March 18, 2006
THE LAND OF OZ
HALIFAX - As the Carleton Ravens men's basketball team walks into the Hamilton Metro Centre on Thursday afternoon, Osvaldo Jeanty can be found at the end of the line, well behind all of his teammates. With his headphones overlapping his ears, the fourth-year Ravens captain keeps his eyes to the floor and a stoic look on his face. What makes this innocuous event in the day of the recently-named CIS player of the year so indicative of his personality is that he wasn't a few moments away from Carleton's tournament opening contest against UQAM, he was getting psyched up for his team's 45-minute practice on the Metro Centre floor on the day before his first game.
"That's Oz," Carleton head coach Dave Smart says. "To him there's no difference between a drill in practice or the last-second of the national final."
It's that type of stone-cold intensity that's allowed Jeanty to perform when it matters most in Carleton's three-year run atop the CIS. In each of Carleton's national title victories, Jeanty was the leading scorer and was named game MVP.
"He plays every minute of every practice at 100 per cent," 11-year Ravens assistant coach Taffe Charles says. "So to him, that success isn't "˜rising to the occasion,' he's just playing at his usual level."
While Smart says Jeanty had that mental toughness, "ever since he came to Carleton," McMaster guard Rob Scully, who played provincially under Smart and with Jeanty as a teammate, said Smart was moulding his disciple since he was a teenager.
"I think he knew that Oz would be coming to Carleton," Scully says. "He was way harder on Oz than anyone else on the team."
"I enjoy that type of coaching," Jeanty says. "Dave expects the best and he's always striving for perfection even though he knows the "˜perfect game' is impossible."
Now, after years of constructive criticism from Smart, Jeanty is now starting to resemble his coach during practice. After watching too many of his teammates cut corners only a few minutes into the Ravens practice, Jeanty screams, "Can we stop cheating? Please!"
Then, as the Ravens moved on to a controlled scrimmage, Jeanty sat out to rest his ailing knees. As Smart whistles down almost every play, Jeanty walks onto the court to engage in a question and answer session with his coach.
"He's taking over for Mike (Smart, the former Ravens captain)," Dave Smart says. "Osvaldo is asking questions that he already knows the answers to but he's doing it for some of the younger guys who may not know but might not be willing to come out and ask."
Jeanty went one step further than Smart, the former Raven captain, when he won the Mike Moser award as most valuable player in the country. Without dominating individual statistics (Jeanty averaged only 14.8 points per game), the award was somewhat of a surprise, but Jeanty's coach was extremely appreciative.
"It's a credit to the coaches across the country for realizing what Osvaldo brings to this team," Smart says. "Over his four years, nobody has won more than Oz. I truly appreciate that coaches rewarded a player's ability to win rather than their ability to put up numbers."
Jeanty says the award is more a reflection of his team. "My individual success is a by-product of our team's success," Jeanty says. "When we win, I look good, but if we lose, I look bad no matter how well I play."
Olga Hrycak, head coach of UQAM, said she's been a fan of Jeanty from afar ever since she began coaching in the CIS.
"I've admired him for the past three years," Hrycak says. "He's got a great head on his shoulders and he's a leader on and off the court."
Hrycak raved about Jeanty's defence and his toughness following Carleton's 62-59 win over the Citadins. The savvy guard took a charge 10 seconds into the UQAM game, and ended up taking two more before the game was done, all while defending UQAM's top scorer all game.
However, after four years of logging heavy minutes in practices and games and taking those types of charges, Jeanty is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. He rarely does more than shoot in practice, and runs with the grace of a 45-year old basketball player at the local YMCA.
"It's bone on bone down on his knees," Charles says. "He's definitely sore out there whenever he plays."
"Oz has grown up with the mentality that the harder you work, the more successful you are," Smart says. "It's a great mentality to have, but there's limits to what your body can take."
But after 40 minutes of game action against UQAM, Jeanty has no plans of slowing down just yet.
