The Toronto Raptors are one win away from their first NBA title in franchise history but at the start of this season, one Regina super-fan had no doubt they would be vying for a championship.
Brendan Olenick has been following the team since the Vince Carter era, but according to him this year is the team’s best shot at glory.
”At the beginning of this season, I said ‘this is the year,’” said Olenick.
Originally from Norquay, Saskatchewan, the rabid basketball fan got little exposure to basketball growing up.
“There was such limited basketball culture. We could barely have enough kids to have a team in high school,” said Olenick.
He got into basketball by watching highlights on Sports Centre, and after that it became an obsession. Knowing that this was the year for the Raptors, he took a trip to Toronto to watch the team in action.
“I strategically picked a week where they played three home games in the same week so I could get as many games in during my trip as I could,” said Olenick.
He got to take in three wins on that trip, but sticking with the team has not always been fun. Between 2008 and 2013 they missed the playoffs five years straight. But Olenick persevered through the tough times and is now anticipating history being made on Monday night, along with the rest of Canada.
“I still think exactly the same way as I did on the first day of the season,” said Olenick.
With files from CTV’s Claire Hanna
