TORONTO - Sitting in the home of assistant coach Bill Bayno one February evening, Jonas Valanciunas fretted over the slump that had befallen him. "Im not scoring," the young centre griped, as he and his most devoted mentor watched film, hoping to get to the bottom of the recent on-court funk that was beginning to wear on his confidence. JV, youre 21-years-old," Bayno responded. "Theres no centres in the league your age that are even playing much less averaging 10 points a game. Youve had great games [but] when you have a two-point game, going up against a really good, tough [centre], you cant get upset about it." His message, the teams message, has never wavered. "Youve got to do the other things to help us win." With that in mind Bayno put pen to paper, drawing up a list of attainable goals for Valanciunas, a cheat sheet consisting of basic fundamentals that can now be found taped to the right side of his locker. Outwork, outrun, sprint[Set] great, legal screensStep to [your] manBlock out And it goes on like that. "He got really down on himself when he went through that tough stretch," Bayno explained. "So we just really sat down and talked and [I] said, look, its no secret, JV, these are the things youve got to do." "Youre going to have some ups and downs," he told the second-year pro, "but Im going to write it in your locker, so every day before the game you see, this is what you have to do on a nightly basis." "Everything thats on that sheet is what we work on." Its a simplistic tool but one that the Raptors first-year assistant feels strongly about, one that has yielded proven results throughout his coaching career. Admired for his innovative player development techniques and his passion for molding young talent, Bayno first adopted this method of teaching on one of his regular trips to Africa, about a decade ago. There he met Michael Scholl. The two would become good friends and Bayno eventually hired Scholl as his assistant at Loyola Marymount University in 2008. Scholl - who spent eight years in Africa running an AIDS prevention campaign and implementing youth basketball leagues - introduced Bayno to an old Harvard study, something he used himself to motivate the children he taught there. The study correlated the success of students with writing down their goals and displaying them in their dorms. Bayno, like Scholl before him, applied that principle to basketball. "Having those goals, having them written out where they see them every day I think is huge and its been proven," said Bayno, who is also planning on employing that strategy with the Raptors other sophomore, Terrence Ross. "The vets dont need it. The vets will laugh at you if you try to do it. They really dont need it anyway. I could say to Chuck (Hayes), remember five games ago, you had that kick out situation, you missed a kick out. Hell say, yep, and hell know exactly the play. But the young kids need it." Bayno has spent more one-on-one time with Valanciunas than anyone on the staff this season. Whether hes sparring with JV in the post - wearing his trademark forearm pads to simulate in-game physicality - throwing out-of-reach passes to him in practice or hosting him at his house for an extra film session, Baynos fingerprints are all over the sophomores continued development. "He works with me a lot actually," Valanciunas said of Bayno. "Hes helped me a lot, especially on the post-up moves. Now I feel much more comfortable going against those guys, like big centres. What were working on every day is helping." Bayno, like head coach Dwane Casey and the rest of the Raptors staff, has worked to manage Valanciunas own expectations and lesson the external pressure that he faces as an emerging star in the league. Theyre not overly concerned with his scoring totals or the number of touches he gets in the post. He shouldnt be either. They know his value, at least this season, cant be measured using a box score. Instead they hope to lay down a foundation for the future. His role is to do the things he can control, to master the basic fundamentals of the game that will ensure his longevity in the league. The "little things" as Bayno calls them. "Were a good team because hes accepted his role and hes done all the little things," said Bayno, formally an assistant in Portland and with the Timberwolves. "I really believe hes going to be a good scorer in this league." "Im not expecting a lot of point production every night out of him," echoed Casey. "If he gives it to us, its great but I dont want to put that kind of pressure on him. Hes growing, hes a second-year guy. Im not going to expect him to get 23 points, 24 points every night. If he does, its gravy. If he runs the floor, rebounds, plays defence, for this team, this year, thats great. I promise you, his offence is going to come. We all want it to hurry up and get here yesterday but Im more concerned about him picking up the speed of the game, the rebounding, defending the low post, defending his position and reacting in the half-court game. His career is going to be long enough. Hes going to be a scorer in this league two or three years from now." A month ago at this time Valanciunas was pressing. The touches were not there every night, his scoring numbers dipped, as did his playing time. More often than not Casey would opt for a smaller, more experienced lineup late in games. Valanciunas was frustrated. Then the card went up in his locker. He sees it nearly each day, before and after every home game. Currently, hes playing some of the best basketball of his young career. Whether his improved play is related or a happy coincidence, he has been carrying out the very tasks Casey and company have been