Meet the first Indo-Canadian head coach of the national men's basketball team

Toronto's Roy Rana, the first visible minority person and Indo-Canadian to be named head coach of Canada's men's basketball team, says the opportunity is "tremendous."

"It's incredible that someone whose parents were both born in India can be the national team coach of basketball in Canada," Ranatold CBC Toronto's Dwight Drummond.

• Roy Rana to coach Canadian men's basketball team at FIBAAmericup

Last week, the RyersonUniversity coachwas named to leadCanada's men's basketball team for the upcoming FIBA Americup 2017 and its first World Cup 2019 qualifying matches.

"I'm not sure that can happen anywhere else in the world," said Rana, who has been playing the sport since elementary school.

"It just makes me tremendously grateful of being Canadian and even more proud."

'The beauty of sport'

Rana led Canada's under-19 men's team to a historic gold medal at the U19 World Cup in Cairo last month.

"That's the beauty of sport," Ranasaid. "Sometimes when it's least expected magical things happen."

The win was the country's first-evertitleat a World CupFIBAcompetition.

"This group was special," he explained. "They just came together and they fit nicely. They sacrificed for each other. We had some great performances and we went on a magical run."

• Canada earns historic U19 men's basketball World Cup title

The team upset the United States 99-87 in the semifinals and thenroared past Italy 79-60 in the final.

"It was certainly was a special moment for all of us, something we will never forget."

'They can dream the same dreams too'

Now the Toronto native, who grew up playing oncourts in the Bloordale Village area, is hoping to inspire other visible minority peoplethrough his success.

"It also is a responsibility and hopefully it is something I can use to inspire others whether they're brown, black, Asian or mixed race.If somebody can see that I have been able to, through hard workand some great relationships and some luck, to get to this point, hopefully they can dream the same dreams," he said.

Canada men's basketball team is taking on Argentina for the Americupfrom Aug. 25 to Sept. 3.

Following the AmeriCup, Canada's pursuit of a 2019 World Cup berth will continue with the Americas qualifiers, where 16 teams will compete for seven World Cup spots.

Canada will face Bahamas, Dominican Republic and the United States Virgin Islands in Group D. The Canadiansopenagainst Bahamas in Halifax on Nov. 24.

Canada is currently ranked eighth in the Americas and 24th in the world.