Nik Goncin
Biography
Nik Goncin’s wheelchair basketball journey began in 2008, when he discovered the sport through a clinic at his high school. The coach of the clinic invited Goncin out to a local practice, and he has been hooked ever since.
It wasn’t long before Goncin was representing Saskatchewan on the basketball court and picking up accolades for his dynamic offensive play.
Goncin is a student of the game. He appreciates the intellectual component of wheelchair basketball and feels the level of strategy involved truly sets the sport apart. “It is a big, fast-paced chess game,” he says.
“It is a big, fast-paced chess game.” – Nik Goncin on wheelchair basketball
The Regina native made his debut with Team Canada at the 2009 world junior championship. In 2013, Goncin cracked both the senior and junior national teams, paving the way to earning a spot on the Canadian Paralympic wheelchair basketball team for the Rio 2016 Games.
To learn more about Nik, follow him on Twitter: @goncin
Interesting Facts
- Is fluent in Serbo-Croatian
- A former standup basketball player, Goncin also enjoys playing tennis, soccer and snowboarding
Awards / Highlights
- Named to Team Toyota in 2019
- Named an All-star at the 2018 NWBA National Championship (Div 1) with the Toronto Rollin Raptors
- Named an All Star at the 2018 CWBL National Championships
- Named Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s Junior Athlete of the Year (2014)
- Named MVP at the 2014 Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championship
- Named MVP at the 2013 Men’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship
- Named CIBC Team Next Athlete in 2013
Major International Competition
Tournament | Other | |||
Paralympic Games: 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th (’16), 8th (’20) |
World Junior Championships: 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6th (’13), 8th (’09) |
World Championships: 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th (’18), 6th (’22) |
Statistics
World Championships
Year | GP | Min | M/G | Field Goals | 3 Pts | Free Throws | Rebounds | AS | TO | ST | BS | PF | FO | PTS | P/G | |||||
M/A | % | M/A | % | M/A | % | OR | DR | TOT | ||||||||||||
2018 | 5 | 120:35 | 24:07 | 38/88 | 43 | 10/25 | 40 | 18/28 | 64 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 20 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 21 | 104 | 20.8 |
Legend: GP = Games Played; Min = Minutes; M/G = Minutes per Game; M/A = Made / Attempted; OR = Offensive Rebounds; DR = Defensive Rebounds; TOT = Total; AS = Assists; TO = Turn Overs; ST = Steals; BS = Blocked Shots;PF = Personal Foul; FO = Foul On; PTS = Points; P/G = Points per Game
Competitive Teams
Level | Team | Location | Year(s) |
International | Canada (SMNT) | Canada | 2013-Present |
International | Canada (JMNT) | Canada | 2009; 2013 |
Club (domestic) | Toronto Rollin Raptors | Canada | 2017-Present |
Club (domestic) | National Academy | Canada | 2015-2016 |
Club (semi-pro) | BG Baskets Hamburg | Germany | 2016 |
Club (domestic) | University of Illinois | Illinois (United States) | 2012-2015 |
Club (domestic) | Team Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | 2008-Present |
Career Notes
2023: Bronze medal at 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
2023: Sixth place finish at the 2022 IWBF World Championships in Dubai.
2022: Bronze medal win at the IWBF Americas Cupin São Paulo, Brazil
2021: 8th place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
2019: 2nd place at Lima 2019 Parapan American Games…3rd place at the Wałbrzych President Cup Tournament in Poland (Team Canada)
2018: 5th place at the 2018 NWBA National Championship (Div 1) with the Toronto Rollin Raptors (domestic); named an All Star…3rd place at CWBL National Championships (Domestic – Named an All-Star)… 3rd place at Mitsubishi Electric World Challenge Cup in Tokyo, Japan (Team Canada)…5th place at 2018 Continental Clash in Sheffield, GB (Team Canada)…12th place at the 2018 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships (Team Canada)
2017: 2nd place at Americas Cup in Cali Colombia (Team Canada)…
2016: 11th place at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Team Canada)… 4th Place at Continental Clash in Leicester, Great Britain (Team Canada)… 4th place at Toronto Challenge in Toronto, Canada (Team Canada)… 3rd place at CWBL National Championship Tier 1 with the Twin City Spinners & named All-Star in Kamloops B.C. (domestic)…
2015: 2nd place at Parapan American Games in Toronto, Canada (Team Canada)… 2nd place at Americas Challenge in Toronto, Ont. (Team Canada)… 4th place at Lakeshore Cup in Birmingham, Alabama, United States (Team Canada)… 2nd place at Canada Games with Team Saskatchewan in Prince George, B.C. (domestic)…
2014: 1st place at Junior National Championship with Team Saskatchewan & named MVP in Edmonton, Alta. (domestic)… Named Wheelchair Basketball Canada Junior Athlete of the Year…
2013: 6th place at the Men’s U23 World Championship & named MVP in Adana, Turkey (Team Canada)… 6th place at Americas Cup in Bogota, Colombia (Team Canada)… 1st place at Men’s U23 Americas Zone Qualification Tournament in Mexico City, Mexico (Team Canada)… 2nd place at Kitakyushu Champions Cup in Kitakyushu, Japan (Team Canada)… 3rd place at Easter Tournament in Blankenberge, Belgium (Team Canada)…
2011: 3rd place at Canada Games with Team Saskatchewan in Halifax, N.S. (domestic)… 6th place at CWBL Open Finals with Club ’99 in White Rock, B.C. (domestic)…
2010: 6th place at National Championships with Team Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Sask. (domestic)… 5th place at National Junior Championship with Team Saskatchewan in Montreal, Que. (domestic)…
2009: 8th place at Men’s U23 World Championship in Paris, France (Team Canada)… 3rd place at Junior West Regional Championship with Team Saskatchewan & named All-Star in Edmonton, Alta. (domestic)…
2008: 4th place at Junior West Regional Championship with Team Saskatchewan & named All-Star in Winnipeg, Man. (domestic)…