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Carleton's first CIS title
Carleton’s first national championship, a 57-54 win over Guelph, wasn’t just a momentous occasion for the team — it was a momentous occasion for the institution as a whole. Doug Wotherspoon, who was the director of university communications at the time, said the championship would help shed the school’s “Last Chance U” reputation. “Now it’s Number One U. Enough of that crap." The win signaled the end of an era for Rob Smart and the beginning of one for star rookie Osvaldo Jeanty. -
The undefeated season
How do you top winning the program’s first Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title? By going 50-0 and repeating as champions with a first-ever undefeated season, of course. At least that's what Carleton did. After winning their CIS Final 8 quarter-final and semifinal matchups both by a slim two-point margin, the Ravens defeated St. Francis Xavier University X-Men by a score of 63-49 March 22, 2004 at the Halifax Metro Centre. Dave Smart’s nephew, Mike, was named tournament MVP. -
The "three-peat"
The Ravens became only the third CIS team to complete a "three-peat" and the first to do so since 1989 with a 68-48 win over the second-seeded Concordia Stingers. It was also their second consecutive undefeated campaign. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, the Ravens had now won a whopping 78 straight games against CIS competition. Playing in his final CIS game, captain Mike Smart was named tournament MVP. -
The close call
Despite entering the tournament through the "back door," the Ravens kept the streak alive with a 73-67 win over the University of Victoria Vikes in the CIS championship final in Halifax. Although they emerged victorious for the fourth straight year, the Ravens were not favoured to win the tournament. That year, the Ravens had also lost their first game since 2002. It seems fitting the victory came over the Vikes, as they are the only other team to have captured four straight CIS titles. -
The end of an era
The 2007 CIS men’s basketball championship marked the end of an era on several fronts. From a CIS perspective, it ended a run of 20 straight years the tournament was held at the Halifax Metro Centre. Closer to home, it would be the last time Ravens’ legend Osvaldo Jeanty stepped foot on the court in a CIS game. Ironically, it was the only year he wasn’t named championship final MVP. In the end, the Ravens picked up their fifth straight title with a 52-49 win over the Brandon Bobcats. -
Returning from a loss
After seeing their historic string of consecutive national titles come to an end the previous year, the Ravens were back at it again in 2009 — the second of three straight years the tournament would be held at Scotiabank Place. The Ravens picked up their sixth national title with an 87-77 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, but the true story was Stuart Turnbull's buzzer-beating jumper with 4.9 seconds left in the semifinal. Unsurpringly, he was named tournament MVP. -
The return to the top
For most current students, Carleton's 2011 CIS championship would likely be the first they remember. The tournament moved back to the Halifax Metro Centre that year and after falling to the eventual champion Saskatchewan Huskies in 2010, Carleton also moved back to the win column. And they did so in commanding fashion. Fourth-year guard Elliot Thompson recorded a team-high 19 points as the Ravens cruised to an 82-59 victory over the Trinity West Spartans. -
Breaking into the record books
As the Charlatan's Ginaluca Nesci and Callum Micucci summed up at the time, "If it wasn't already official, the Carleton Ravens made sure there were no questions about their legacy March 11 in Halifax." Led by reigning CIS player of the year Philip Scrubb, the Ravens were victorious over the University of Alberta Golden Bears 86-67. By doing so, they moved into a tie with the University of Victoria atop the CIS record books with eight championships apiece.
