By Martin Cleary
When you study the history of the Carleton University men’s basketball program, umpteen ideas jump off the pages, like a sky-high rebounder. And they all amaze you.
In the past 26 years, excluding the COVID-19-pandemic no-play season of 2020-21, head coaches Dave Smart, Taffe Charles and Rob Smart, Jr. (2015-16), have produced numerous individual award winners and players recognized as all-stars, while emphasizing team play and depth development.
The Ravens’ OUA win-loss record since the turn-of-the-century season is unimaginable. No team in any Canadian university sports has won 91.2 per cent of its regular-season league games over 26 years – 487 wins, 46 losses.
That November through February momentum carried right through the playoffs as Carleton played in 20 OUA championship finals and celebrated 12 times with the Wilson Cup trophy. Since the 2000-01 season, Carleton has qualified for 22 appearances in the CIAU, CIS and U Sports national championship tournament.
But the statistic that really jumps off the page and comes down in thunderous slam-dunk fashion is this – 18-0.
The Ravens have appeared in 18 national university men’s basketball championship finals and won every single time. Not a single loss. Eighteen W.P. McGee Trophy victories. Maybe U Sports should consider renaming the coveted hardware the Smart-Charles Trophy.
Dave Smart patrolled the sidelines as head coach for 13 national titles, Charles has reached four and Rob Smart, Jr., has one.
The latest and one of their greatest national university championship wins arrived Sunday in Calgary. The Ravens won three consecutive games in as many days, including holding off Bishop’s University Gaiters 78-75 in the U Sports national university men’s championship tournament Final 8 gold-medal game. It was the Ravens’ first national men’s university basketball title since 2023 and 18th overall.
“These guys battled hard. They’re hurt. Two starters down. A lot of adversity this year. I can’t believe it,” Charles said after the game on the CBCsports.ca broadcast. “We just tried to find a way. That’s been our thing. We’ve been trying to find a way to win. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
For the first three quarters, Bishop’s, the tournament’s wildcard entry, was on course to win its second-ever national men’s crown, after capturing its first in 1998. The Gaiters led 20-17 after the opening quarter and 35-34 at halftime. The fourth quarter started with Bishop’s leading 56-54.
But the 2025-26 edition of the Carleton men’s basketball team doesn’t rely on one player to carry the load. Instead, its depth is its strength and it showed in the final.
Despite starting guard Marjok Okado on the sidelines with a knee injury, the seventh-seeded Ravens persevered and outscored the Gaiters 24-19 in the fourth quarter, which triggered a 78-75 victory.
Third-year guard Aubrey Dorey-Havens was at his shooting best, converting nine of 16 three-point shots and 12 of 24 field-goal attempts. He finished with a game-high 35 points, and added six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Dorey-Havens said the team was motivated to win a national crown for Okado, who was playing in his hometown.
“Obviously he’s a huge part of our team. He’s our leading scorer. He meant a lot and he got hurt. To do it for him too, we just knew we were going to have to fight,” indicated Dorey-Havens, noting that another teammate injured earlier this season, A.J. Osman, was also in their minds. “We knew we just had to keep battling every single day. Guys took on new roles and everybody stepped up.”
Dorey-Havens drove the Ravens to the title in the fourth quarter, sinking 15 points, including several critical three-pointers to keep the Ravens in slight control.
His standout performance was equally supported by four teammates. Nelson Cilien, the OUA defensive player of the year and a U Sports award finalist, notched 10 points, four rebounds and one steal.
First-year centre Tyler Brown contributed nine points and five rebounds, while Louth-Mohamed Coulibaly recorded eight points, six rebounds and one steal. Emmanuel Ngo Kana Suzama played 18 minutes and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Bishop’s junior guard Reggie Jean Seraphin of Ottawa scored 14 points in the final and added four rebounds over 33 minutes. Rowan Halpenny, Michael Dooley and Owen Meagher, who are all from Ottawa, are listed on the Bishop’s team roster, but didn’t dress for any of the national championship games.
