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Rams unveil Rana as new Head Coach

The Ryerson Rams men's basketball team ushered in a new era Friday, unveiling Roy Rana as the team's new head coach.

Rana joins the Rams after nine years at Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute in Toronto, where he led the Saints to five OFSAA provincial championships. He also holds strong ties to Canada Basketball, having most recently led the Cadet Men's National Team to qualification in the 2010 under-17 world championships.

""We are pleased to welcome a coach of Roy Rana's calibre to Ryerson,"" said Director of Athletics Ivan Joseph. ""He has built a legacy at the high school level, and has a proven track record of success everywhere he has gone.""

""I'm excited,"" Rana said. ""I think it's a fantastic opportunity. Obviously this university has a lot of talent, and is an emerging program in the OUA and CIS. I'm honored to be at the helm and hopefully leading it to future success.""

The Rams enter 2009-10 with high expectations after earning their first playoff home game in over a decade last year. Rana, however, has even loftier goals for a program he feels should become a national contender.

""I think for us it's really going to be about taking positive steps forward, and giving ourselves the opportunity to make the playoffs consistently every year,"" he said. ""And once we're there giving ourselves the chance to play for an OUA championship and a trip to nationals. That's the goal.""

""We're going to take it step-by-step, and we're going to build a program that is consistent in its success,"" Rana added.

On top of his five provincial championships at Eastern Commerce, Rana has also won nine Toronto South league titles and five city championships with the Saints. At the provincial level, Rana has led the Ontario juvenile men's team to gold three times, claiming titles at the 2005 Canada Summer Games and the 2003 and 2004 national championships.

""We were drawn to him by his international experience and ties to the local community,"" Joseph said of Rana. ""We've always believed that basketball has been a hidden gem at Ryerson, and we feel that his hiring is the next step in our continued efforts to build the Ryerson basketball program.""

Rana will make his coaching debut Oct. 8 during the Rams' first exhibition game at McMaster. Ryerson opens the OUA schedule Nov. 6, when the Waterloo Warriors visit Kerr Hall Gymnasium.

Catch Coach Rana's comments on YouTube: