Boucher: Jamaal Magloire is 'a light in a dark room'

On the latest Hustle Play, Chris Boucher explains why losing made Raptors players more cohesive this season. Also, how Jamaal Magloire's positivity and experience has helped Boucher through tough times. Watch the full episode on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube channel or listen on the podcast feed.

Video Transcript

- Do you hang out with any of your teammates during the summer?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Not really. Man.

- Or, [INAUDIBLE].

CHRIS BOUCHER: I'm gonna do it a lot more this season cause, like, I actually-- like, you know, guys-- some guys I actually have been with for a long time. And, like, this season definitely got us a lot closer. It's just-- you know, we're losing. So, you know, I got to really see how we are in the bad moments and what love do you get from everybody. And that love was amazing from a lot of the guys on this team.

- That's cool. I mean, will people see you on the streets of Toronto?

CHRIS BOUCHER: No.

- I know you stay off the streets.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, [INAUDIBLE].

- You've told me that many times.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Not in Toronto, no.

- You're going to Caribana?

CHRIS BOUCHER: I'll go [INAUDIBLE] over [INAUDIBLE] concert. I'll go to that. But the Caribanas, once again, it's a little bit out there for me.

- What's the craziest Caribana experience you've ever had?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Jamaal McClure?

- Jamaal McClure?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, man, he wild, man.

- He's a wild boy.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Like, in a good way. Like, when his Island roots are coming out, and he's out there listening to music, and all that, [INAUDIBLE]. I like that guy. He's the best, man. Jamaal has really helped me too, man. [INAUDIBLE]

- Talk to me a little bit about him [INAUDIBLE].

CHRIS BOUCHER: Brings a lot of positive energy in my life, on the court, on the field, when days are bad and I'm not-- don't want to be here, for example, like, Jamal definitely helps me a lot.

- How so? What [INAUDIBLE] you talks to you about other things besides basketball?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Things about his career, man, when he was in Miami, not playing, and all that, how he felt like it was, and conversation that he had had with Pat, Riley. You know, like, just good conversation and how he feels, like, the game change and how he feels that I could do good. And, just, you know, talk about family, and how blessed that I am, and, you know, just little-- sometime it's just having a conversation, man. You know, like, one thing that's always good is having people that you could go talk to and not being shy of what you're gonna say. And that, you know, sometimes just-- you're just venting.

- I've been on the Raptors court for years. I have never really seen that guy in a bad mood, ever.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Jamal-- that's what I'm saying. That's positive energy, man. Like, he brings that. It's just-- yeah, some people have that, man. Some people have that power to just be a light in a dark room. And that's-- we need a lot of people like that.

- You think you had enough of it from a coaching standpoint or from a teammate standpoint, for an office altogether, overall?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Have enough of what?

- Positive vibe this year.

CHRIS BOUCHER: This year?

- Yeah.

CHRIS BOUCHER: No, this year I think it was bad. I think, obviously, the losing didn't help. But I do think that we have the personnel in the organization and in the-- the team has a lot of positive people, you know what I'm saying? I think that we all got-- you know, like, if you in a room full of people that are negative, you end up being negative. I think that didn't happen to us. I think everybody still stay positive through the whole process.

I think all what happened is just, like, losing is not fun. And people probably lost a little bit of happiness in the losing. I don't think it changed anybody's personality or who they are. I think everybody, When you see them, they're smiling and. You know, like, even me, like, even the days where I'm not good-- I think that's something that Toronto's really good at is to make you still be able to enjoy your life, and enjoy the moment that you're here, and make you realize how blessed you are to be here, even if you lose.

And I think Toronto's doing a really good job at that. Cause that's how I felt, for, like, 10-- 10-- you know, 10 months in a row where I'm not playing or stuff like that. So I felt they kept me for [INAUDIBLE] good with my first year. But if there's something changing-- if something would change on this team, that would be good. I think it's just-- you know, wins. I think if you win, then that change everything. Nobody's talking about how bad we are.

- Yeah that's true. Now, Chris, before we get out of here, I want to talk to you about-- I heard you had a scholarship fund. Is that Toronto Metropolitan? Can you talk a little bit about that?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Just wanted to help kids. I mean, obviously-- especially Island kids. I feel like, you know, the more I hear about my story, the more I, um, you know, hear about how my mom got here and how she was struggling. And then when you go talk to other people and other families and see how it's hard for them to struggle. Like, you [INAUDIBLE], like, the people around me, how it was hard for them to get where they're at and how they had to work extremely hard just to get where they have.

I feel like I wanted to do something for kids like that, too. I think that, you know, we all have situation, we all have reason why we leave the country that we're coming from. But then after that, we hope to be-- make it better. So I felt like if I was able to give scholarship to island kids or whatever to-- whoever kids wanted to get that, that'd be a good opportunity for me.

It would make me feel good too, just knowing that some kids could go back to school. And that might be saved them, [INAUDIBLE]. Like, I want to [INAUDIBLE] because share [INAUDIBLE] better than Chris Boucher. And if he got the Slam Dunk Scholarship. And that gave them an opportunity. And then I'll be, you know, super happy about that.

- Well, you're doing some big things, man. And the city is proud of you. They love you.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Thanks, man.

- You got a lot of kids that are looking up to you. So, I mean--

CHRIS BOUCHER: I have a lot of kids, you said?

- A lot of kids looking up to you--

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, man, I hope--

- --figuratively and literally.

CHRIS BOUCHER: --hopefully I have a lot of people, man, looking up for me. Man. Not just kids. I just want to be able to-- I want moms, fathers to watch this and be like, you know what, maybe I need to do something better for my son or whatever.

- And I'm sure they do.

CHRIS BOUCHER: So