On Nov. 6, the Ravens men’s basketball team opened up their 2015-16 campaign against the Laurentian Voyageurs. On the Ravens’ opening possession, their starting point guard attacked the hoop, setting the tempo for the rest of the game which resulted in an easy 93-48 victory.
However, this time it wasn’t the familiar number 23 that Carleton fans were so accustomed to seeing take up the ball. The new man in charge wears number 41, sports a sizeable afro, and although his first layup of the season bounced off the front rim and out, he got the Ravens on the board a few minutes later as he got fouled while finishing with a layup off the glass.
His name is Kaza Kajami-Keane. Although he hasn’t played basketball for a Canadian school in nearly six years, he is Canadian-born, hailing from Ajax, Ont. Kajami-Keane spent his junior and senior high school years playing in North Carolina, before going on to play Division I college basketball in Illinois and Ohio.
“It was definitely a learning experience for me to grow and get better with the game,” Kajami-Keane said. “It’s really a great atmosphere when you’re playing in front of 8,000 fans, and you’re playing against the best players in the world.”
Kajami-Keane was growing into his role as a Division I player in the U.S., starting 20 of his 34 games as a junior at Cleveland State University. However, the development was not fast enough for Kajami-Keane, and on July 3, Cleveland State announced his transfer from the program. Shortly after, it was announced by Canadian basketball scout Barry Hayes, on Twitter that Kajami-Keane would spend his upcoming season at Carleton.
“It’s definitely a better experience so far being back in Canada. I get to see my family a lot more, and my friends came to a couple of games,” Kajami-Keane said. “I always feel like I’m comfortable when I’m on the court, it’s become like a ritual for me.”
A sense of comfort is something Kajami-Keane will need to develop into quickly, as he is faced with the task of replacing one of the most accomplished point guards in Canadian Interuniversity Sport history, Philip Scrubb.
“We’re gonna give him some room to learn,” said head coach Rob Smart following their opening night win versus Laurentian.
“I don’t think it’s fair to put those [expectations] on him, we need all our veterans to be solid every night, and support him in areas he needs. But in terms of toughness, he’ll definitely be there for us.”
Kajami-Keane said he sees the expectations as a sense of motivation.
“Every time you look up at the banners, you wanna do something to put yourself in that category,” he said. “I don’t think it’s intimidating, it’s just something where I’m eager to learn as much as I can.”
Although it’s early, Smart said he believes Kajami-Keane’s play and presence within the team’s dynamic has been exceptional.
“He’s a great addition for us. He loves the game, he plays hard, he’s the type of guy who watches a lot of film … he just lives the game,” he said.
Through the first four games, which all resulted in wins for the Ravens, Kajami-Keane has performed well as the team’s new point guard. In Saturday’s win at Lakehead, he scored 16 points on just eight shots. Kajami-Keane also notched seven assists which helped him contribute to his CIS leading total. Despite the stats, Kajami-Keane said they are focused on one thing.
“We’re just competing to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,” he said.
