For years, Carleton University in Ottawa has been synonymous with basketball.
Directed by chief coach Dave Smart, the male program accumulated 17 titles in a period of 20 years, more than any Canadian or university or university team of the United States has won.
And so, when Dani Sinclair left his Alma Mater Victoria to become a coach of women of the Ravens in 2020, he was ready to embrace the pressure.
“There is a little paranoia, like a healthy paranoia, which I think exists in any successful program. Because if you take your foot from the gas, as you look at Dave, there is no way to win that amount of games and championships if you relax .
Under the surveillance of Sinclair, Carleton’s women have won two consecutive national titles, and are enjoying a Home 22-0 to the current season. This year’s championships throughout Canada are executed from March 13 to 16 in UBC, with live broadcast available on CBC Sports.
While there is still a long way to go for the women’s program to catch men, it seems that a new dynasty is in the treasury in the Ravens nest.
“I knew I could fail and I approach that daily as I could explode in my face at any time. But I was a little excited about that perspective and is fine with the pressure that came with her,” said Sinclair.
“When you have the level of resources we have here and people, you realize that you can drop your ego a little. That is a large part of Carleton’s culture is that it is not really about me. Person. We are all trying to do something together. “
Jacqueline Urban, the third year front of Hamilton, Ontario, has never won the National Championship during her Sports U.
In fact, Urban, 21, has only suffered only four total losses as a crow.
Dave Smart’s legacy lives in
She said that Smart’s legacy continues to persist especially Carleton’s basketball program, even when she now trains the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, California.
“His name is almost as worshiped when you come to Carleton,” Urban said.
During the practices, Sinclair often indicates the banners that hang in the gym.
“She will throw her name and say: ‘Do you think Dave Smart only did this for whatever? … Do you think this means anything?'” Urban said.
As they march until the last month of the season with Targets Square on their back, the Ravens will trust the established standards two decades before and will pass to the women’s team.
“The standards are always increasing, but it is because [Sinclair] You know what we are capable. So I think that many times when frustration, passion and enthusiasm is when we have shown that we have done it before, “Urban said.
Sinclair said Smart instilled in him that interpersonal relationships are the most important to continually achieve high standards.
“From the outside, we seem that we are demanding, and we are all about to win. And really, I think we have succeeded because we focus on people. And we can challenge them in certain ways because we have built connections with them,” said Sinclair.
Urban has seen that its roles on the court and outside the court increase in the year. She has started each game, scoring 11.2 points and transporting 8.1 rebounds per contest while assuming leadership role after the game of star Kali Pocnic.
She said she feeds on Sinclair’s interpersonal skills.
“Every time there is a basketball analogy, she will simply move it directly to life, directly to school, directly to the family. It is never just about basketball with it, which I think is something really special and unique,” Urban said.
Even so, while the base was in its place when Sinclair arrived, he tried soft way of presenting.
It is not that the formula is too complicated, anyway.
“You expect this magical way to do things. And the truth is that they only work harder than other people. And I think that’s the first thing is like you’re too big. You’re never too big for work,” said Sinclair .
It is perfect for Sinclair, who can take the sports cliché “One Game at the same time” literally.
“I am too superstitious to think about it,” he said about a third consecutive potential title. “And they know not to talk about that around me. They do all the planning behind the scene. Brome that I don’t even know where it is. And I don’t look deliberately [the standings]”
Carleton culture
Urban said the mentality also flows to the players.
“It is difficult to explain how we are. You can obviously explain it, but experimenting Carleton is very different. But once you are here, you really immerse yourself in culture and it’s weird. They all synchronize. Like you ‘re everything in the same wavelength “Urban said.
Given his impeccable history and his growing case of trophies, it is evident that chemistry is paying off in court.
However, Urban and Sinclair recognized that things have not been easy to navigate.
Both have also observed how Las Vegas of the WNBA and Kansas City of the NFL failed in the recent offers of three mobs.
Urban admitted the potential achievement is at the bottom of his mind.
“I can’t imagine how a season would look like another way … but for us, it’s like construction blocks every time. So once we reach the next level, I think that’s where more emotion comes, especially when it occurs So close to the end of the season, “he said.
“We are in a place that has been so successful and we just want to continue it.”
