Saskatchewan's Nik Goncin goes from Sarajevo to basketball stardom
Goncin, 23, is a key member of Canada's wheelchair basketball team at Parapan Am Games in Toronto
When Nik Goncin was born in Sarajevo in 1991, his parents had no idea what the next two decades of his life would be like.
They didn't know that war would break out in their country only a year later. They didn't know that they would end up fleeing to Canada and living in Regina.
They also had no idea their son would grow up to represent Canada during the Parapan Am Games.
Goncin, 23, is now a key member of Canada's wheelchair basketball team at the Games in Toronto.
The crowd was unreal, better than I expected, man I love being on home soil <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash">#TeamCanada</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WBC?src=hash">#WBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CIBCTeamNext?src=hash">#CIBCTeamNext</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneTeam?src=hash">#OneTeam</a>
—@goncin"I was in high school gym class and we had a wheelchair basketball demo and it was shortly after I lost my leg," he told CBC's the Morning Edition.
Goncin said he was still recovering when a Regina coach asked him to play.
"I was like a little bit reluctant to do it at the beginning and then kind of brought my brother with me," he said. "I fell in love with it right there."
He said the strategy involved in wheelchair basketball appeals to him.
"It doesn't really matter who you are, you can make a difference on the team," Goncin said. "For me, I'm not very tall, however, I can still keep their best defender out of the play because speed is everything."
"It's sort of like a fast-paced chess game."
Representing Canada 'greatest honour'
Just about game time <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash">#TeamCanada</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneTeam?src=hash">#OneTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CIBCTeamNext?src=hash">#CIBCTeamNext</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WBC?src=hash">#WBC</a> <a href="http://t.co/ceZO48pNY7">pic.twitter.com/ceZO48pNY7</a>
—@goncinIt hasn't taken Goncin long to make a mark on the sport. He was named the 2014 Wheelchair Basketball Canada Junior Athlete of the Year.
At this year's games, Goncin helped lead Canada to a decisive 102-27 win over Venezuela in their opening game. Goncin picked up a double-double in the game, scoring 18 points and 14 rebounds.
"I don't know if there is a greater honour as far as sports are related," he said. "I'd love to qualify for Rio (Summer Paralympics) and represent Canada again in a year."
Off the court, Goncin recently graduated from the University of Illinois and is hoping to get into dental school.
Goncin and Canada are back in action Monday afternoon. They'll take on Mexico at 4:30 p.m. CST. You can watch that game live here.
Canada will play its third game Tuesday against Argentina at 4:30 p.m.