If it wasn’t already official, the Carleton Ravens made sure there were no questions about their legacy March 11 in Halifax.
The Ravens won yet another Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championship, capturing their eighth W.P. McGee Trophy in the last 10 years with a commanding 86-67 victory over the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
With the win, the Ravens have tied the all-time mark of eight championships, a record they now share with the University of Victoria.
“It’s one title in one year,” said Ravens head coach Dave Smart on the court following the championship victory. “It’s one at a time. These kids put up with my crap all year, they deserve it.”
With star players Tyson Hinz and Philip Scrubb both returning to the program next year, Carleton may have that record all to themselves in the very near future.
“They’re incredible players, so much talent and it’s only upwards for them. They carried us the whole year,” graduating guard Elliot Thompson said after the game. “It makes it easier on us and makes us comfortable being role players to them, and they did it again, they stepped up in the big game and I love both of them. They have lots of potential and lots of wins left in them.”
Scrubb was named the MVP of this year’s CIS championship, but was modest in his acceptance of the award.
“The biggest thing is to win the whole thing as a team,” Scrubb said. “I guess I hit some shots and I got lucky to get an award.”
Scrubb cemented his status as the best player in the nation with a monster performance, putting up 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
“I’m so happy for him, he’s a great player and he keeps getting better,” said Alberta head coach Greg Francis, who coached Scrubb with the Canadian national junior team. “The only tough part is that we have to play him again next year and I know he’s going to keep getting better.”
The Ravens struggled at times during the tournament, making for some scary moments over the course of three games.
“Maybe what happened was we hit rock bottom in that first half last night offensively,” Smart said. “I thought we defended well, but offensively we just played scared, and I think [after that half] we played with freedom on offence.”
The win caps off a historic campaign in which the Ravens did not lose a single game against CIS competition, completing the season with an astonishing 34-0 record. It was a fact that left Thompson “speechless” after the game.
“We’re the only team that’s gone undefeated the whole year against CIS competition,” said fifth-year guard Willy Manigat. “That’s something that we’re really proud of, that was a goal, and we accomplished it.”
For the three graduating Ravens, going out with a 34-0 season and a national championship is something they wouldn’t change for the world.
“At this point, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Manigat said. “It’s my last game playing in the CIS but I love these guys. I love my fifth-year guys Elliot Thompson and Cole Hobin. Those guys, since I’ve come to Carleton, have been with me every step of the way. That’s what this game means to me. We’ll always be friends forever but . . . I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Besides no longer playing with the people they love, the continuing Ravens have little to worry about in the coming years as they seek to leapfrog the University of Victoria Vikes and break the record they just tied.
“There’s not much of a torch to pass on to the young guys,” Manigat said. “Somebody told me our third-year and second-year guys combined for 35 in the first half. They already know what it takes to win. It’s just about caring about each other and being a family, playing basketball, loving what we do and doing it hard. That’s always going to continue as long as guys keep listening to coach and keep wanting to win and being better every day. That’s what it’s all about.”
Carleton came out of the locker room on fire, shooting 76.9 per cent from the field in an up-tempo first quarter that saw the game go for large stretches without a whistle.
Hinz dominated the Golden Bears early in the game, scoring 10 points on 4-4 shooting in the opening quarter. Scrubb was no slouch either, as the Richmond, B.C. native closed out the first half with 19 points and six rebounds.
“We were ready to go from the start,” Scrubb said. “Some guys, this was their last game and we just tried to play for them and leave it all out on the floor.”
Combined, the dynamic duo put up 35 of the Ravens’ 52 points in the opening half, outscoring the Golden Bears on their own, who could only muster 32 points.
Manigat once again made a huge impact off the bench, as the veteran chipped in with 14 points, proving that the Ravens bench is littered with talent — something opposing coaches alluded to numerous times over the tournament.
With Carleton going into the break holding a 20-point cushion, it was simply a matter of closing out the game with their trademark defence.
Golden Bears stars Daniel Ferguson and Jordan Baker found that defence difficult to break down, but their head coach wasn’t willing to pin the loss on the two players who carried his team to the tournament.
Instead, Francis credited Smart with winning the coaching battle.
“I know we have the talent to match them, but I don’t know that I was consistent enough with my guys like [Smart] was with his guys, and I don’t think you can come into a final situation and change much at all,” Francis said. “You have to be who you are, you have to do it through thick and thin and that’s something I learned as a coach.”
Carleton is now 8-0 in national championship final games, all of which have come with Smart, a five-time CIS coach of the year, behind the bench.
Many have said this was the best team Smart has ever put on the court — a point that’s hard to argue now.
