Third-year guard Connor Wood and first-year guard Mitchell Wood could be the next brother pair to make headlines in Carleton basketball when the Scrubbs are gone.
During the regular season, Connor Wood took on a bigger role than in his previous season, scoring 13.4 points per game in 17 regular season match-ups and shooting 47.8 from beyond the arc, just behind the Scrubbs.
Mitchell Wood’s playing time was limited during the regular season, but he was able to score 10 points in the final game against Nipissing while logging 24 minutes of court time.
Connor Wood said he first began thinking of Carleton when he was in Grade 11, when head coach Dave Smart came to one of his high school basketball games.
Both brothers were actually on this team when Smart began to recruit.
Connor, two years older, came to Carleton in 2012. Mitchell said having his brother attend was not a factor in his decision, but seeing how much he improved was.
“Having a brother here wasn’t much of a decision factor, it was more the development. I saw him improve a bunch since he’s been here,” Mitchell Wood said.
He said he has enjoyed his time at Carleton, and said it is a lot different from high school.
“It’s really good. It’s really hard work—it’s a big jump from high school,” Mitchell said. “It’s a lot more organized. There’s a lot more structure to the team and there’s a lot more rules and stuff.”
Connor Wood recalled the same transition to the university level and found it hard to adjust to his role on the team.
“I felt it was a big adjustment to get where you were on the team, find your place on the team,” he said.
Even though the two have played together before, they said chemistry was not a factor to being on the same team.
“We just kind of play through the offense that we have,” Mitchell Wood said. “It’s not really two person chemistry, it’s kind of with the whole team.”
The reason Carleton finds such success is from the incredible chemistry each player has with the other, they play as if they are brothers knowing exactly where the other players are.
Both Woods are guards, but they play a slightly different game. Being in his first year, Mitchell has to grind it out more, while Connor being a starter has more offensive opportunities.
“He’s more of a shooter, and I’m more of like a hustle guy,” Mitchell Wood said.
As older brothers do, Connor has helped Mitchell adjust to the varsity level games by working on certain aspects of his brother’s game.
“I guess he gets on me for trying to get a better jump shot,” Mitchell Wood said.
He said he generally does this by beating him in one on one.
Mitchell has now had his first taste of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 action playing against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
He said it was a fun experience and great to get some time on the court.
With the Scrubb brothers and Victor Raso moving on, the Ravens will be losing three regular starters. This means the role of both brothers will change dramatically next year.
Connor Wood will likely have to take on more of a leadership role while Mitchell will likely be given more court time, though the starting five for 2015-16 will be uncertain.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Connor Wood said. “A bunch of guys will need to step up and it should be a fun year getting everyone together.”
Despite this, he said he still has things he believes he will need to work on in the offseason.
“I’ll try to work on more my leadership, and on handling the ball in pressure situations,” he said.
After five seasons with the Scrubb brothers it is only fitting that another brother pair may have to take on a big role for the Ravens next season.
