New Ravens men’s basketball recruit Mitchell Wood is excited to join his brother, Connor Wood, on the nine-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship team next fall.
Mitchell said playing for Carleton offers the best of both worlds.
“I think it will be pretty good. We’re close, I’m excited,” Mitchell said. “Carleton has the best program in the country so it’s pretty hard to find a better program anyways. I was up there for three weeks in the summer and it was a lot of fun. All the coaches seem really nice.”
The men’s basketball team, who finished their regular season with a perfect 22-0 record, are primed for their search of a 10th national title.
The six-foot-three guard said he hopes he can add something to the team.
“I hope to bring some intensity, some toughness, and more energy,” he said.
Current second-year guard and Mitchell’s older brother, Connor Wood, said he thinks his brother will be a good fit on the team.
“He likes to work hard and I think that’s really what you need to do when you play for this team,” he said.
For the coaching staff, there’s one thing that stands out with Mitchell.
“The big thing that we like is his toughness,” assistant coach Rob Smart said. “He seems to enjoy playing defence and rebounding and he’s got a pretty talented skill set, he’s a good athlete. Mostly it’s how hard he competes that we’re looking forward to.”
While this won’t be the first time Mitchell and Connor have played together, having done so for two years in high school, it still has both of the brothers excited.
“We’ve already got a little bit of a feel when we play together,” Connor said. “There’s a lot of comfort when we play together. I think it will be really fun.”
For the coaching staff, this is something they’ve focused on in the past.
“It’s one of the things we’ve always looked for, having family connections or close friend connections,” Smart said. “It can make it easier to go through some of the tough experiences. We’re hoping Mitchell and Connor can have a good impact on our culture.”
