Leo Rautins

Who is Leo Rautins?

Leo R. Rautins is a Lithuanian-Canadian former basketball player, the former head coach of the Canadian national men's basketball team, and currently a television analyst for the Toronto Raptors.

Rautins was born in Toronto, Ontario and was a star in high school for St. Michael's College School in Toronto, the University of Minnesota for his freshman year of college, and Syracuse University for three seasons. At Minnesota, Rautins was named first-team All Big-Ten rookie, averaging 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists a game. As a member of the Syracuse Orangemen, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.0 assists, and 6.2 rebounds. He is the first player ever to record a triple-double in Big East play, accomplishing the feat twice in the span of a month during his senior year. He was named All Big East third team and Honorable Mention All American that year.

The 6 ft 8 in, 215 lb Rautins was the first Canadian ever drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft going 17th overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 Draft. Hampered by knee problems, he played in 28 games as a rookie with the Sixers, averaging just 7 minutes a game, 1.5 points, 1 assist, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.7 turnovers.