During a Carleton Ravens basketball game, Dave Smart is the most talkative person in the building.
Whether he’s yelling out instructions to his players or pointing out a missed call to the officials, it’s impossible to miss him pacing up and down the sidelines.
Off the court, Smart doesn’t say all that much. He doesn’t need to.
He prefers to let his team do the talking for him. And a perfect 34-0 campaign, capped off by a record-tying eighth W.P. McGee trophy, is quite the statement.
That’s why Smart is quick to heap praise on the Ravens players for his success. He credits them for his award as the 2011-2012 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coach of the year, the fifth of his illustrious career.
“We have a great group of kids that won the award for me, so it’s really about them more than it is about me,” Smart said. “The coach of the year award really isn’t about the coach, it’s about the staff and the players. The award is handed to me but it really goes to the team.”
Meanwhile, his players seem to disagree.
From top to bottom on the Ravens’ roster, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t think Smart is the engine that powers the Carleton machine.
“That’s why we have success and will continue to have success, because of Dave,” said fifth-year Ravens guard Elliot Thompson. “The way he prepares his teams and the way he just cares for his teams, I think it’s more than any other coach in Canada, and as players we try to embrace how much he cares and really play for him and put in as much work as we can.”
For 13 seasons, the Ravens bench-boss has been preaching a strong work ethic and tenacious, yet disciplined defence. It’s a system that has worked wonders, as Smart has compiled a regular season and playoff record of 343 wins, and only 30 losses in that time.
Carleton currently sits tied with the University of Victoria for the most CIS championship victories. The Vikes won seven straight titles from 1979-1986, while adding another in the 1996-1997 season.
Having built the Ravens program into the juggernaut that it is today, the question now seems to be not if Smart will break that record, but when.
But what other challenges lie ahead for the Kingston, Ont. native?
With Canada Basketball currently searching for someone to lead its senior men’s national team after the departure of Leo Rautins, Smart is a name that continues to be linked with the job.
It’s a position he recently admitted he would take “in a minute.”
One man who knows Smart well is St. Francis Xavier head coach Steve Konchalski, the all-time wins leader in CIS basketball history.
Coach K, as he is known in Canada, has been a victim of Carleton’s incredible run on two occasions. The X-Men dropped the 2003-2004 CIS final to the Ravens, before losing to them in the national semifinal the following year.
Having seen Carleton excel first-hand, he said Smart should be one of the top candidates to lead Team Canada going forward.
“I think if you didn’t consider Dave Smart for the national coaching position, then you don’t know much about basketball,” Konchalski said. “[Smart] is definitely a terrific coach and a proven winner, and I know Canada Basketball holds him in high esteem.”
If anybody knows the situation with the national program, it’s Konchalski. The 66 year-old served as Canadian head coach from 1995-1998, after being an assistant coach with the team for 16 years.
Around the CIS, Smart is revered for his work ethic and his unwavering intensity. Be it the first or last minute — in a pre-season game or in the CIS final — Smart never changes his demeanour on the bench.
But contrary to popular belief, he does smile.
Unlike other coaches who do so after every win, Smart prefers to show off his pearly whites only on the biggest occasions.
It’s a standard of excellence that coaches throughout the nation aspire to achieve — coaches such as Greg Francis, whose University of Alberta team was beaten by the Ravens in the championship game March 11.
“[Smart’s] been a great coach for a long time and he has a system, it’s not just one or two good players,” Francis said. “He develops guys and he’s become the model and the gold standard in this country, so it’s a great thing to chase after.”
The 86-67 victory over the Golden Bears caps off what has been a remarkable year for Smart, who holds various scoring records from his playing days with the Queen’s Golden Gaels.
His resume from this season alone is impressive, to say the least.
A Wilson Cup banner as Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions, a W.P. McGee Trophy and a perfect 34-0 season against Canadian competition.
In addition, Smart made his international head coaching debut with Team Canada at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Most coaches would be thrilled if they could boast those achievements throughout an entire career.
Smart did it all in less than 12 months.
Just don’t expect him to brag about it.
