CIS: Revamped Ravens back in familiar territory

VANCOUVER— The Carleton Ravens were largely defined by two star siblings and a legendary coach en route to capturing the last five Canadian men’s university basketball titles.

With all three gone, the team’s latest incarnation had to scrape and claw to establish its own identity.

Winners of a record 11 national championships, the Ravens are back at the CIS Final 8 tournament despite losing brothers Philip and Thomas Scrubb to graduation and having Dave Smart step away from the program for a year-long sabbatical.

Veterans who played supporting roles had to take the lead, while assistant Rob Smart — Dave’s nephew and a former Ravens player — assumed head coaching duties on an interim basis.

“There have been some ups and downs,” Rob Smart said Wednesday after practice. “It’s been a lot of fun.” The current crop of Ravens, ranked No. 2 this year after falling to Ryerson in last weekend’s OUA final, know the history. But they don’t put pressure on themselves when it comes to past glory.

“Obviously you look up and you see a lot of banners,” said fourth-year guard Kaza Kajami-Keane of Ajax, a transfer from Cleveland State. “We’re trying to be the best Carleton team that we can be. We’re not trying to be better than the teams from the past.”

The Ravens open the tournament at the University of British Columbia on Thursday against No. 7 Thompson Rivers, while No. 3 Ottawa takes on No. 6 Dalhousie, and No. 4 Calgary meets No. 5 McGill.

No. 1 Ryerson plays the late game against No. 8 UBC, hosting the event for the first time since 1972. Friday is set aside for the consolation round, with the semifinals Saturday and the final and third-place game going Sunday.