 at the break following two Trimble free throws. Eleven in a row from the Scarlet Knights early in the second half put them up 42-38 on a Lewis layup, and that lead grew to 49-43 on a slam from Kadeem Jack less than six minutes in. The Terps then twice closed within a point but couldnt get over the hump: pulling to 49-48 on a Smotrycz layup and 52-51 on a Jon Graham bucket. Junior Etois shot with 7:27 on the clock gave Rutgers a 57-51 edge, then Maryland responded on an 11-2 surge to go up 62-59. Wells poured in six during the clip and Nickens again converted a three. Game Notes Wednesdays matchup was the fourth between the schools, the inaugural meeting as members of the Big Ten and first since Rutgers claimed a 95-79 decision on Dec. 28, 1991 ... Mack also dished out a game-high six assists ... Maryland shot just 34.4 percent from the field (21-of-61), while Rutgers converted 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor. 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