After the initial team celebration at the final buzzer, Dorey-Havens was named Carleton’s player of the game and the winner of the Jack Donohue Trophy as the championship tournament MVP.
“I got hot early. I just knew I could get to my spot to get to my shot,” noted Dorey-Havens, who set a U Sports championship game record with his nine three-pointers. “I just love this team so much. I’m so emotional. I never thought I’d be here, honestly. This team has given everything, and the coaches, worked hard for three years to get back here for Carleton.”
Dorey-Havens also was named to the five-player all-star team along with Ravens’ teammate Cedric Mbiaba, Geoffrey James of the University of Victoria Vikes, Charles Robert of Bishop’s and U Sports’ player of the year Aaron Rhooms of Toronto Metropolitan University Bold.
WATCH | 2026 U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 Highlights – GOLD MEDAL: Carleton vs. Bishop’s
The Ravens reached their 18th championship final by defeating the OUA champion Bold 58-52 in the semifinal as not one of their starting five players scored in double figures. But Mbiaba came off the bench to save the day in the defensive struggle with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Ravens also received nine points from Mark Dike, seven points from Brown and six points from Dorey-Havens.
In its quarterfinal, Carleton controlled the second half en route to an 85-69 win over the Université Laval Rouge et Or. The Ravens led by three points at halftime, 41-38, but outscored the Rouge et Or 44-31 in the final two quarters.
Dorey-Havens hit for 15 points and added five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Okado chipped in with 11 points and three rebounds.
Meanwhile at the U Sports national university women’s basketball tournament championship in Laval, Carleton’s quest for a matching gold medal ended early. But the Ravens rebounded to win their final two games to place fifth overall.
Second-seeded University of New Brunswick Reds overpowered Carleton 81-63 in the opening quarterfinal.
Kyana-Jade Poulin, a U Sports second-team all-star, led the Ravens with 23 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Catherine Oliver had 12 points and two rebounds. Tyanne Matosas-Adderley chipped in 11 points.
Ottawa’s Katie Butts led the Reds’ charge with a game-high 33 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. She connected on 11 of 16 field-goal attempts and 11 of 13 free throws.
In the consolation-round semifinals, Carleton edged McGill University Redbirds 64-62 as Matosas-Adderley paced the winners with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Poulin had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and Jacqueline Urban notched 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
The consolation final saw the Ravens earn fifth place with a 60-58 overtime victory over the OUA champion Bold. Poulin sparked Carleton with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Urban repeated her double-double effort with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Matosas-Adderley contributed 14 points as well as three assists, three steals and three rebounds.
At the U Sports women’s Final 8 honours night, Ottawa’s Bella Gaudet of Queen’s University Gaels won the Tracy MacLeod Award for courage overcoming adversity.
Butts finished her fifth season with the UNB Reds by being selected to the U Sports second all-star team as well as the championship tournament all-star team.
Butts earned a silver medal as UNB lost 77-68 to defending champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the women’s final. She had 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the gold-medal game.
In the Reds’ first national semifinal since 2006, Butts counted 20 points and added six rebounds in a 70-66 win over the University of Calgary Dinos.
GEE-GEES AIMING FOR FIRST OUA WOMEN’S HOCKEY TITLE
The visiting University of Ottawa Gee-Gees will play for their first OUA women’s hockey championship on Saturday against the University of Guelph Gryphons for the McCaw Cup. Game time is 3 p.m.
Guelph has captured seven OUA titles, since women’s hockey started in 1971-72.
The Gee-Gees went the limit to reach the final, when they defeated Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 2-1 in the best-of-three semifinal.
Angelique Proulx scored the game-winning goal at 14:20 in the first overtime period to give the Gee-Gees a 3-2 decision in the third game. Madison Desmarais and Gillian Warren scored Ottawa’s earlier goals.
