Basketball. Watching the sport on TV used to send me into pangs of annoyance and indifference. I couldn’t sit through one quarter of an NBA game, let alone all 48 minutes.
Then the NHL season was cancelled. What was I going to do? My main source of entertainment had gone down the tubes along with the salaries of the millionaire hockey players.
So I decided to give basketball a try. I’d always regarded the sport with skepticism and thought it was filled with far too much scoring. In my mind, the NBA highlights on TSN’s SportsCentre were always in the way of the more “exciting” hockey goals and saves.
When the Toronto Raptors started their season back in early November, I made a concerted effort to watch more games and learn about the game. I quickly caught on that basketball is not as simple and boring as I had thought.
Jaw-dropping LeBron James dunks and ridiculous three-point performances by Donyell Marshall of the Raptors have turned me into a basketball addict. In March, Marshall drained 12 baskets from beyond the arc in one game to tie an NBA record.
But it’s not just watching Raptors games on TV that has piqued my interest in basketball. Ottawa is quickly becoming a hot spot in the growth of Canadian ball. Anyone who hasn’t caught a Carleton Ravens or University of Ottawa Gee-Gees game is missing out on a great display of talent.
Last month, the men’s teams from both local universities travelled to Halifax to take part in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Final 10 championship. The Ravens entered the tournament as the top seed and were looking to win their third straight national championship. Earlier in March, Ottawa’s women’s basketball team captured the national consolation title in Winnipeg.
On a last-minute whim, at midnight on Friday of the tournament weekend, somefriends and I decided to drive the 14 hours to Halifax to take it all in live. In my former mindset as a basketball-hating hockey fan, I would never have made the trip. But my new-found love for the sport motivated me to make the seemingly illogical voyage.
I won’t ever forget the incredible memories of seeing our home-town teams competing on the national stage in front of hostile crowds from St. Francis Xavier University and Concordia University, among other schools. I certainly won’t regret using one of the last weekends of my university career to cheer on my beloved Ravens.
While Canadian university basketball may be shrugged off by some as inferior to the American game, it’s still a great game to watch. The Ravens always put on a show, with highlight-reel three-pointers and stifling defense. Guards Mike Smart and Osvaldo Jeanty routinely make daring drives to the basket over much taller opposing players.
Under coach Dave Smart, the Ravens have racked up an incredible 78 straight regular and post-season wins. In the process, they’ve built a strong rivalry with the cross-town Gee-Gees.
While Carleton blew out Ottawa 69-47 in Halifax to advance to the semifinals, it’s certain that the enmity between the two isn’t going to die with Carleton’s latest national championship. Carleton won the previous three matches between the two clubs this year, but only a combined score of 12 points.
As long as Carleton and Ottawa are able to maintain decent basketball teams, our city will remain at the top of Canada’s basketball pile. The season may be over, but look out next fall when Ottawa’s universities take to the court once again.
Games at the Raven’s Nest and Montpetit Hall could be the hottest tickets in town.