“I go home right after exams and
never leave winter. That’s why I
have this lovely tan,” said the very
white Oirbans with a laugh. “I enjoy
playing here. It’s a great experience.
Travelling out on the road, seeing
different parts of Canada is fun.
“I’m comfortable here in Canada
now, but I do miss
home. Especially
when I have
all my friends
sending me
pictures of them
having fun at the
beach. I send
back to them, ‘Hi,
I’m in minus-50.’
But I’m having
fun in a different
way. I’m playing basketball.”
A biology student, Oirbans still
isn’t sure what his immediate future
holds. Although, he hopes it will
include basketball and more school.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to
do but I want to do my Masters
in biology,” he said. “I want to see
where school ends up. I might
go home and I might stay here.
The dream would be to finish
my Masters, play pro basketball
somewhere for a few years, just to
keep traveling, and then get a job in
the bio-technology industry. I don’t
know where that
will be, but I do
like Canada.”
And Coach
Raimbault loves
having him at the
U of W.
“He’s the
centerpiece of
what we do at
the defensive
end of the floor,”
said the coach. “His commitment
to work is at a high level. He works
daily to improve. He does all the
little things we ask of him. As well
as being a great teammate, it makes
Ryan a very important part of our
team.” l
“He’s the
centerpiece of
what we do at
the defensive
end of the floor”
Photography by
Jeff and Tara Miller
204-430-5522
sportslife / 19