Goalkeeper Clara Genier continued her outstanding play in the series, stopping 43 of 45 shots.
Ottawa defeated Laurier 4-1 in the opening game of the semifinal at home with a pair of goals from Alex Ferguson and singles from Reece Mepham and Warren. Ferguson and Beatrice Bilodeau gave the Gee-Gees a 2-1 lead in the second period of the second game, but Laurier responded with a pair of goals for a 3-2 victory to even the semifinal.
In the first two games, Genier faced 85 shots and stopped 81.
uOTTAWA WINS FOUR MEDALS AT U SPORTS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The University of Ottawa earned four medals at the U Sports track and field championships in Winnipeg.
Safwan El Mansari was a double silver medallist in the men’s 600 metres in one minute, 18.12 seconds as well as the 4×400-metre relay. The other sprinters on the Gee-Gees’ relay team were Joel Gurnsey, William Harris and James Compeau.
Thomas Senechal-Becker was the men’s high jump silver medallist at 2.15 metres. He cleared his first six heights on his first attempt before bowing out at 2.18 metres.
Jessica Gyamfi collected the bronze medal in women’s shot put with a best toss of 13.87 metres.
Ottawa’s David Adeleye of the University of Western Mustangs placed second in the men’s 60-metre hurdles in 7.84 seconds.
The Gee-Gees placed 11th in the men’s team standings with 23 points, while the women’s squad was 20th at six points. Western and the University of Guelph Gryphons were the respective men’s and women’s team champions at 64 and 105 points.
NEPEAN RAVENS WIN ONTARIO RINGETTE TITLE, WILL PLAY AS TEAM ‘O’ AT HOME NATIONALS
Four local teams qualified to play at home for their national championships thanks to their performances at the Ontario ‘AA’ Ringette Championships in Kingston.
The Nepean Ravens beat the West Ottawa Wild 5-1 in the U16AA final to earn the right to wear Team Ontario jerseys in their hometown, as Ottawa gets set to host the Canadian Ringette Championships from March 29-April 4.
Avery Shulha and Mikaela Carbonette each scored two goals for the Ravens, while McKenzie Miller had a goal and an assist, and Emmerson Allen added three assists in the final.
The Wild will also play in the nationals, as will the U19AA runner-up Eastern Ontario Force and fourth-place Eastern Ontario Impact.
In U14AA, the Ottawa Ice topped Richmond Hill 4-2 for the provincial crown, with Sofia Sears scoring two goals and Kenzie Pryor registering three points. Nepean topped Gloucester-Cumberland 2-0 for bronze.
CAPITAL COURTS ACADEMY, LOUIS-RIEL FALL IN QUARTERS AT OSBA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Capital Courts Academy lost by a basket 55-53 in the quarterfinal round of the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association girls’ championships at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Fort Erie hit the winning shot with just over one second left and CCA’s three-point attempt bounced out to end the Ottawa program’s quest for a repeat OSBA title.
Louis-Riel lost to powerhouse Crestwood 83-30 in their quarterfinal before Crestwood wound up falling 56-55 to champion Royal Crown.
Louis-Riel advanced to the championship weekend with a 71-58 win over Lincoln Prep following a 9-7 regular season.
Canada Topflight Academy lost their opening match in the OSBA boys’ Trillium division championships.
OFSAA BOYS’ BASKETBALL, GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS OPEN
Second-seeded Notre Dame ran past No. 20 Gravenhurst 83-39 on the opening day of the OFSAA boys’ A basketball championship in Timmins.
In the second round, Notre Dame is scheduled to play the winner of the Almonte-Kirkland Lake game.
Louis-Riel, the No. 17 seed, split its first two games at the OFSAA boys’ AAA basketball championship in London, losing 46-41 to No. 5 Holy Cross of Kingston. In its second game, Riel rebounded to turn back Lasalle 73-52.
St. Mark lived up to its seventh seed by defeating No. 13 St. Mary 73-63 at the OFSAA boys’ AA basketball championship in Pembroke.
