The Olympic dream for Canada’s men’s basketball team is over and now there’s a void at the top. Leo Rautins stepped down as the coach Thursday, hours after watching Panama put the final nail in the coffin of Canada’s hopes of qualifying for London 2012. “This hasn’t been a job, this has been a passion . . . something that I’ve loved doing,” Rautins said on a conference call, pausing to collect his thoughts. “I love this program.” Rautins, whose contract was set to run through to October 2012, resigned after Panama upset Canada 91-89 at the FIBA Olympic Americas tournament. The Canadians finished with a 2-5 record and failed to qualify for a second-chance Olympic qualification tournament next summer ahead of the London Games. Canada has not qualified for the Olympics since 2000. “The players have given me everything that I’ve asked (but) I think for the benefit of this program going forward, a new voice in the locker-room will be the best thing,” said Rautins, who has coached the national team since 2005. “We could very easily be in the final four of this tournament. A shot here, a couple of stops there, maybe a little luck as opposed to what we’ve had, but I think it’s time (to step down).” The Canadians needed to beat Panama and hope for a Uruguay victory over Venezuela to keep its Olympic hopes alive. Neither happened as Venezuela defeated the Uruguayans 92-80 later Thursday.