All year long, Carleton Ravens head coach Dave Smart said that his team shouldn’t be considered the favourite to once again capture the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Basketball Championship. As it turns out, he wasn’t kidding.
The Saskatchewan Huskies proved to be too much for Smart’s Ravens to handle, as they upset the home team 86-82 in the semi-final March 20 at Scotiabank Place.
Although Smart was pleased with his team’s effort, he said their execution was lacking throughout the night.
“You have to play well to be a great basketball team,” Smart said in the post-game media scrum. “We played hard and we fought but we didn’t play well.”
First and foremost, Smart cited his team’s dismal three-point percentage as their main reason for defeat. In comparison to an exhibition game on Oct. 18 when Carleton shot 52% from beyond the arc and defeated the Huskies 97-79, they were 2-for-17 from three-point range March 20. This is uncharacteristic for the Ravens, who were ranked seventh in the country with a 36.9 three-point percentage during the regular season.
Carleton’s inability to capitalize from long-range tonight can be attributed to the fact that Saskatchewan, who now moves on to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the championship game, decided to defend forward Kevin McCleery straight up, rather than double-teaming him.
“They basically played him one-on-one and that made it tough for us to get the easy looks from three that we’re used to,” Smart said.
McCleery put up 20 points in his final CIS game, but could have easily dropped 30 with all the chances he had.
“I’m extremely proud of what he’s accomplished in his five years here,” said Smart of the fifth-year center. “He’s had some great highlights throughout the National championships and the dominance he’s had all this year. He’s a better kid than he is a basketball player. What’s there to say?”
Elliot Thompson and Cole Hobin, who will both be key components to the Ravens’ success next year, recorded 23 and 20 points respectively.
Mike Kenny, who brought the crowd to its feet with by nailing a deep three-pointer at the final buzzer, also chipped in with 12 points.
On the other end of the ball, Carleton’s defence was simply unable to contain Saskatchewan’s potent offence led by the dynamic Husky duo of Showron Glover and Michael Linklater in the backcourt. Linklater recorded 25 points and seven rebounds, while Glover put up 18 points and seven assists.
Carleton’s defence seemed focused on shutting down Glover early on, which left others, such as Linklater, wide open on numerous occasions.
Linklater said he and his team used the hostile environment at Scotiabank Place as a motivational tool.
“When we are going into other gyms, it’s fuel to our fire,” said Linklater after the game. “All the little things they say is like water off a duck’s back. We hear it and it motivates us.”
Midway through the third quarter, Carleton seemed to be coming on strong when Cole Hobin used a quick pump fake to step around his defender and drain a mid-range jumper. But less than five seconds later, Linklater returned the favour with a nice jumper of his own.
The Ravens came out firing on all cylinders in the fourth quarter, looking to eradicate the 12-point deficit they faced at the end of the third, as McCleery split the Huskies’ defence and capitalized with a big layup on their first possession. With five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Thompson’s one-handed floater was promptly answered by Glover, who put up a nice floater of his own from inside the paint. Every time Carleton would come on, the Huskies had a response.
“We were trying to keep them out of the paint and we had a tough time doing that,” Smart said. “Glover and Linklater do a great job getting in the lane and they made really good decisions.”
Saskatchewan’s head coach Greg Jockims compared the semi-final matchup to a heavy weight boxing tilt.
“We took a swing at them, they swung back and we were going back and forth all game,” he said. “We just had the last punch.”
Even though Smart incessantly insisted throughout the year that the Ravens were not the team to beat, he admits that losing to the Huskies was still a tough pill to swallow.
“It’s a huge disappointment,” he said, without hesitation. “Our goal was to win everything. Do I think we underachieved? No, I don’t think we underachieved. I thought we had a great year. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
Smart was also quick to point out that one of his most proud moments this season came almost immediately after the post-game handshakes.
“I turn around and there’s 13 guys picking up all the cups and putting them in the garbage at our bench,” he said. “Their season just ended and they took the time to do that. Maybe that’s part of my problem. Maybe I need to recruit a few more pricks.”
Looking forward to next season, with the loss of 6’8” McCleery, Smart said the Ravens will likely become more of a perimeter team, like they have been in past years.
“We’ve got a great recruiting class coming in but we’ve also got nine guys coming back,” he said. “We’ve got lots of weapons and I would hope we’ve got lots of motivation.”
If the disappointment evident on their faces after the semi-final loss was any indication, motivation to succeed next year won’t be much of a concern.