You could forgive Lloyd Scrubb if he was feeling a tad sentimental as he watched the Carleton Ravens knock off the University of Victoria Vikes Friday night at Scotiabank Place.
Living in Richmond, B.C., it’s not often Scrubb gets to see his sons, Philip and Thomas, play live anymore. It’s even less often he gets to see them compete against his alma mater in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championship.
On Friday, he got to do both.
The fact both Carleton and Victoria share the CIS record with eight national titles apiece — Scrubb helped set the record with the Vikes and Philip and Thomas have the chance to break it with the Ravens — only added to the intrigue.
“It’s pretty neat,” said the elder Scrubb, who, along with over 10 other family members, is in town for this weekend’s CIS Final 8 tournament.
“The level of basketball has certainly improved in terms of the number of good teams that are out there . . . I’m happy for them,” he said.
It’s not something the Scrubbs ever really talk about, but Thomas said it’s nice to know his father was a member of the Vikes squad that captured a record seven straight national championships in the 1980s.
“And it’s nice to be part of something similar,” he added.
After beginning his post-secondary career with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, Scrubb transferred to Victoria in the midst of their historic run. When he joined the team, they had won five straight titles and just lost their all-time leading scorer Eli Pasquale to graduation.
“Coming in after those guys that left . . . it was a challenge to keep it going,” Scrubb recalled. “We were a hardworking team. We didn’t have the same level of talent but we had pretty good work ethic.”
And Scrubb led the way in that regard, according to legendary Vikes head coach Ken Shields.
“Lloyd was one of my favourite all-time UVic players,” Shields said from his home in Victoria. “He was a quiet leader and an extremely dedicated, hard-working guy.”
Although he was never an outstanding offensive player, Shields said he’s not the least bit surprised that Scrubb’s offspring have developed into two of the nation’s premier collegiate players.
“I would have been surprised if they weren’t anything but what they are,” said Shields, adding their late mother Diane was also an exceptional athlete.
Friday may have been a special occasion for the Scrubb family as a whole, but for Philip and Thomas it was just another night at the office — even if it was a slightly bigger one than they’re used to — as the Ravens cruised to a 83-46 victory in the final game of the night.
“It was just a normal game,” Thomas said. “You try and treat every game the same and that’s how you don’t choke in big situations.”
Perhaps that’s a lesson he picked up from his father. After all, he coached them for many years through the Steve Nash Youth Basketball League in British Columbia and for a year each at Vancouver College.
“Sometimes they may have been the best players on the team but they weren’t treated like that, so I don’t know how much they liked it,” he said.
At least it prepared them for what was to come. The Scrubb brothers aren’t treated like superstars at Carleton — no one is. But they knew what they were getting into.
Thomas was the first to commit to Carleton. Not surprisingly, Bishop’s — where their mother Diane played her university basketball — and Victoria were also considered.
“It was Tommy’s choice,” Scrubb said. “I didn’t say, ‘Oh you need to consider Victoria because I went there.’ But having said that, I think he did.”
“They were definitely my second option,” Thomas added.
In the end, Victoria’s loss was Carleton’s gain.
It was a similar the story the following year when Victoria — and almost every other British Columbia school plus a few American ones — came calling again. This time, it was for Philip.
But Philip, to Carleton’s delight, chose to follow in the footsteps of his big brother rather than his old man. Since then, he has twice been named the CIS player of the year.
Despite his fond history with the Vikes, the elder Scrubb has no mixed feelings about Philip and Thomas’ decision. As was evident Friday night at Scotiabank Place, his loyalties are with Carleton now.
“I’m not conflicted,” he said. “I’m cheering for my boys to do their best.”
