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DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game. DeMar DeRozan, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, remembers it well. "I was here when Chris Bosh was the last guy to go," said DeRozan, now 24 in his fifth NBA season, less than two hours after receiving the news. A first-time All-Star, DeRozan got the nod Thursday evening when the NBA named the Raptors guard to the Eastern Conference squad as a reserve. "I work extremely hard every off-season to try and be the best player that I can be," he said proudly. "Just to be a part of All-Star Weekend is something you dream of. I remember being a kid watching All-Star Weekend and wishing to be a part of it. To see your dreams come true definitely means a lot." DeRozan, the fourth ever Raptor selected to the midseason showcase, which will take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16, was hardly surprised to find out his selection had been made official. He had expected it. The texts from family and friends started to come in as the Raptors plane landed in Denver, shortly after the announcement had been made live on TNT. Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden called to congratulate him, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, also an Eastern reserve, sent a text. The first call he made was to his fiancé and his infant daughter back in Toronto. "That was cool," he said of what had to be a special moment. Its a moment, an achievement that didnt come overnight. Hes put in the work and his growth as a player, a leader and as a man reflects that. "Hes worked at it [and] he deserves it," said Dwane Casey, who has coached DeRozan in three of his five seasons. "Every year Ive been here he has improved. He has brought something new back after every summer. Im so happy and proud of him as a young man watching him grow." DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is 11th in the league in scoring, fourth in the East, and averaging career highs in points (21.8), rebounds (4.7) and assists (3.6). The Raptors iron man has missed the clubs previous two games with an ankle injury, but hes still only missed 10 contests in his career, with two full seasons under his belt. Since the trade of Rudy Gay, DeRozan has blossomed in his new role. DeRozan has recorded five or more assists in 12 of the 43 contests hes appeared in this season. He accomplished that feat 12 times all of last year and five times total in his first three seasons combined. He has already grabbed five or more rebounds 23 times this season, something he did in 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. "Im so happy for him, man," said snubbed teammate Kyle Lowry. "It just shows the hard work that hes put in. Its great for our team, its great for the organization, its great for the city, its great for the country." Of course, the news wasnt entirely positive. Lowry, in the middle of a career season, was left off the All-Star roster. The 27-year-old point guard - widely considered to be the most notable name missing from the East team - stood in the lobby of the Raptors Denver hotel, looking ahead to his mid-Febrary vacation. He too was not surprised by the result of the voting and if he was disappointed by it, he didnt show it. "Im alright," said Lowry, averaging career-highs in points (16.8), assists (7.6) and three-point shooting (41 per cent) this season. "Ill be on a beach somewhere hanging out. Ill watch the All-Star game and cheer for (DeRozan)." Lowry is coming off of back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his eight-year career, however both performances came after the coaches submitted their ballots for All-Star reserves on Sunday. Casey has spent the better part of the last month campaigning for both of his guards, hoping to get both voted in, but expecting to only get the one. Why was Lowry left out? Politics, most likely. He and DeRozan may have split votes from coaches who were only willing to vote for one Raptor. Coaches trying to get their own guy in - unable to vote for their own players, by rule - may have thrown their votes to others, less likely to make it. Then theres Lowrys reputation for being, well, prickly on occasion. However, the numbers speak for themselves, or at least they should have. Lowry leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3. Hes also hit more threes this month (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip. Hes among the league-best in assist-to-turnover ratio and he has the second highest PER (player efficiency rating) of any guard in the conference. "I am disappointed for Kyle because he is playing like an All-Star," Casey said. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now and hopefully this doesnt deter him from his continuing his journey to being the best in the league and proving people wrong." Instead, the Nets Joe Johnson made the cut. Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2002-03, his second season in the league. Hes only the second All-Star voted in by the coaches with a below-average PER since 2003. "Im going to keep grinding no matter what, All-Star or not," Lowry said. "Im always going to work hard and continue to be the best player I can be to help my team win." "Honestly I didnt even worry about it," he continued. "We didnt get two, doesnt matter, we got one and thats a big statement for our team. [DeRozans] going to represent our team and hes going to represent us well." DeRozan joins Johnson, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Wall, the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Paul Millsap on the East squad, along with starters LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, Indianas Paul George, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Koke-Jersey/ . -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Lucas-Hernandez-Jersey/ .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Angel-Correa-Jersey/. Selected by the Titans in the 2007 NFL Draft, Johnson rejoined the club last season after a five-year stint with Indianapolis. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Diego-Godin-Jersey/ . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Gelson-Martins-Jersey/ . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. TORONTO -- Ricky Ray and Chad Owens heeded their coachs call Saturday. Ray threw for 407 yards and three TDs while Owens amassed 248 all-purpose yards and a touchdown as the Toronto Argonauts stunned the Saskatchewan Roughriders 48-15 before a sparse Rogers Centre gathering of 17,758. The win was redemption for Toronto (1-1), coming off a dismal 45-21 season-opening loss in Winnipeg. Whats more, Saskatchewan (1-1) began its Grey Cup defence registering 10 sacks in a lopsided 31-10 home win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. On Friday, Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said he was looking forward to seeing which of his players would step up against the defending CFL champions. "Those were two of the guys I expected to do that," Milanovich said of Ray and Owens. "I guess I just expect it at this point. "Last week wasnt good . . . I think our pride was hurt, I think we were embarrassed by the way we showed up. Professional athletes are very competitive, very prideful and to take a whooping like that when you didnt see it coming, that sticks with you. It mayve been a good thing for us in the longterm to kind of open your eyes and show us we need to step up every week." Toronto quickly took control, surging to a 17-1 half-time lead that swelled to 24-1 just five minutes into the second half. Being firmly ahead allowed the Argos to continue utilizing their entire playbook and maintaining a balanced attack to keep Saskatchewans defence guessing. Toronto ran for 161 yards with sophomore Curtis Steele rushing for 59 yards and two TDs on eight carries while rookie Antony Coombs added 52 yards on six carries. Ray also got into the act, running four times for 32 yards. Falling behind forced Saskatchewans run-first offence to go to the air 33 times -- compared to just 15 rushing plays. That allowed Torontos defence to come after Riders quarterback Darian Durant, sacking him five times (four in the second half) and registering two Antwuan Molden interceptions. The newcomer took one 108 yards for a TD late in the game. "I thought it was a key that we get out to a lead . . . it allowed us to stay balanced and continue to mix it up a little bit with our ground game," Milanovich said. "It gave our defence a little confidence playing with the lead and let them come after the quarterback." Torontos defence, which opened the season with just four returning starters, had four more new faces against Saskatchewan. Cornerback Vincent Agnew, safety Jermaine Gabriel, linebacker Molden and defensive tackle Marcus Thomas all started as cornerback Matt Ware, linebacker Jamie Robinson and safety Matt Black went on the injured list while defensive lineman Greg Romeus was placed on the practice roster. But Toronto didnt emerge unscathed as linebacker Shea Emry (head) and slotback Andre Durie (shoulder) were injured. Milanovich wasnt sure how severe either was. Ray completed 29-of-37 passes, many being short underneath tosses that alllowed his receivers to quickly get upfield and gain yards after the catch.dddddddddddd Owens was especially effective, registering 11 catches for 159 yards and a TD while also returning six punts for 89 yards. "Hes so shifty out there," Ray said of Owens. "I just got to get the ball into his hands and hes going to cut all the way across the field and make guys miss and turn short gainers into big plays for us. "Its nice to have a guy like him who makes my job easier. Im not having to throw it 30 yards downfield, Im just throwing the little short ones and hes taking it 40 yards." Owens said it was important for Toronto to rebound from its opening-season loss. "You never want to start the season 0-1, let alone 0-2," he said. "We knew it was a must-win game for us and playing Saskatchewan we knew it was going to be a battle. "Even after the first half I wasnt satisfied with the lead just knowing how quickly they could score." Saskatchewan made it interesting in the third after Rays 14-yard TD strike to Jason Barnes put Toronto ahead 24-1. Durant hit Taj Smith with a 59-yard touchdown strike at 10:22 before finding Antony Allen on a nine-yard toss at 13:16 to pull the Riders to within 25-15. But thats as close as Saskatchewan got as Swayze Waters 40-yard field goal to open the fourth put Toronto ahead 28-15. Durant finished 17-of-29 passing for 295 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Allen ran for 158 yards on 27 carries last weekend against the Ticats but was held to 66 yards on nine carries versus Toronto. Riders head coach Corey Chamblin admitted he was shocked by the one-sided outcome. "We didnt think the game would turn out this way," he said. "But you have to be perfect to win against Ricky Ray. "I felt we didnt have a good practice and we were not good enough to win off a short week." Durant sensed the Argos defence was intent on redemption following its performance last weekend in Winnipeg. "They had a great defensive gameplan," he said. "They came out after the loss last week and wanted to perform for their fans at the home opener. "We played against a good football team and a great quarterback." Mike Bradwell had Torontos other TD. Waters added five converts, two field goals and a single. Saskatchewans Chris Milo had two converts and a single. NOTES -- Since 2008, Durant has started 12 of Saskatchewans 13 games versus Toronto, the exception being Aug. 9, 2008 when former Argo Michael Bishop was under centre. During that span, the Argos have had seven different quarterbacks face the Riders . . . Slotback Chris Getzlaf and offensive lineman Levy Adcock were Saskatchewans pre-game scratches. Linebacker Greg Jones and defensive lineman Delano Johnson were Torontos scratches . . . Riders defensive back Dwight Anderson celebrated his 33rd birthday Saturday . . . Country artist Brett Kissel performed at halftime. 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