The Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 quarter-final game against the McMaster University Marauders will be important for the entire Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team.
But for one Ravens player in particular, he said the matchup will be even more interesting because he used to play for the opposition.
Victor Raso spent three seasons playing for the Marauders, his hometown team, bringing in accolades during his time there.
He made the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West division all-rookie team in his first season, and made the division first all-star team in the 2011-2012 season.
He said his biggest achievement was being named captain in just his second season there—the youngest player to do so in school history, according to Raso.
He said he had a great experience at McMaster University.
“McMaster is where I grew up,” he said. “I loved Mac. My passion in life was McMaster basketball.”
But after the 2011-12 season, his third in the CIS, he said he wanted a change of scenery.
Raso said a main reason why he went to play basketball at McMaster was because his father, Joe Raso, was the program’s head coach.
However, despite leading his team to a 14-8 regular season record and 18 years as the Marauders’ coach, Joe said he was fired from the team at the end of his son’s rookie season.
“I think for most people it’s still a pretty bizarre situation,” Joe said. “A new athletic director came in . . . and he just told me I was gone. He never met with me, never knew me, nothing. So that never sat well with me, and Victor just moved on.”
The younger Raso said no longer having his father around as his coach was tough on him.
Victor proceeded to play two more seasons with the team under its new coach, Amos Connolly, before making his decision to transfer to another school.
“I played two years for coach Connolly, and then after that our relationship kind of diminished,” he said. “The opportunity to play somewhere else was enticing to me and it was what I decided to do.”
His father said his continued support of his son after being fired may have contributed to the decision to leave McMaster.
“I don’t think it was anything that Victor did. I just think it was the wear and tear of me and our family being involved in the program. So, he felt things had changed and decided it was time to make a move,” he said.
Looking back, Victor said he has no regrets about transferring to Carleton.
He said being a Raven has been even better than he imagined when making the difficult decision to leave his hometown, his teammates, and the only school he’d ever known behind.
And with national championship aspirations on the line this weekend, he said the opening game against McMaster will not affect his quest to help Carleton win its fourth straight CIS title.
“It’s not about me at all,” he said. “The first time we played them earlier this year, it was different because we were on the road and I kind of let the emotions get to me. But this time, it’s all about us versus whoever we have to beat to accomplish our goal of winning nationals.”
