Champagnie says his preference was always Toronto

Justin Champagnie has an unwavering belief in himself, and once he sets a target, he says, he usually hits it.

TORONTO – Justin Champagnie has an unwavering belief in himself, and once he sets a target, he says, he usually hits it.

“I always had a dream in mind of making it to the NBA and playing here,” the 20-year-old Raptors rookie said after Wednesday’s practice. “One thing everyone knows about me, when I put my mind to something, I’m going to go do it, no matter what anybody says.

“I just kind of put it in my head ever since I was a kid, I’m going to do two years of school, and (then) make my dreams come true, so that’s what I did.”

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was a revelation in the Raptors’ pre-season opener against Philadelphia on Monday, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as part of a young, high-octane bench.

The six-foot-six, 200-pound forward went undrafted after two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, but was signed by the Raptors to a two-way deal the next day.

Not surprising, of the 16 or 17 teams Champagnie visited for pre-draft workouts, he had his sights set on Toronto.

“I didn’t want to play anywhere else,” he said. “I told my agent right away I wanted to play in Toronto, like right after the workout.”

Champagnie did his pre-draft workout in Tampa, Fla., and said there was “just a vibe” with the organization, including the coaching staff. He practised for Raptors 905 head coach Patrick Mutombo and Raptors assistant Fabulous (Fab) Flournoy. Head coach Nick Nurse watched from the sidelines.