emphasizing. In Sundays win over Atlanta, Valanciunas recorded his team-leading 19th double-double of the season after totaling eight as a rookie a year ago. He played 33 minutes, attempting just four shots while matching a career-high with nine made free throws. His impact on the game was understated, yet significant. His point production has gone up but, as Casey points out, hes not necessarily seeing more touches. Instead hes working for them. Hes running the floor, hes rebounding, hes getting to the line and as a result hes playing more and closing out games. He understands how his bread is buttered, at least for the time being. "Im not a scoring machine," Valanciunas acknowledged. "Im a worker. My job is to get a rebound, to set a screen to make DeMar (DeRozan) open, or Kyle (Lowry) open, or [Ross] open, whoever is playing on the perimeter. My job is to box out [and] go for offensive rebounds. Thats my job." In less than four weeks, Valanciunas will make his first playoff appearance. Although hes peaking at the right time of season, the internal expectations havent changed. Outwork your man, set hard screens, box out, run the floor, do the little things. Hes heard them every day since arriving in training camp five months ago. Hes practiced them. Only now, handwritten in bright, unmistakable lettering, they stare him in the face. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . The 28-year-old from Rochester, Alta., was selected by the Redblacks from the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster in the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/.com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . The Montreal Canadiens goaltender has won three of his four games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out from the end of the Olympic break until March 15. Fake Soccer Jerseys . - The Florida Panthers are getting some Army training to finish off their preparations for the season. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Frank Klopas was happy with his players effort Saturday night. The officiating, on the other hand, left the Montreal Impact coach frustrated and angry. Dillon Powers scored on an early penalty kick to give the Colorado Rapids a 1-0 lead, and three goals in the second half helped them cruise to a 4-1 win over Montreal. Klopas expressed his dissatisfaction with referee Chris Penso, who made the call that awarded Colorado the penalty kick, after the game. "We were controlling the game and its unfortunate," Klopas said. "When the referee is a protagonist in the game its never good. So its a shame. He did a very, very poor job. For me, he had a very bad game." Powers, Kamani Hill and Shane ONeill scored in the second half as Colorado (5-4-3) snapped a two-game losing streak. Powers penalty-kick goal came in the fifth minute of the match, on what the Impact considered a borderline call on midfielder Sanna Nyassi. "Whatever the call was they still had a point-blank shot that was saved," midfielder Justin Mapp said. "Looks like a pretty good advantage to me. Not sure what the call is there." For a team that has struggled to find some footing away from home it was a tough night. The Impact (1-6-4) kept it close until the second half, but Colorado scored two goals in a span of five minutes to put it away. Anders Romero scored the lone goal for Montreal, which is now 0-4-2 on the road. "For us, we have to regroup fast," Klopas said. "We have the Canadian final coming up." The Impact had some chances right after Powers penalty kick but couldnt cash in. Mapp got through the defence on the left side and put a shot on Colorado goalie Clint Irwin, who made the save in the eighth minute. Mapp had another chance in the 16th minute but couldnt convert, and he hit a post in the 50th minute with his team down just a goal. He also was takenn down in the box but no call was made, which didnt sit well with the Impact.dddddddddddd "I thought so but I might be a little biased," Mapp said when asked if the takedown should have resulted in a penalty kick. An offside call that negated a goal by Issey Nakajima-Farran in the 66th minute added to the frustration. "I know the game is fast and people make mistakes, but today when we can talk mainly about the decisions of the referee its never good," Klopas said. The Rapids had several chances early but some good defence and key saves kept the Impact close. Deshorn Brown got a step on midfielder Patrice Bernier and then deked goaltender Troy Perkins in the 14th minute, but as Brown got a low shot off, Bernier slid behind Perkins to kick away the shot. "Once he dribbled I saw he didnt really see me coming from behind," Brenier said. "I dove, made a play and kept us at 1-0. Cant give up." Later, Brown leaped over midfielder Wandrille Lefevre but hit the post. Those near misses didnt cost the Rapids, however. Goals by Hill in the 54th minute and ONeill in the 59th gave the Rapids a 3-0 lead. Hills goal, his first since October 2012, came at the top of the box and faded over Perkins outstretch arm. ONeill dropped his shot over Perkins and just under the crossbar to make it 3-0. Powers finished the rout when he spun at the top of the box and sent a low shot past Perkins in the 84th minute for his second of the game. Romero scored his second goal of the season with a strong individual effort. He took the ball from the sideline, dribbled past three defenders and beat Irwin with a shot to the far post in the 88th minute. "It was a great goal. It just seems for us we have to score a goal for the Oscars," Klopas said. "We had some good chances. It is what it is. My players, they gave everything. Theres nothing I can complain about." ' ' '