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“So there’s different things we can sell, but, at the end of the day, if I’m in Ontario, I have no way around the concept of free education and free scholarship. Until we get to that point, I don’t think we can truly recruit for that next 50 to 100 players that are considering the NCAA as an option.”

Smart says CIS basketball needs marketing and scholarships. He says the best prospects will still likely end up with major U.S. college powers, but Canadians attending “mid-majors” would be better off staying at home, he believes.

Ottawa Citizen

“To be frank, the Canadian mid-major kids that go down there, it’s over for them,” Smart says. “I coached the national team. None of those guys, when their four years are done, is good enough to play on the national team, whereas there are some CIS guys who are right on the brink of being in that 15.

“It’s hurting our game, but it’s hurting those kids as well.”

Konchalski and others hope something comes from a CIS women’s hockey pilot project allowing schools to offer individual athletes enough for tuition, fees and residence or living costs even if the total per team remains unchanged. That project is only in the first of five years, though, far from the point of a cost-benefit analysis on whether it has had the intended impact of keeping more Canadian student-athletes at home.

There is a perception that CIS basketball is inferior to the NCAA’s. Smart and Victoria Vikes coach Craig Beaucamp share the viewpoint that there’s less parity within Canadian conferences than there used to be, but they also say the better Canadian sides can compete with U.S. teams. Carleton is 15-17 against U.S. teams in the past five years, while the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees are 5-11.