Ottawa schools won two of six matches at three OFSAA girls’ volleyball championships across the province.
Franco-Cité, No. 11, defeated St. Joseph Scollard 15-25, 25-11, 18-16, but lost to Oakville Trafalgar 25-19, 25-12 in girls’ AAA play in Windsor.
At the girls’ AA championship tournament in Cambridge, Pierre-Savard defeated Dundas Valley 25-18, 25-16, but lost to Aurora 25-14, 25-17.
Pierre-de-Blois dropped its two OFSAA girls’ A matches in North Bay, falling to Hamilton District Christian 25-14, 25-15 and the University of Toronto Schools 25-8, 25-13.
NKB MEN’S TEAM SECOND AT SWIM PROVINCIALS, JORDYN RICHARDSON DOMINANT
The Nepean-Kanata Barracudas ranked second overall in the men’s team standings at the Ontario age groups swimming championships in Markham.
St. John’s 2025 Canada Summer Games multi-medallist Jordyn Richardson of the Ottawa Young Olympians was a star of the meet, handily winning all five of her 14-year-old girls’ races.
Five medal-winner Arthur Galiano swept the three 16-year-old boys’ breaststroke distances and also won the 4×50 m medley with NKB teammates Ko, Jordan Jolly Ssamula and Alexander Pershukevich.
GO Kingfish’s Lucas Yao won the 14-year-old boys’ 200 m butterfly as part of his five-medal performance, while teammate Marcus Brun topped the 12-year-old boys’ 200 m fly among his four medals.
NKB’s Liam Ko also earned four medals including wins in the 15-year-old boys’ 400 m free and the 200 m backstroke, while NKB’s Jessica Duford won a medal of each colour in 13-year-old girls’ including 100 m freestyle gold.
Other local swimmers earning podium performances were GO’s William Vinet-Lessard, Henry Klatt, Youssef Ghobrial, Max Laboissonniere, Isla Noordhof, Malia Walker, Viviane Partridge, Grace McIntosh and George Zhou, NKB’s Levi Yam, Steffan Pshonka, Cole Scully, Mehmet Deniz Capraz, Katherine Sullivan and Danica Licari, and Swim Ottawa’s Ante Bulat.
END NOTES
· Ella Lindsay of the Nepean-Ottawa Diving Club was the star local performer at the Dive Ontario Spring Provincials in Windsor, winning the women’s open platform event and taking silver for 3 m and 1 m.
· A pair of Nakkertok Nordic racers won silver medals on the opening day of the Nordiq Canada cross-country skiing championships in Mont Ste. Anne, PQ. Owen Siderius placed second in the men’s U18 7.5-kilometre classic interval start race, while Esther Lavigne of Gatineau was runner-up in the women’s U16 7.5-kilometre classic interval start race. Nakkertok’s Evelyn Davies was eighth in the U18 women’s race.
· Former University of Ottawa Gee-Gee Claire Gallagher scored her first career try for Canada in a sevens jersey as she helped the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team to a fifth-place performance at the Vancouver SVNS series event. Ottawa’s Elias Hancock was part of the Canadian men’s sevens team’s victory at the Teck Tri-Nations Challenge.
· Mike Hickey, a notable Canadian men’s and women’s basketball coach at five different universities from 1973-2010, will be in Ottawa on Saturday to talk about and sign his book When Basketball Was a Game. He will be at Perfect Books from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
– with files from Dan Plouffe
Martin Cleary has written about amateur sports for over 52 years. A past Canadian sportswriter of the year and Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement in Sport Media honouree, Martin retired from full-time work at the Ottawa Citizen in 2012, but continued to write a bi-weekly “High Achievers” column for the Citizen/Sun.
When the pandemic struck, Martin created the High Achievers “Stay-Safe Edition” to provide some positive news during tough times, via his Twitter account at first and now here at OttawaSportsPages.ca.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.
