The Carleton men’s basketball team will be without a prominent member of its coaching staff for the upcoming season, as former assistant coach Manny Furtado is heading north to become head coach of the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Lakehead’s previous coach, Scott Morrison, vacated the position when he took his talents to Portland, Maine to take over the reins of the NBA Development League’s Maine Red Claws.
Furtado, who had been part of the Ravens brass for two seasons, said he’s excited about the pursuing the task that awaits him as a head coach at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) level.
“It was an opportunity that I had to take advantage of, the chance to coach a CIS team,” he said. “I thought I was prepared for it and willing to take up the challenge. There’s definitely some challenges taking over the program late in preparation for the season.”
The Thunderwolves are just over one year removed from being handed a loss in the 2013 CIS title game to the Ravens. They finished under .500 at a 9-13 record in 2013-14 and missed out on appearing in the CIS Final 8 tournament.
Furtado said he expects improvement from his new squad.
“Defensively we’re going to go after teams, pressure them and make them feel uncomfortable—see if we can create some turnovers,” he explained. “Transition wise, we’re trying to get up and down the floor. If we can get good shots when we’re on offense then I think we’ll give ourselves a better chance.”
Furtado said he owes much of his strategy and readiness to lead the Thunderwolves this season to Ravens coach Dave Smart.
Together, they won nationals in both years they worked alongside one another at Carleton.
“Coach Smart has set the standard of coaching at Carleton, being as successful as they have been over the years,” Furtado said. “I learned a lot there that I’m trying to implement here. Obviously trying to be like Carleton is trying to be successful.”
As for Smart, he said it will be difficult to replace the hours that Furtado invested into the Ravens program—from being at games to being heavily involved in the recruiting process and other basketball operations behind the scenes.
“We’ve got to fill that void . . . No one works harder than that guy,” he said.
Smart said while he’s ecstatic for Furtado, he’s aware of how they coach rival schools.
“My initial response was, ‘I’m thrilled. I think it’s going to be a great situation,’” Smart said. “My second response was, ‘Holy shit, I’ve got to get on our recruits,’ because he’s been talking to a lot of the guys we’re trying to recruit for next year.”
Fifth-year Ravens guard Philip Scrubb said he felt mixed emotions regarding Furtado’s departure.
“It’s pretty sad to see him go,” he said. “He’s a great coach and a really good guy who cared about everyone on the team. I’m also really happy for him. It’s a great opportunity and I think he’s going to a really good team.”
Furtado and his new team will return to the Ravens’ Nest for the first time on Jan. 17, when the friends will become foes on court.
While Scrubb said the Ravens will be fired up for the matchup in early 2015, Furtado has a different outlook on the return to his former home.
While it is certainly circled on his calendar, he said the bout does not faze the rookie head coach.
“I think every game is important. Right now we’re more worried about what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ll take it one game at a time and when that week of January rolls around we can start focusing on Carleton.”
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