VICTORIA — Andy Rautins' considerable facial hair says everything about where he's been for the past two years.
No longer the fresh-faced player who departed for Europe several years ago, Rautins arrived at Toronto Raptors training camp wearing a big beard rivalled only by Lithuanian forward Jonas Valanciunas.
It's a holdover from his two seasons playing for Gaziantep, a Turkish city barely 60 kilometres from the war-torn Syrian border, and a target of numerous recent deadly bombings.
"That's why I grew (the beard) out initially, to try to blend in," Rautins said. "A lot of people thought I was Turkish, so that helped me out a lot. But you're still on (team) posters around the city, you never really know. Any kind of little thing helps out, I guess."
Terrorist attacks have killed hundreds of people in Turkey over the past couple of years. Among the most deadly: 39 people, mostly foreigners, were shot dead in a nightclub in Istanbul, and a bomb killed 50 people at a wedding in Gaziantep.
"As a parent, it was terrifying," said dad Leo Rautins. "If I went two days without hearing from him, I'd call and leave a message 'Andy, where the hell are you? Call me!'"
Andy Rautins said he and his teammates were warned that terrorists were targeting westerners. They were told to steer clear of certain spots.
"We couldn't go even to Starbucks sometimes, or the mall," Rautins said.
There was a car bombing outside the Gaziantep police station in May of last year. Royal Hali Gaziantep was scheduled to host Fenerbahce in a game later that night.
"So just for security purposes there were no fans at the game," Rautins said. "Probably one of the more strange sensations, to play in front of an empty gym.
"There was a handful of experiences like that, but I wouldn't trade that experience there for anything. It really made me appreciate a lot coming back here. The things that people worry about (in Canada) are very shallow. It gives you a greater appreciation for every day things, and you realize that people and relationships are all that really matter."
Vying for a job with the Raptors is a dream Rautins and dad Leo — a longtime Raptors television broadcaster, and former NBA and Canadian team player — have shared for years.
And with the Raptors looking to boost their three-point shooting, Rautins has a solid shot. The six-foot-five shooting guard was the Turkish league's top three-point shooter in his two seasons there. He also set a D League record for threes when he played for the Tulsa 66ers.
"(Rautins) is a stone-cold shooter, and that's something where the game is going to, and as many natural three-point shooters you can get, the better," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "That's one thing Andy brings to the table, as does Kyle Wiltjer, the other Canadian who earned a training camp invite). Those guys wake up out of the bed falling to the three-point line. It's not like some guys who have to work on it 24/7."
Rautins has settled back home in Toronto for the first time in years, and recently bought a condo in the city. His invitation to camp came after several off-season workouts at the Raptors' training facility at Biosteel Centre. He turned down a couple of offers in Spain and Turkey for the shot with Toronto.
"This has been a lifelong dream of mine, so I'd be a fool not to pursue it," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. If at the end of the day, I'm here, it's a dream come true. But there's no pressure, no feeling like if I don't make it it's a failure, it's just a good experience."
Rautins starred at Syracuse University before being drafted 38th overall by the New York Knicks in 2010. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks the following year but was waived a few months later. The years since have included stints in Spain, Germany and Italy.
He's a significantly better player, he said, than he was when he first entered the league with the Knicks, but he's readjusting to the NBA game after his years in Europe.
"The spacing, the speed of the game. . . but it's coming along nicely," he said. "Just getting a feel for it, getting a feel for the guys, I'm just enjoying the process."
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version listed Rautins' height at 6-4.
