Team Canada athlete Blaise Mutware has an inquisitive thirst for knowledge that pushes him to grow as both a player and a person. The year ahead promises plenty of learning opportunities as the Toronto native strives to reach his ultimate goal of competing for Canada in Tokyo.
With the Paralympics postponed by a year, Mutware took up a new hobby over the summer while the world was on lockdown – he immersed himself into the investment world and trading on the stock market.
“I’m just learning and trying to understand it,” said Mutware. “It was something that I always wanted to get into for as long as I can remember. I wanted to learn about personal finance but I just didn’t really know how to go about it.
“With coronavirus, I felt like it was a real eye-opener for not just me, but most people, to evaluate where their life was at and try and tackle some life goals. Do they want to be in the same position they’re in or do they want to progress for the better? That’s the perspective that I had and I just started reading a lot into investments.”
Another opportunity for personal growth awaits Mutware south of the border at the University of Arizona, after he impressed at the NWBA Finals in 2019 to earn a basketball scholarship. Building on his interest in personal finance, Mutware is pursuing a business degree.
“Arizona saw me play a little bit and I guess they saw potential in me. I thought it was a great opportunity to experience something different. I feel like I’m still at that young age where I can take risks and I felt like going to school would be a risk. I was never really good at school, but I wanted to give this opportunity a chance and see how I can grow both in basketball and in life.”
He was due to start school this fall, but with the pandemic Mutware has opted for remote learning from home for the time being. He’s optimistic about potentially joining his new team in January and progressing in his development as an athlete.
“It was something that seemed attractive, the idea of getting a scholarship to play basketball at university. A lot of the guys on the national team have gone either the college route or the European route. I wanted to experience college a little bit and that level of play and grow into my own as a player. I feel that I’m still a young guy on the national team, or at least not too experienced, and so I wanted to experience a different level of play so that I can bring something to the table on the national team.”
Arizona will be Mutware’s second stint at a higher education. His first revolved around another one of his passions – cooking.
Born in Rwanda, Mutware and his family moved to Canada and settled in Toronto when he was 13. His dad taught him how to cook when he was a kid. When it came time to choose his path after high school, pursuing his dream to become a chef was a natural fit.
While completing his culinary studies, he was confronted by two robbers in an altercation in which then 20-year-old Mutware was shot five times in the spine and legs. Life as he knew it came to a halt. Six months into his recovery, he found wheelchair basketball and a new journey began with the Variety Village Rolling Rebels.
Mutware still enjoys cooking and works as a line cook at a local restaurant. He also owns some bragging rights amongst his teammates, after winning a friendly iron chef style competition a few years back while with the Academy (Next Gen) program. Not that you’d know it.
“I’ll take anybody on, but I’m not cocky,” said Mutware. “I like to stay humble and let my actions speak for themselves.”
The same concept applies for Mutware on the basketball court. While he waits for the right time to start his new adventure in Arizona, Mutware is training at the National Training Centre in Toronto to progress on the road to Tokyo. There are plenty of new protocols in place so that athletes can train safely in the new reality.
“We’ve been really working on things that we don’t really get the chance to work on individually. We still have to social distance, so a lot of training is pretty individual. We do find ways to train together, like a shooting competition and distanced defensive drills. We’re working on speed and shooting and a lot of technical stuff. I do enjoy it but I’m itching for the day we start playing contact.”
While contact drills aren’t in the cards quite yet, Mutware is focused on sharpening his cerebral skills on the court.
“I think my game still has room to improve and I’m taking the steps to get to that point. I want to be more confident in my ability to read the defence and understand the game better from more of the mental aspect. I want to be able to understand every play and read how everything unfolds on court as best as possible.”
His goal remains competing for Canada at his first Paralympic Games in Tokyo next summer. Mutware is hoping to finish what he and Team Canada started after he captured a silver medal at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games in his rookie season.
“I’m very excited for Tokyo. The extra year will be much needed to really elevate our game. I think this team as a whole, once we get back together, can really get back to the level we played at in Lima and even take it a step further.
“Competing at the Paralympics would definitely be a goal I’ve had for five years, and to finally accomplish it would mean a lot. If I can accomplish that goal it will only drive me to set more goals and be eager to achieve even more. Hopefully we can medal in Tokyo.”
Follow Blaise on Instagram @johnny.blaze__ and the rest of Team Canada on the road to Tokyo:
Facebook: @wheelchairbasketballcanada
Twitter: @wcbballcanada
Instagram: @wheelchairbasketballcanada