"We've got a title to defend and I've only got two games left," he says. "Besides, I have all summer to rest."
(Source: Chris Black, Special to the OUA.)
(Photo: Osvaldo Jeanty has done his best work when the Carleton Ravens need it most. The fourth-year, Gloucester, ON native has been the leading scorer and MVP in Carleton's past three National title wins.)
"That's Oz," Carleton head coach Dave Smart says. "To him there's no difference between a drill in practice or the last-second of the national final."
It's that type of stone-cold intensity that's allowed Jeanty to perform when it matters most in Carleton's three-year run atop the CIS. In each of Carleton's national title victories, Jeanty was the leading scorer and was named game MVP.
"He plays every minute of every practice at 100 per cent," 11-year Ravens assistant coach Taffe Charles says. "So to him, that success isn't "˜rising to the occasion,' he's just playing at his usual level."
While Smart says Jeanty had that mental toughness, "ever since he came to Carleton," McMaster guard Rob Scully, who played provincially under Smart and with Jeanty as a teammate, said Smart was moulding his disciple since he was a teenager.
"I think he knew that Oz would be coming to Carleton," Scully says. "He was way harder on Oz than anyone else on the team."
"I enjoy that type of coaching," Jeanty says. "Dave expects the best and he's always striving for perfection even though he knows the "˜perfect game' is impossible."
Now, after years of constructive criticism from Smart, Jeanty is now starting to resemble his coach during practice. After watching too many of his teammates cut corners only a few minutes into the Ravens practice, Jeanty screams, "Can we stop cheating? Please!"
Then, as the Ravens moved on to a controlled scrimmage, Jeanty sat out to rest his ailing knees. As Smart whistles down almost every play, Jeanty walks onto the court to engage in a question and answer session with his coach.
"He's taking over for Mike (Smart, the former Ravens captain)," Dave Smart says. "Osvaldo is asking questions that he already knows the answers to but he's doing it for some of the younger guys who may not know but might not be willing to come out and ask."
Jeanty went one step further than Smart, the former Raven captain, when he won the Mike Moser award as most valuable player in the country. Without dominating individual statistics (Jeanty averaged only 14.8 points per game), the award was somewhat of a surprise, but Jeanty's coach was extremely appreciative.
"It's a credit to the coaches across the country for realizing what Osvaldo brings to this team," Smart says. "Over his four years, nobody has won more than Oz. I truly appreciate that coaches rewarded a player's ability to win rather than their ability to put up numbers."
Jeanty says the award is more a reflection of his team. "My individual success is a by-product of our team's success," Jeanty says. "When we win, I look good, but if we lose, I look bad no matter how well I play."
Olga Hrycak, head coach of UQAM, said she's been a fan of Jeanty from afar ever since she began coaching in the CIS.
"I've admired him for the past three years," Hrycak says. "He's got a great head on his shoulders and he's a leader on and off the court."
Hrycak raved about Jeanty's defence and his toughness following Carleton's 62-59 win over the Citadins. The savvy guard took a charge 10 seconds into the UQAM game, and ended up taking two more before the game was done, all while defending UQAM's top scorer all game.
However, after four years of logging heavy minutes in practices and games and taking those types of charges, Jeanty is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. He rarely does more than shoot in practice, and runs with the grace of a 45-year old basketball player at the local YMCA.
"It's bone on bone down on his knees," Charles says. "He's definitely sore out there whenever he plays."
"Oz has grown up with the mentality that the harder you work, the more successful you are," Smart says. "It's a great mentality to have, but there's limits to what your body can take."
But after 40 minutes of game action against UQAM, Jeanty has no plans of slowing down just yet.
"We've got a title to defend and I've only got two games left," he says. "Besides, I have all summer to rest."
(Source: Chris Black, Special to the OUA.)
(Photo: Osvaldo Jeanty has done his best work when the Carleton Ravens need it most. The fourth-year, Gloucester, ON native has been the leading scorer and MVP in Carleton's past three National title wins.)
