As usual, there was a lot of high-pitched screeching coming from the Carleton Ravens’ bench this past weekend at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championship.
To the surprise of almost everyone, it wasn’t coming from Ravens head coach Dave Smart — for the most part, at least.
“I tend to try and get quieter at the nationals,” said Smart, who picked up his sixth coach of the year award earlier in the week. “At the nationals, my guys are nervous enough, especially when it’s close.”
It wasn’t March 10 in the championship final, as the Ravens hammered the Lakehead Thunderwolves 92-42 to win their third straight national title and ninth in the last 11 years.
Anyone who has paid any attention over those 11 years will know that Smart is notorious for his sideline tirades.
He’ll go off on the referees, his players, and sometimes the opposing coach if warranted, as Thunderwolves bench boss Scott Morrison learned March 10.
Ironically, his outbursts typically coincide with big Ravens’ leads.
“When you get up, I think it’s time when you have to bring some intensity to make sure they understand it’s not going to be at easy,” Smart said.
In a nutshell, that reveals Smart’s philosophy — as if it’s an earth-shattering revelation.
Complacency is a dangerous thing. And the best way to avoid letting it affect the outcome of a game, in Smart’s eyes, is making sure his five players on the court are always on their toes.
At this time of the year, however, all that goes out the window.
“At nationals, you’ve done what you can do in terms of motivation and in terms of getting guys to be focused for 40 minutes,” he said. “If they’re not capable of doing it here, they’re not going to ever do it.”
The fact that this year’s national championship was held in Ottawa only supported this theory.
“They’re kids. These guys are young kids . . . they get nervous,” Smart said. “They’re in the hometown of their university. Everybody wants them to win. Everybody kind of expects them to win. There’s enough tension without a raving lunatic coach on the sideline.”
This past weekend, not only was Smart more subdued on the sidelines, he was more affable with the media. He made more than enough time for reporters, he answered questions thoughtfully and even cracked a few jokes.
His biggest zinger of the weekend came in response to a question about Carleton’s obvious reluctance to dunk the basketball.
There’s no team rule. Rather, it’s due to a “lack of athleticism,” he quipped.
Perhaps Smart has lost his fire. Perhaps he’s turned a new leaf. Or better yet, perhaps it’s just the national championship.
