Carleton’s men’s basketball team will be without yet another member of last year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title-winning squad. This time, the change will occur behind the bench.
Head coach Dave Smart announced he would take a one-year sabbatical leave from the position he has held for 16 years. Rob Smart, Jr. has been named interim head coach.
“It’s a lot different this year, probably due to the turnover from last year,” Smart, Jr. said. “There’s some exciting things and some frustrating things that have to come with that but we have to try and find a balance in between.”
With 11 CIS titles in 13 years, Dave Smart’s success as the Ravens’ leader has not come unnoticed to the larger basketball community.
He has held coaching positions within the Canadian national team program, recently serving as an assistant to the silver medal-winning squad at the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
Despite leaving Carleton, Smart will continue his other coaching role, as the Canadian team looks to qualify for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in a series of late August qualifiers.
Smart, Jr. is no stranger to the Carleton program either. He has been a member of the Ravens coaching staff since 2004, a year after he finished his own playing career with Carleton.
“I’ve coached pretty much every part of the team over the years. We try to rotate our coaches every so often. A lot of my work has been focused on the defense,” Smart, Jr. said.
Smart, Jr. has also filled in for his uncle on several occasions. He has usually been in charge of the team during the summer, including challenging contests versus top NCAA programs Indiana, Syracuse, Wisconsin and Baylor.
While Dave will be technically on his sabbatical leave, Smart, Jr. said Ravens players should expect to see fair bit of their coach throughout the school year.
“It’s an interim year so it isn’t too much of an adjustment. He’s still going to be around, just obviously for less time,” Smart, Jr. said. “We’re trying to keep things consistent and keep the culture the way it was.”
Entering into his fifth-year on the team, 6’2 guard Gavin Resch has lots of experience playing for both members of the Smart family. Resch said there won’t be too many changes in the way things are run this season.
“They’re very very similar. It’s tough to differentiate them exactly,” Resch said. “They both want the same thing—for success and for everyone to work hard.”
When asked about the players’ perception of the elder Smart’s decision, Resch said there may be positives for an outsider, particularly with the Ravens’ younger players.
“It’s actually a great opportunity for some of the first- and second-year guys to gain a different relationship with Dave before they get into it with him fully coaching,” Resch said. “Some people when they come in can get a bit shell-shocked by Dave, even though he’s a cool guy. Just from his intensity. This way they’ll get to see the other side of him before jumping into the fryer.”
With the graduations of Phil and Thomas Scrubb, as well as Victor Raso, Smart, Jr.’s Ravens will have to count on those younger players for hope of a repeat performance.
“Internally, the focus is on learning and getting better. I mean, we’re going to go through some tough times,” Smart, Jr. said. “This year we’ve got five guys, who for various reasons, we can go to them and for various reasons, should keep the ball away from them. It takes time to get fully comfortable.”
The Ravens will have plenty of time to get used to the “new” coaching unit. They will kick off their title defense Nov. 6 at home versus Laurentian.
