"Robert did a great job out there," Rautins said of 7-foot centre Robert Sacre. "He’s like the energizer bunny. He’s talking all the time. It’s a huge asset for Joel, if he needs a blow, Robert is there."

But what has Rautins really jazzed about this 21-year-old Gonzaga student who hails from B.C. is his attitude.

"Shaquille O’Neal could walk in the room and he would just say, ‘Let’s go.,’" Rautins said. "He doesn’t care. There is no fear and I like that. I like his energy and the fact that he just wants to play."

Asked after the game the last time he remembers being intimidated, Sacre reacted like he had just been offered a bottle of prune juice.

"Intimidated? There’s no such thing as being intimidated. Come on now," he said. "You have to be ready to fight anybody."

And to look at Sacre, he is— from the time his alarm clock goes off until he closes his eyes for the night.